Nintendo's Virtual Game Cards: Sharing Evolved, but Still Limited

03/27/2025 Gaming

Nintendo is introducing a new approach to sharing digital games with its Virtual Game Cards feature. This aims to improve the current system but still has limitations.

How Virtual Game Cards Work

Virtual Game Cards are designed to mimic the experience of sharing physical game cartridges. Games are visually represented as "cards," and the act of sharing is described as "ejecting" and "loading."

Two Switch consoles logged into the same Nintendo Account can share a digital game by being near each other. The game can be “ejected” from one console and “loaded” onto the other, requiring a local wireless connection for the transfer and an internet connection to download and initially run the game.

These cards can also be shared within a Nintendo Account family group for two weeks, after which the game automatically returns. Save data remains on the console where the game was played, making it easy to share and continue playing.

Improvement Over the Current System

Virtual Game Cards are a step up from Nintendo's current system, which designates one Switch as "primary" (allowing offline play) and others as "secondary" (requiring internet). This new system simplifies sharing for families and users with multiple Switches.

Compared to Competitors

While innovative for Nintendo, this system still falls short of competitors like PlayStation and Steam. PlayStation allows users to download and play games on multiple consoles without needing to "eject" virtual cards. Steam even allows game sharing within families, without needing physical proximity.

DRM Concerns

The introduction of Virtual Game Cards brings to mind past DRM controversies, like Xbox's initial plans for the Xbox One. While Nintendo's approach is not as restrictive, it still requires an internet connection and limits simultaneous play. Nintendo has improved the mental model for game sharing, but not necessarily the execution.