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Nintendo Delaying 64GB Game Cards For Switch Until 2019, Says Report (kotaku.com)

According to The Wall Street Journal, Nintendo is pushing back the introduction of larger 64GB game cards for the Switch. Nintendo had planned to make them available during the second half of 2018, but has reportedly told developers that they would have to wait. The reason is reportedly due to technical issues. Kotaku reports: As Kotaku previously reported, Nintendo's Switch games keep their size slim, with downloads for Super Mario Odyssey, Arms and Splatoon 2 ranging from 2-6GB. However, third party developers have been releasing bigger, data-heavy games, outpacing the Switch's 24GB of usable onboard memory. The Journal notes that Nintendo has already sold over 10 million Switch consoles, meaning developers could continue to flock to the platform, regardless.

54 comments

  1. Why didn't they just go with the SD standard? by ctilsie242 · · Score: 1

    The SD standard provides for built in encryption and signing as part of the standard, provided you have enough cloud to have a business they will allow to have the info under NDA. I wonder why Nintendo just doesn't use that, or perhaps add their own DRM layer?

    Even if they only allow their "blessed" rebranded SD cards sold only by them, it would be a fairly easy technology to repurpose.

    1. Re:Why didn't they just go with the SD standard? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'm curious if it's a read rate issue.

    2. Re:Why didn't they just go with the SD standard? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The switch does support micro SD cards for data storage. I could see there being a lot of confusion if games were sold directly on SD cards. Imagine the situation where you get a buy a game and later need to download DLC for it. The SD card the game came on isn't big enough for the extra data. What do they do? Include 2 SD card slots on the system? Then it might be easy to get your personal sd and your game SDs mixed up. Nintendo's own cards are also much thicker and more durable than SD cards. If you have kids constantly swapping sd cards in and out of the console I could see them snapping in half very easily.

    3. Re:Why didn't they just go with the SD standard? by Narcocide · · Score: 2

      The Switch cartridges are much faster, that is all. There is also already a built-in microSD card slot that supports up to 256GB flash cards, but it seems to be reserved for ancillary data (replays, screenshots, etc)

    4. Re:Why didn't they just go with the SD standard? by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      The Switch cartridges are much faster, that is all.

      How much faster? Some SD cards are quite fast. But there's the rub; performance varies wildly. What's more, random read performance varies drastically! That's not something I expected, but sure enough, there are huge differences between cards in this regard. I switched from Sandisk Ultra to Samsung Evo because of the random read performance. For cameras, it doesn't matter even slightly. For any kind of interactive use, it's dramatic.

      I could see Nintendo wanting to just avoid this whole issue for game data.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    5. Re:Why didn't they just go with the SD standard? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      clout not cloud you moron.

    6. Re:Why didn't they just go with the SD standard? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The built-in microSD cart can also hold games as far as the Switch data manager tells me.

    7. Re:Why didn't they just go with the SD standard? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, you're fucking stupid. You must own an iPhone.

    8. Re:Why didn't they just go with the SD standard? by fateblossom · · Score: 1

      A U1 MicroSD card is faster.
      I just got a Switch and look at recomendations on what SD card to use. And I stumpeled over a test. Where internal memory was fastes, then the SD card, and then the cartridges. It was loading time of 1 secund between them. But SD card was faster.
      Also it support up to 2TB MicroSD cards not just 256GB.

  2. Skewed article is missing frame of reference by LeftCoastThinker · · Score: 1, Insightful

    "The Journal notes that Nintendo has already sold over 10 million Switch consoles, meaning developers could continue to flock to the platform, regardless"

    Uh no. The PS4 has sold north of 60 million consoles and has by far the most titles, exclusives and indie ports. Developers are flocking to the PS4. The Xbone is north of 25 million units sold, making the switch the bastard step child of this console generation. With good reason. I used to buy every console of a generation to always be able to play the best exclusives on each console, but I never bought the WiiU and won't be buying the Switch either.

