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64GB Nintendo Switch Game Cards Could Be Coming In 2020

IbizaPocholo

NeoGAFs Kent Brockman

Reports in the last few years claimed that Nintendo wanted to release the 64GB Game Card in 2018, but couldn’t do so due to technical issues. Now a report from the Taipei Times states that flash memory maker Macronix is rolling out its in-house 3D NAND in the second half of 2020, and their first customer is Nintendo.

The 3D NAND could potentially be used for the 64GB Game Cards which Nintendo wanted to release in 2018 but failed to do so. Macronix also supplies Nintendo flash memory chips for their existing Game Cards, so it’s unlikely 3D NAND would be used for the memory configurations already released.
 

-Arcadia-

Banned
As I understand it, it took quite a bit of work to get all of the Witcher 3 + DLC on one Game Card, and we all know the situation with making a mode, or part of the game downloadable in some extreme cases.

Hopefully this and lowering prices on the previously expensive 32 GB cards, pays off for developers and gamers.
 
The 64 GB cards are really just Nintendo's way of saying to the 3rd party developers that if they wanted to port their larger games over to the Nintendo Switch, now they can. It's a good move by Nintendo, and it sends a nice message that they are willing to work with 3rd party developers.
 

Shaqazooloo

Member
This will should help quite a bit. One of the big issues for Switch is the cart size limitations, it's probably the reason we haven't seen GTA 5 yet.
 

Armorian

Banned
This will should help quite a bit. One of the big issues for Switch is the cart size limitations, it's probably the reason we haven't seen GTA 5 yet.

Last gen version of GTA 5 is under 20GB and it would probably run better too on the same settings, IDK why it wasn't ported to this day.
 
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Shaqazooloo

Member
Last gen version of GTA 5 is under 20GB and it would probably run better too on the same settings, IDK why it wasn't ported to this day.
Perhaps they want to port a down-scaled current gen version so they can maintain parity (content wise) with PS4 and Xbox One?
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
As I understand it, it took quite a bit of work to get all of the Witcher 3 + DLC on one Game Card, and we all know the situation with making a mode, or part of the game downloadable in some extreme cases.

Hopefully this and lowering prices on the previously expensive 32 GB cards, pays off for developers and gamers.

I do hope that they lower the prices and make inventory management of carts easier. The great revolution of CD’s vs carts was not just that the former were cheaper, but that the latter would require stringent management of order numbers, risk in ordering an expensive large batch of carts in advance, long delays in getting follow up orders if demand had been underestimated, etc... all problems that CD did not carry with it (nowhere near that anyways).
 
And devs will continue to use the smallest 8gb cards.
Because fuck you give us money
Most games are still under 8GB (except AAA games, they are all way above 8GB)

However, this kind of storage is relatively expensive, so yes, it will cost you more when you buy it. Why would they essentially pay you to buy their games on the Switch? Nintendo, like all platform holders, is taking a cut on every unit sold. There is no way, that makes sense for the publisher, around it.
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
Most games are still under 8GB (except AAA games, they are all way above 8GB)

However, this kind of storage is relatively expensive, so yes, it will cost you more when you buy it. Why would they essentially pay you to buy their games on the Switch? Nintendo, like all platform holders, is taking a cut on every unit sold. There is no way, that makes sense for the publisher, around it.

Agreed, funny thing is that buying games physically is a triple benefit right now: games use no or much less internal storage space (for updates and DLC’s only, reducing the need for a very large SD card if one at all for some people), games are cheaper if you look around, and you can resell them too.

Publishers trying to skimp on big carts was obvious: they are expensive, they represent a bigger inventory risk than most are used to take for releases, and a lot of users accept to download additional content through the eShop. I do remember how saving on air and ship container space and Nintendo subsidising carts would make this a non issue.
 
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Codes 208

Member
I was under the impression 64gb was already possible, they were just super expensive hence why devs choose to stick to lower storage numbers.
Why is there a size limit in the first place?
Physical media has limitations, especially cartridges (a reason why everyone switched to disc-based game storage ages ago.)
 
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