Nintendo is running a survey to find out how its community feels about physical and digital games.
The survey itself begins by asking participants which consoles they have in their homes, with the likes of Xbox and PlayStation also featured, before moving on to Nintendo specific questions.
These questions include how many Nintendo Switch games have been purchased for others, as well as for the participants themselves. The survey also inquires how many Switch games the user has sold on, before getting to perhaps the most topical questions regarding Nintendo games right now:
In general, when it comes to games for a Nintendo Switch system, do you prefer purchasing games in physical format or in digital format?
And:
For which of the following reasons would you consider purchasing physical versions of Nintendo Switch games?
Users can reply with answers such as “I like collecting physical games”, or “it’s easier to gift physical games to others”. There is also an option here that reads: “Physical games provide a stronger sense of ownership.”
Many have voiced their opinions on social media about Nintendo’s move to having predominantly game-key cards for their third-party Switch 2 releases. These game-key cards look incredibly similar to Switch cartridges, however, rather than storing the game data itself, these require users to download a digital version of the game. Once the download is finished, the same card must remain inserted in the console to then launch the game.
This was meant to act like a halfway house between a purely digital ‘code in a box’ download, and a fully physical game release, as there is still something tangible about the key-card.
However, this pivot to key-cards has raised concerns about game preservation and ownership, as they are dependent on Nintendo’s servers and support from Nintendo itself. In April of this year, CEO of remaster specialists Nightdive Studios Stephen Kick called Nintendo’s move to key-cards “a little disheartening” to witness.
“You would hope that a company that big, that has such a storied history, would take preservation a little more seriously,” Kick said to Eurogamer’s sister site GamesIndustry.biz.
Meanwhile, following last week’s Nintendo Direct, a partner showcase, many dubbed it the ‘Key-Card Direct’ or ‘Nintendo Game-Key Card Partner Showcase’, lamenting the lack of physical physical media. Now, though, the Nintendo community has the chance to share its thoughts with the Switch 2 maker in a more official way, thanks to the survey. You can find a link to Nintendo’s survey, and make your voice heard, here.
Last week, Nintendo announced it had sold 5.82m Switch 2 consoles worldwide in its first month of release. Soon after, a price increase was announced in the US for the original Switch family of consoles, as well as “select” accessories.