Did the publisher’s error expose the smaller Switch 2 cartridges?

On Friday, retro and arcade game publisher ININ Games surprisingly announced that it was able to “recalculate production” on delivering a physical copy of Dimensions of Type R III For the Switch 2 because “a couple of days ago Nintendo announced two new, smaller cartridge sizes for the Nintendo Switch 2.” Physical gaming on the Switch 2 has been a controversial topic; Full physical games are said to be too expensive for developers, while game key cards don’t actually contain the game in the cart.

But later in the day, ININ removed that line from its post and posted it Big correction: “There has been no official announcement or confirmation from Nintendo regarding cartridge storage capacities. Any references to specific storage sizes should not be construed as official information from Nintendo.” However, it will still be able to offer the physical version of Switch 2 Dimensions of Type R IIIalthough 10 euros are added to the retail price.

Nintendo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It’s hard to find reliable information on why more developers don’t offer games fully on the cartridge, even though the cost may be coming down. In May, a Brazilian Nintendo journalist I mentioned thatBased on leaks from Arc System Works, Nintendo only offered two types of physical games to developers: a 64GB cartridge and Game key card. Physical Paradise has a YouTube channel I mentioned that too The actual cartridge costs “about” $16, “which is very expensive.”

In response to ININ Games’ initial announcement about the new cartridge sizes, Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmed said, On X said that “Cost has always been the primary factor between key cards and full cart releases.”

It’s unclear exactly what additional cartridge capacity sizes are more affordable or why the company might offer them to developers now. Joost van Dreunen, a gaming professor at New York University, told me that might be because… High memory cost; His two cents are that this is “in anticipation of the cost of memory rising soon, allowing Nintendo to charge a more reasonable price especially for third-party games.”