If you were hoping there would soon be an alternative to the increasingly controversial Game-Key Card situation on the Nintendo Switch 2, think again. Because, at least for now, things remain as they are, and developers have to choose between a Game-Key Card or a 64GB standard cart.
Originally, R-Type Dimensions 3 publisher Inin Games could have potentially let the cat out of the bag early, only to go back on their word for still-unknown reasons.
Nintendo Switch 2 cartridges are already too confusing for their own good
Game keycards will cause a lot of headaches on the Nintendo Switch 2.
In an update that has since been corrected announcing that R-Type Dimensions 3 will indeed be on cartridge, Inin Games wrote on its website: “There's no better timing: Two days ago, Nintendo announced two new smaller cartridge sizes for Nintendo Switch 2. This allows us to recalculate production in a way that wasn't possible before.”
Except it wasn't quite like that and the statement was retracted.
“There has been no official announcement or confirmation from Nintendo regarding the storage capacities of the cartridges,” reads part of the statement. “Any references to specific storage sizes should not be interpreted as official information from Nintendo.”
“At this time, we can only confirm that our upcoming release of R-Type Dimensions III will be on physical cartridge. No other technical details regarding cartridge specifications have been officially confirmed.”
Ultimately, it's unclear why the recall was made, and whether or not there are actually two new cartridges on the way is still impossible to tell. Obviously, it would be a big step forward if developers had a little more flexibility, but until Nintendo says one thing or the other, it's best to assume nothing has changed.
For what it's worth, the Inin website notes that “the retail and special edition price of the NSW2 version will increase by €10 due to ever-increasing production costs,” a common feature of manufactured physical cartridges.
In less than a year, playing cards have become the bane of players
Even before the Switch 2 officially dropped, the idea of Game-Key Cards, or full games not available on cartridge, rubbed fans the wrong way. So much so that CEO Doug Bowser addressed the controversy by noting that physical games are still “a core part of our business” and that the company plans to support them “for the foreseeable future.”
There have been several titles released via Game-Key Card that have received negative feedback from players, including Persona 3 Reload. At one point, sentiment around the Switch 2 hit an all-time low, largely because of the cartridges.
Finally, in a massive crackdown on game preservation, Japan's National Diet Library has deemed game key cards unfit for preservation because cartridges aren't technically physical media that hold content.
- Mark
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Nintendo
- Original release date
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June 5, 2025
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$449.99
- Operating system
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Proprietary
- Resolution
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1080p (handheld) / 4K (docked)
- HDR support
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Yes
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