this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2026
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I guess it makes sense, digital should be cheaper. But I can't shake the feeling that this might be the last generation for physical media. They're obviously aiming to phase it out, and I don't think it's a matter of if, but when.
TBH, in a world with DLC and major patches, how much does physical media still matter anymore? My Splatoon 3 cart contains a 1.0 that is very very very different from the current game today, is that really any better than these controversial Game Key Cards?
I say all of this as someone who still buys physical whenever possible, but even I start to wonder if there's still a point in that or if I'm a dinosaur clinging to what's already dead.
I guess I won’t feel bad when I have a hard drive with hundreds of switch roms on it someday.
I think your example already makes a case for it - your cart still contains 1.0. You couldn't get that any more, if digital were the only option. It's a beautiful thing, to have media that does not depend on the Internet, that no company has control of (unless they want to physically send someone to your house to confiscate it).
To me, that stability is so much more valuable than any add-on content. It works both ways, so there's tradeoffs, ie the latest updates are often not available on physical.
But yeah, I'm with you on most of it phasing out and us being dinosaurs.
I don't like digital, but I'm already old and would be fine if no new video games were released (physical or otherwise) starting today. I enjoy the paradigm of games I grew up with, and since it's voluntary, for-fun entertainment, I don't always have to adapt.
Personally, I think as consoles shift more digital, I'll shift more to PC.
Nintendo can already brick your cartridge over the internet and make it require game updates (via system firmware updates). They have already done this with Super Mario Wonder on Switch 2 - the game will not run without an update download. You can't revert firmware versions on a DRM box like the Switch, and new cartridges (even ones with "the full game" on them) will require and include firmware updates. Playing the console online or purchasing any digital-only content (or downloading free patches) also requires the latest firmware, and there are whitelist mechanisms in place for Nintendo to outright say "you cannot run v1.0 of game X on system version 16.7.2U". The v1. 0 being on a cartridge has no bearing on this functionality.
The only way to "play video games without relying on the internet or a company's server" legally while being 100% sure that the company can't do what they did to Mario Wonder is to buy and maintain multiple outdated firmware consoles that are isolated completely from the Internet. That's obviously infeasible, so the only way to "play video games without relying on the internet or a company's server" is the complete defeat or removal of DRM. On Nintendo platforms, that means piracy, full stop. On PC, there are a ton of games that are DRM-free digitally distributed products - those are the endgame here, not chips or discs. After all, with no DRM, you can put your copy of Slay the Spire on as many flash drives or DVDs as you want!
There's also storage costs.
In a world where games can easily be dozens of GB and storage is at a premium (thanks, AI companies) having physical media with most of the game data on it makes it a lot easier to juggle between games.
It would make more sense if we could backup the updates and DLC to a external source or just include a flash chip on the carts that can store the dlc. Makes zero sense to have physical media and no way to ensure its up to date for the day Nintendo shuts that server off.
It would be nice, but Nintendo is against it for copyright reasons.
Same reason they sued Gary Bowser into the ground.
Making read/writeable cartridges would increase manufacturing costs even more.
Oh no! These poor billionaires!
Not sure what you're trying to say. The costs will get passed on to consumers. They already are, but that'd be even moreso.
I am not sure if you can do it on a Switch, but I recall the 3DS having a feature where you could pull patches and DLC from one console to another. Not even close to what you were suggesting, but it is something.
Do any software stores support creating a local package mirror? I suppose you can make one for GoG by periodically checking for new game versions and saving the installer to a backup.
Not just the installers, but plenty of games (all of GOG's catalog, but also a bunch on Steam) don't have DRM at all. They'll work just fine if you run the executable file without the "store" running (even if you got the exe file from Steam/etc and can't re-download without a login thus functional servers and account in good standing and internet connection).