Why Are Game-Key Cards So Controversial?

[PAOerfulone]

The only time I have an issue with it is when there are games that are well under 64GB and they make it a Game Key card anyway.

For stuff like the FFVII Remake Trilogy where the games are just too big to fit on that card, I understand.

But for games that can easily fit on those 64GB cartridges, I think it's BS.

In general, yeah I don't really like it. But I also think it's nowhere near as big of a deal or stink as everyone makes it out to be.

Phyiscal games not being on the actual format and needing a mandatory download just to be played has been a thing since the PS4/Xbox One. Nintendo's just jumping on the wagon 12 years later.

Like it or not, digital media rules the roost now and physical media is dying. Not just for video games, it's ALL entertainment media. Music is streamed through platforms like Spotify and Apple Music now. Cars don't even come with cassette tape or CD drives anymore. You have to stream the music through Bluetooth. People don't use DVD or Blu Ray anymore; if they want to watch a specific movie or TV show, they stream it through Wi-Fi on Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Max, Tubi, whatever streaming service they have; Sony reported recently that a whopping 76% of PS5 software purchases are digital! That's THREE QUARTERS of PS5 software! Even Nintendo is starting to report that over half their software sales are digital.

It's a digital world now, simple as that. Love it or hate it. This is just the natural evolution of it.
Yes, I'd rather have the full game on the cartridge, and it really sucks when that's not the case, especially when it's smaller games that can easily fit on the cartridge. But the way I see it, Game Key cards are still a hell of a lot better than just having a code on the box and is at least SOME form of physical media.
You realize that out of all the hardware makers, Nintendo is the only one that DOESN'T have a digital edition? Well, it's only a matter of time before that happens. Either with Switch 3, or maybe even Switch 2 Lite or Switch 2 OLED; Hell, they may even introduce a Switch 2 Digital as early as this year or next year as a means of countering the RAM costs and tariffs so that they can still have an SKU at $450... Maybe even $400! And if that happens, that's going to accelerate Nintendo's shift towards digital even further, which means those Game Key cards are going to become a lot more frequent.

So, for those who don't like it, me included, and especially those who HATE it. I don't know what else to tell you other than: Tough shit. That's the world we live in now.