Industry insider David Gibson has reported that Macronix, the lead memory card maker for the original Nintendo Switch, will no longer make cartridges for the console. This could result in an increase of game key cards.
In a post, David Gibson states the following: “Nintendo’s main memory chip maker is quitting the Switch business Macronix, which makes the ROM chips in Switch 1 and Switch 2 game memory cards, is phasing out that business. There will be no new ROM products, and Q3 is the last quarter it reports ROM sales separately.”
It is worth noting that ROHM is the lead producer of cartridges for the Nintendo Switch 2, so this would not mean the end of full game cards entirely. However, it may lead to less full game cartridges and more game key cards, as well as more sales of digital versions of games. Only time will tell if and how this will affect the ability of Nintendo and other third-party developers to produce more games that are entirely on a cart.
The next major game from Nintendo, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, launches on November 5 for Nintendo Switch 2 digitally for $59.99 and physically for $69.99. Pre-orders for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time are live open in the Nintendo eShop (27 GB file size for digital). Furthermore, Best Buy announced that it will hold a midnight opening for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on November 5. It will be available in locations across the country. Nintendo will also hold a midnight launch event for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time at the Nintendo New York and Nintendo San Francisco store locations on November 5 at 12:00 a.m. ET to 2:00 a.m. ET and November 4 from 9:00 p.m. PT – 11:00 p.m. PT, respectively.
