Nintendo To Switch To Digital Model For Future Games

[lisalover1]

I have some good news and some bad news today. The good news is that Nintendo is taking a cue from Sony and will be releasing most future titles as digital downloads through the Nintendo eShop! That's a nice step forward! Unfortunately, this comes with a rather nasty flipside. According to an investor presentation from Nintendo, they also mentioned that they will begin phasing out cartridges and discs this generation, instead selling download vouchers at retail locations. The first games to be released under this model exclusively will be New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Brain Age 3D. Well, this has been a long time coming, folks. Digital distribution is going to be awfully rough on us collectors, but it's not like we can stop it.

Full Story: http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/26/ninte ... -with-new/

[AznKhmerBoi]

Arent they doing both digitial/traditional box, so thats a good thing

[lisalover1]

Arent they doing both digitial/traditional box, so thats a good thing

No, they'll be getting rid of cartridges and discs.

[isiolia]

Arent they doing both digitial/traditional box, so thats a good thing

No, they'll be getting rid of cartridges and discs.

That'd be a future plan though. What they seem to have announced today is that they'll be offering new releases as downloads as well as physical copies.

That said, at least for 3DS stuff, it's still using their questionable practice of binding the software to the hardware, not to an account...maybe the Wii U will be different, though it'll also need to have some major storage that hasn't really been shown (unless they want people buying new SD cards every few purchases).

[lwcook]

Arent they doing both digitial/traditional box, so thats a good thing

No, they'll be getting rid of cartridges and discs.

Source?

[BoringSupreez]

That completely sucks. If Sony doesn't try to follow this model too, they'll be getting most of my money next-gen.

Good thing Inazuma's not here to see this.

[AznKhmerBoi]

The Nintendo 3DS will feature the digital/package option first, starting this August with New Super Mario Bros. 2.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/122/1223882p1.html


http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/26/ninte ... -with-new/

I doubt nintendo will do away with traditional packaging, we all know how much people love those specialize releases.

[Lorfarius]

Nintendo want the casual market and pretty much Xmas time when kids get presents. I don't think there's going to be much call for little Johnnie to receive a plastic case with a code in. Dropping physical is a long way off, plus what about all the countries and places in the world that don't have good enough broadband to support such services?

[Erik_Twice]

That's not what the article says, the article makes it very, very clear that we will simply have both models.

This is Nintendo we are talking about. The one with "friend codes".

[isiolia]

Nintendo want the casual market and pretty much Xmas time when kids get presents. I don't think there's going to be much call for little Johnnie to receive a plastic case with a code in. Dropping physical is a long way off, plus what about all the countries and places in the world that don't have good enough broadband to support such services?

It's probably not as far off as we might think, but it will take some time, particularly for companies like Nintendo that have been behind the curve.

Thing to remember is that no product really sells to 100% of Earth's population. All the industry need is a large enough potential market to make a profit - and really, that's already here. They can continue to sell old products in markets that don't have the infrastructure, which is basically how things have always gone anyway (SMS in Brazil, as an example).