A complete overhaul of the Nintendo Switch digital game system will come next month with the launch of the Virtual Game Cards system.
Revealed during today's Nintendo Direct, the new system, which will launch in April and will be fully compatible with the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, will completely change the way digital game purchases are handled across different systems. Upon purchasing a digital game via the eShop, the game will be loaded onto the console as a Virtual Game Card, which can be virtually ejected from one console and inserted into another to allow the same digital game to be used on different systems. Games on a single Virtual Game Card can also be arranged between consoles and can even be lent to be used with other Nintendo Accounts that are part of a family group by transferring games between consoles using a local connection. These games will be playable for two weeks before being returned to the original owner.
As the new Virtual Game Cards system will be fully compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2, it will be interesting to see if it will impact how the console will handle backward-compatible digital games. More information on the matter is likely to come next week during the long-anticipated Nintendo Direct focused on the system.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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