    The switch is a bad joke of a console. It sacrifices what could be a low cost HD console for a half assed portable scheme that makes it a crappy, over priced console and a crappy portable... The Switch is the kind of crap you get with design by committee. When you have a visionary steering, they can keep the designers focused on a single mission, like Wii (make a cheap console for kids that is easy to program for that has built in motion controls and light gun functionality) or the PS4 (make a powerful next gen console that is good at playing games, reasonably priced with good indie support). The Xbone fell flat at launch because their vision involved raping consumers for every penny and blocking the resale of games (it is a sad fact; I was a huge 360 fan, but I waited a long time to buy an Xbone because of the crap they tried to pull before launch).

    --
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    1. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Huh, the Switch has been out for less than a year. The PS4 and Xbone have been out for 4 years. The Switch is selling at the same rate as the PS4 and faster than the Xbone in the same time frame. The Switch isn't really marketed at the hardcore market -- Nintendo abandoned that market after the GameCube. It obviously isn't targeted for you, that's fine but don't let your disinterest cloud your thinking.

    2. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      LAWL.

      You belong on some fringe edge of r/gatekeeping. Seriously.

      Switch is going to be killing it with releases in the coming years. Instead of pumping $$$ into mid-range parts in a controlled environment for "next-gen," they pumped $$ into an existing tech and form factor that multiple age groups can enjoy.

      Video games aren't JUST for elite gamers like yourself, you know. Stop taking them so seriously. The games don't care about your preferences. The gaming systems don't give a shit about how "hardcore" you or your k/d is. I mean look at yourself. All you're doing is equating tech specs with enjoyment factor. Looks like you've got a few points in "priorities" that you need to respec.

      Buy the games, play them, enjoy them. Oh, and while you're at it, tell me about how you can plop a ps4 down in front of your kids on a road trip and allow them to play a popular racing game for hours with it's built in screen. Everything has it's place, jackass.

    3. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by vux984 · · Score: 1

      What reality distortion field are you laboring under? The PS4 is definitely the best selling console this 'generation' but the switch hasn't even been out a whole year, while the PS4 is over 4 years old now.

      It doesn't even make sense to compare total units directly in a situation like this. Under more reasonable metrics the the PS4 is still comfortably out front, and the Xbox has been a success in its own right... but the Switch is crushing the Xbone.

      I admit I was a bit skeptical of it when it was announced and at launch, especially after the WiiU was lackluster in a lot of ways.

      But no, the switch is a great console. I like the drop in base and playing on the big screen, where we can play some multiplayer mariokart, and I like the pop it out and play solo capability too. The kids take it everywhere. In a lot of ways its the perfect console that could well be a successor for both the Wii and 3DS in one.

    4. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      70m consoles in 4 years and 10 months; so about 1,200,000 consoles a month.

      10m consoles in 9 months; so about 1,100,00 consoles a month.

      Looking at vgcharts ps4 is outselling the Switch. Looking at vgcharts the Switch is #2 based on demand.

      What you have said is largely opinion based; no one cares. The fact is the market exists for the Switch as does the demand.

      Frankly, the PS4 is garbage. Sony can't even keep their network online and has been hacked multiple times. You want to stand behind such a shit-co? No thanks.

    5. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 1

      Meh... I just buy all three.

      Xbox shot themselves in the foot this generation with *horrible* PR out of the gate, with the focus on DRM instead of games, and an arrogant attitude that pissed gamers off. On top of that, mandatory pairing with the Kinect was a colossal blunder. That being said, they still have the best online service, hands-down, and it's still a solid console for this generation. But I did wait for the Kinect-less version with the 1GB drive. No discs for me this generation.

      I also bought a PS4 because I enjoy playing JRPGs, and they have some great exclusives like Horizon, Nier, Uncharted, etc. And at least Sony doesn't screw around with the UI every three months, like Microsoft seems to have a pathological need to do - apparently in an attempt to figure out how to devote even more of the home screen to advertising, or to push yet another non-gaming feature I don't give a crap about.

      And each generation, I end up picking up a Nintendo console eventually almost solely for the Zelda game. Will probably pick one up before I go travelling this summer. Sort of handy that it will be portable.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    6. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Huh, the Switch has been out for less than a year. The PS4 and Xbone have been out for 4 years. The Switch is selling at the same rate as the PS4 and faster than the Xbone in the same time frame.

      If the PS4 has been out for four years, yet it's still selling just as well as Nintendo's console which has been out for just one year and which is cheaper, then that clearly demonstrates that the PS4 has superiority. And I say this as a Sony hater who won't consider giving them a dime.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    7. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      lol @ PS4 is a powerful console. If I want to be tethered to a screen, then you can get a PC that blows a shitty PS4 away.

