They say the internet is just one slice of the mainstream pie, and that we should seldom think online reactions are indicative of the entire consumer base. I try to bear that in mind whenever possible, but it feels like Nintendo's Game Key Cards are just nigh-universally disliked. No matter how the company attempts to explain them, GKCs are looked upon by millions as an excuse to let publishers masquerade that they still care to release physical copies of their games.
As we're beginning to see, this isn't always the case. Which isn't to say we should all suddenly unite behind GKCs replacing cartridges, but at least when it comes to Ubisoft's upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 port of Star Wars Outlaws, there's a compellingly non-financial reason behind the decision to eschew game carts for Game Key Cards.
For the uninitiated, Game Key Cards are cartridge-shaped devices that get inserted into Switch 2s as if they're the real deal. Depending on your definition of 'the real deal', however, they don't pass muster at all; they simply prompt the console to download the relevant game. GKCs are, in Nintendo's own words (and nomenclature), "your 'key' to downloading the full game...
