Summary
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People can use a flashlight to check if a Switch game box has a cartridge inside to avoid buying tampered goods.
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Switch games are still popular in physical form due to the portability of the system.
One savvy shopper shared a simple trick with Nintendo Switch a community of fans to help people distinguish between legit Switch games and fake ones. This trick helps people when shopping in the store and prevents them from accidentally buying Nintendo Switch game boxes that have been tampered with by thieves.
Although sales of physical copies of games are generally declining, the Nintendo Switch remains a relative bastion of physical game sales compared to other consoles. This is due in part to the fact that Nintendo has chosen to store physical Switch games on cartridges rather than discs, as well as the portable nature of the console, which encourages players to bring their games with them in physical form. Even Ace Attorney Investigation Collection is getting an exclusive physical Switch release, with publisher Capcom acknowledging the strength of the physical Switch game market.
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Unfortunately, physical goods can be vulnerable to theft and tampering, prompting Reddit user Far-System1555 to share a simple trick to help the Switch community protect itself. The trick is to shine a bright light, such as a flashlight, through parts of the Switch's game case to detect the presence of a game cartridge inside. Since the Switch's physical release boxes are made of translucent white plastic, any parts not covered by the label will let light through, illuminating the black Switch cartridge in its holder and verifying that the package contains the cartridge inside. So the technique reduces the chance that someone could receive a case for one of the best Switch games in 2024, only to open it and see a missing game cartridge.
A simple trick helps to verify genuine Nintendo Switch cartridges without opening the package
Commenters on Far-System1555's thread praised the trick, citing it as a potential defense against falling victim to Switch game thieves. They also wondered if this trick might work when the Switch 2 comes out, since Nintendo has announced that the Switch 2 will support game cartridges. They linked to other Reddit posts and news reports focusing on cases where the perpetrators opened Nintendo Switch games, removed the cartridges and resealed the cases for victims to buy. Others have shared tips on how to make the trick more effective, such as trying to expose the metal contacts that indicate the cartridge inside the case is actually a game cart, rather than a piece of “bait” plastic that some thieves leave inside an unauthorized case to trick buyers. Some commenters advised caution, saying this trick won't work on a Switch game case that isn't translucent. They added that the trick simply verifies that the cartridge is present, not that the cart matches the game being purchased.
Despite the rise of digital distribution, tapes aren't going away anytime soon. In fact, Nintendo is releasing more than ever, thanks to recent advances that allow it to give Pokemon Scarlet and Violet on one game cartridge. With that in mind, it's good that Switch fans have come up with ways to protect themselves from theft. Then you also have to lament that such tricks are necessary in the first place.
Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is a hybrid console launched in 2017 that can be played in handheld mode or connected to a television. The Switch Lite, a manual-only model, followed in 2019, with an OLED refresh in 2021.