      If you want portable, then you can just grab a Switch.

      A PS4 can't compete tethered to a screen (horrible specs), and it can't compete as a portable (doesn't work lol). It is no man's land.

    8. Re: Skewed article is missing frame of reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Failed argument. Nothing he said is wrong because a pc is not a console.

    9. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by phorm · · Score: 1

      PS4 has an established lineup of games. The Switch is just getting warmed up there.

      Games and the gaming experience sell consoles, not just fast processors

    10. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by LeftCoastThinker · · Score: 1

      I am glad that the Switch works for you, but Nintendo hasn't been a contender for me since the Wii and even then it was clearly a child's toy, not a hardcore gaming system.

      I have been gaming since Atari 2600 days, and have bought and played on most consoles, but the Wii U and Switch both felt way too gimmicky to buy, with poor performance and a weak lineup of games. The last real Nintendo console that was a contender in performance and lineup was the Gamecube and that was competing with the Xbox and PS2 (and Dreamcast)... The most recent Nintendo console I bought was a retro SNES. It is true that portable gaming has little appeal to me, but from what I have heard, the only game even worth playing on the Switch is the new Zelda game.

      The PS4 has been out for 4 years and it is still a far more powerful system than the Switch and yet you could buy one for $199 on Amazon this last black Friday, or an Xbone S for $189. Both the PS4 pro and Xbox One X are even more powerful offering 4k etc. while the the Switch limps along in performance and still costs $300 for the bare system.

      --
      If you disagree, please post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like
    11. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      LOL, think you could mention the word "performance" a few dozen more times in your post? While you're sweating the details of benchmarks, some of us just want to play games. I just bought a Wii U and I like it quite a bit.

    12. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      PS4 has an established lineup of games. The Switch is just getting warmed up there.

      It's been out for an entire year and still there's no games worth buying?

      Games and the gaming experience sell consoles, not just fast processors

      Yeah, that's why Nintendo is last. Because of the half-assed gaming experience.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    13. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      It's a different gaming experience. I'm a PC gamer and have the PS4 beat. If performance if that key to you, it's really the way to go. For my gaming systems, the Wii definetley is the one that gets pulled out of storage the most for family fun.

    14. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      10M is ahead of where the PS4 was at this point in its life.

      Nice try.

    15. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The PS4 and the XBox One were both released more than 3 years prior to the Switch (November 2013 for PS4 and XBO, March 2017 for Switch). Their contemporary Nintendo console was the WiiU (released November 2012). The Switch is the first of its generation. The XBox One X has now joined it. The PS5 is nowhere to be seen, and the PS4 Pro is a sad joke.

    16. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by TheCastro1689 · · Score: 1

      I'm so mad about the Kinect. I had no problem buying the system with it and it worked really well with lots of voice commands. Now, they stripped most of it away.

    17. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by vux984 · · Score: 1

      "not a hardcore gaming system"

      Don't think of it as a weak 3-years-late ps4 alternative. Think of it as a really souped up 3DS that also supports playing on the big screen TV, couch multiplayer, and party games.

      "with poor performance"

      Performance only matters in the games on the system. Breath of the Wild, Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart Deluxe... etc etc all play smooth as butter. Nobody actually playing games is complaining about performance.

      "and a weak lineup of games"

      Agree to disagree. It's had one the best launch lineups of a Nintendo console, with some excellent exclusives. And that rabbids came in particular came out of nowhere and is getting rave reviews.

      " It is true that portable gaming has little appeal to me"

      OK, but would you also piss on the DS / 3DS / Gameboy ... some of the best selling game platforms ever made. If they are not for you, ok, but you have to admit they've each been massive unqualified successes.

      The switch is likewise headed in that direction.

      "you could buy [PS4] for $199 on Amazon this last black Friday, or an Xbone S for $189... Switch ...costs $300 for the bare system."

      Yup. That's one way of putting it. You could also say it outsold the discounted PS4 black friday; despite not even going on sale.That is not a sign of a system that is struggling.

      The PS4 overall is selling better, and that's fine. I don't deny that. The PS4 being a success doesn't mean everything else somehow failed. The switch is currently on track to be a massive success in its own right.

    18. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      The PS4 has sold north of 60 million consoles

      9 months into the PS4 release it had sold 4 million consoles. By your own comparison the PS4 is a huge failure compared to the Switch which has sold more than double that in the same time frame.

      makes it a crappy, over priced console and a crappy portable...

      Yep and also the best half portable and half console on the market.

    19. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by LeftCoastThinker · · Score: 1

      I have a PC gaming rig as well, and did a lot of PC gaming when I was younger, but honestly, at this point in my life between career and family, I don't have 2 hours to dick with installations, settings and drivers to get shit to work. When I have 30 minutes to do some gaming, I want to be able to turn on the TV and start gaming within 3 minutes, and the consoles do that for me. The reality is that the PS4 pro and Xbox One X output gaming quality that is virtually identical to a high end gaming PC because of their dedicated hardware and shortcuts that developers can take on that hardware. (Don't believe me? Check out The Last of Us on PS3. The game looks amazing on a console that is 9 years old.) Try getting that kind of performance out of a 9 year old PC/video card.

      So yeah, PC master race/ bleeding edge/ upgrade your $600 video card every 18 months/ etc, but consoles "just work" and work very well for a very long time.

      --
      If you disagree, please post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like
    20. Re:Skewed article is missing frame of reference by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      I have a PC gaming rig as well, and did a lot of PC gaming when I was younger, but honestly, at this point in my life between career and family, I don't have 2 hours to dick with installations, settings and drivers to get shit to work.

      It must have been a while since you were a PCgamer. I just launch steam and go. Unless I am messing with mods, there is no mess with anything put hitting play and turning on my controller. I launch my console so rarely that it's a good hour or so before I'm up and running with all the firmware and game updates I have to wait for.

  3. How's that slim? by narcc · · Score: 1

    2-6GB is "slim" now?

    I give up. Gonna go dust-off the Intellivision...

    1. Re:How's that slim? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I give up. Gonna go dust-off the Intellivision..

      Kool-Aid Man!

  4. Patents by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    Nintendo patents every one of their console's media. IIRC even the WII is a slightly off kilter DVD. That way they can maintain control of software distribution using the patent system. Otherwise they run the risk of folks publishing unlicensed games. Normally it wouldn't be worth the effort but Nintendo has been just awful to all of their partners since pretty much day one. The tales of them screwing over people would helped them build their empire are legendary and the industry littered with their corpses. So at this point you can expect a few folks to do it just out of spite.

    Like Activision/Blizzard folks love Nintendo's games so much they turn a blind eye to their business practices...

    --
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    1. Re: Patents by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You might want to learn more about the modern game environment. Your info is from the 80s and 90s. Console makers heavily control their media licensing to prevent another Crash, which was caused by rampant unlicensed games and declining quality.

      ET for the 2600 ring a bell?

    2. Re: Patents by beanpoppa · · Score: 1

      Except ET for the 2600 WAS an Atari-created game. The console crash can be blamed on the glut of cheap, bad games being churned out largely by 3rd parties, but ET was not one of those.

  5. It's meant first and foremost for the Japanese by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    where the silent nature of the hardware coupled with the extra screen are big selling points, especially at a console aimed at kids. The Wii U suffered the same problems. It's CPU was underclocked to keep the fan quite so Japanese housewifes wouldn't complain. They compensated by adding a ton of cache ram, which made the thing a beast to program for. Several kickstarters (Mighty Number 9 being the most prominent) put our pretty crappy product and the resources needed to develop for that beast of a console were part of it. 90s arcade racer ended up dying on the vine.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  6. Not Too Bad by mentil · · Score: 1

    Nintendo has done nothing this year if not prove that game size (in bytes) has little to do with quality. Almost no (if any) 3ds games were more than 4GB, so even 16GB (current max Switch cartridge size) is a big improvement for a Nintendo handheld. Compared to their last console, it is less than Wii U discs, however. Maybe they'll release a 32GB cartridge as a stopgap. Upping that to 64GB would give more capacity than the dual-layer 50GB Blurays that the ps4 and xbox one use for games. Of course, the next generation of consoles might be out in 2019, utilizing 100GB UHD Blurays.

    --
    Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
    1. Re:Not Too Bad by damnbunni · · Score: 1

      Nintendo does offer 32GB Switch cartridges.

      However, they cost more than 16gb, so developers are putting 16gb on the cart and requiring the customer download the rest of the game, pushing the cost of the storage onto the consumer.

      NBA2K18 requires 24 gigs of downloads before you can play. And its saves are five gigs each. (Which is utterly nuts.)

      Doom at least does it sensibly - you can play single-player off the cart, mutliplayer is a free 9 gig add-on download.

    2. Re:Not Too Bad by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      NBA2K18 requires 24 gigs of downloads before you can play. And its saves are five gigs each. (Which is utterly nuts.)

      The initial download is nuts. The saves are nuts unless they include detailed replays, in which case they seem reasonable.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    3. Re:Not Too Bad by Khyber · · Score: 1

      Detailed replay is nothing more than recording player movements, which is easily-compressed data. Even detailed replays of races in Gran Turismo didn't need that much space.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    4. Re: Not Too Bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      5gb per save??
      THIS must be stolen data they hide on your disc and later retrieve it in the shadow... like million of users credentials ! Lol

    5. Re: Not Too Bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's the holodeck compatable edition

    6. Re:Not Too Bad by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Detailed replay is nothing more than recording player movements, which is easily-compressed data.

      No. It's got to record the movements of the whole team, because there is an element of randomness to their movements. This ain't 10 yard fight.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    7. Re: Not Too Bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Save the random seed.......

    8. Re:Not Too Bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And in 3 years when the server goes down, your game will be rendered buggy and unplayable and have no resale value. Nintendo used to care about customer experience, but now they let encourage publishers to do nonsense like this to sell storage media.

    9. Re: Not Too Bad by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Save the random seed.......

      If they're using that primitive a random system, sure.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    10. Re:Not Too Bad by Khyber · · Score: 1

      That's still not shit, just repeat inputs. That's nothing to record.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  7. SD encryption isn't as secure as Nintendo wants by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The encryption in SD cards (CPRM) is only 56 bits, low enough to be brute forced.
    The Nintendo 3DS already used SHA256 to encode it's contents so I guess the Switch cards will probably use the same or a better encryption.

    And in theory, write-once memory cards are much cheaper than flash sd cards.
    What Nintendo charges publishers is including all kinds of fees that have nothing to do with the physical card.

    1. Re:SD encryption isn't as secure as Nintendo wants by HalAtWork · · Score: 1

      They can layer their own encryption on top rendering this issue moot

    2. Re:SD encryption isn't as secure as Nintendo wants by unrtst · · Score: 2

      This sort of thing drives me fucking nuts:

      The encryption in SD cards (CPRM) is only 56 bits, low enough to be brute forced.
      The Nintendo 3DS already used SHA256 to encode it's contents so I guess the Switch cards will probably use the same or a better encryption.

      (emphasis mine)

      SHA256 is a one way hash. Content is not encoded nor encrypted through SHA256.
      Furthermore, comparing 56 bit encryption to SHA256 based on bit length is soooo wrong, and someone out there probably read what you wrote and will use it again elsewhere, perpetuating the utter bullshit. FYI, the SHA256 hash creates a hash that is 256 bits long, regardless of the data length that was input, which has nothing to do with the length of an encryption key.

  8. Re: SD encryption isn't as secure as Nintendo want by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Searches for today:
    AES
    SHA
    Symmetric Encryption Algorithms
    Digital Signature Algorithms

  9. This Article is misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I bought a Switch 3 months ago, and bought a 128 GB microSD card along with it. It works fine.

    I have a dozen games downloaded and still have 90 GB free.

    Article is talking about *game* cartridge storage, which is not really a user facing issue at all?

    1. Re:This Article is misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The title straight says "Game Cards". How is that misleading? When you hear phone, do you get upset when they don't specify that it's not a rotary?

  10. Hash + counter mode = stream cipher by tepples · · Score: 1

    SHA256 is a one way hash. Content is not encoded nor encrypted through SHA256.

    From any one-way hash function, one can derive a stream cipher by running it in counter mode. Daniel J. Bernstein called this construction "Snuffle". But I don't know whether the Nintendo 3DS uses Snuffle.