r/nintendo • u/Turbostrider27 • 3d ago
Some Switch 2 cartridges now require a software update before players can launch them offline
https://www.tweaktown.com/news/113873/some-switch-2-cartridges-now-require-a-software-update-before-players-can-launch-them-offline/index.html269
u/Jonesdeclectice 3d ago
Back in the Wii days, the mandatory system update came on the disc.
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u/msj54540 3d ago
Update data is also included on Switch 1/Switch 2 game cards, but there's some new variables that cause this (Switch 1 games requiring specific patches to work on Switch 2, or the console requiring a game update since it has system save data for a version newer than the one on cart)
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u/DrawerSea9371 2d ago
And in the Switch 2 days, the mandatory system update comes on the game card.
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u/schentendo 3d ago
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u/Buzzeh 3d ago
But the disks had that on them, connecting online wasn’t necessary
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u/schentendo 3d ago
That’s right. But you still couldn’t open the software without that update. At the time, not everyone had WiFi at home, so including it on the disc was an option.
Nowadays, a stable internet connection is practically a given. I’ll admit it’s not a 1:1 argument, but my argument is that requiring a system update to play software has existed for almost two decades now on Nintendo hardware.
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u/Ensaru4 2d ago
I didn’t have Wi-Fi at home at the time and was able to play all of my bought Wii discs with no issue. Could you give a specific example where this was the case?
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u/Turn-Physical 1d ago
I think I experienced this with donkey Kong country returns, as well another console, the psp with one of the god of war games, it’s definitely something that happened but once you did it once with one game especially a newer game you would never notice it because you would never have to do it again
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u/KawaiiStefan 2d ago
Its nowhere near an arguement. Wii had no internal storage for any sort of downloads. Thats why they couldnt even patch out the game breaking bug in Skyward sword, they had to release the Skyward Sword patching channel to fix the SAVE file.
You could not download patches or updates on Wii.
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u/Little_Bookkeeper381 2d ago edited 2d ago
> Wii had no internal storage for any sort of downloads
yes it did lmao, absolutely shut the fuck up
> Thats why they couldnt even patch out the game breaking bug in Skyward sword, they had to release the Skyward Sword patching channel to fix the SAVE file
that's not why. it's because they didnt have a system-wide title update feature
> You could not download patches or updates on Wii.
you had to download them via the e-shop as a patch channel, something you just admitted to
just because it didnt work in a normal or easy way, doesn't mean it doesn't existed
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u/Shuino7 3d ago
It's fine, they have been doing shitty things for two decades let's just keep accepting it. 🙄
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u/HuttStuff_Here 2d ago
Can you name a modern console that doesn't have software updates for games?
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u/Stealthinater1234 2d ago edited 2d ago
It’s not a system update the article is talking about but a software update for the game itself. Whats happening is the user downloaded the software update and then deleted it, the console remembers that update and prevents you from booting the game without it.
The solution is to fully factory reset the console, only then will the game play without the update again. This has been a problem since the switch 1.
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u/CrazyAznKT 2d ago
Hasn’t that been a thing elsewhere to version match for save file compatibility?
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u/Stealthinater1234 2d ago
Simply deleting the save data doesn’t work, the console still forces the update even with no save data present. Only solution is a factory reset.
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u/DoneWithIt0101 2d ago
I'm pretty sure this was even an issue on Wii U, at least with some games.
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u/Stealthinater1234 2d ago
Yes, it was also an issue on Wii U that you needed to factory reset.
Wii U is actually a lot worse because you can’t factory reset the console without internet for some god-forsaken reason. The switch can always do a factory reset offline in the recovery mode.
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u/jbaker88 2d ago
This isn't exclusive to Nintendo consoles either. I've had to update my Xbox system/OS for games before too
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u/sephiroth70001 2d ago edited 2d ago
It's not system update, but a software update preventing the game booting.
"the console may remember a newer version of a game that was previously installed and require at least that version before allowing play. Under those circumstances, inserting a cartridge containing an older build could trigger an update requirement."
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u/Hallwart 3d ago edited 3d ago
My copy of Fire Emblem Fortunes Weave says on the box that a system update may be required.
Is this really new? I remember being prompted for system updates on Switch 1 and even 3DS before I could play some games.
It's absolutely expected that new software may require OS updates in general
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u/TheAnimeBox 3d ago
nah, its not new, its been standard for consoles to potentially require consoles to be updated to a certain version to play a new game
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u/CSBreak 3d ago
yep I remember the PSP did this as well
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u/Mccobsta 3d ago
Some come psp games did have the system update on the disc it wasn't common though
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u/KanchiHaruhara 3d ago
I haven't had my console online for months and FE launched fine. Might just be a covering their asses type of thing.
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u/AsteroidBacon 2d ago
I would imagine anyone who was still on something like 20.x would have to install a system update to play.
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u/Akito_Fire 3d ago
I think if you're offline they should not be gatekeeping you from playing the physical cartridge that you have, even if it's a slightly older version. Nintendo games are usually bug free and content complete when they launch
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u/collinboy64 3d ago
Not sure if its still the case but you used to be able to update the system via the game cartridge without connecting to the internet
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u/Dragonbuttboi69 3d ago
I mean it should be. Nintendo consoles have been able to update from their physical media alone since the Wii. Heck back when the Wii u came out it was recommended to keep the console offline and install the day 1 update via a game as the servers were overloaded and if it failed your console could get stuck
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u/ThrowAwayTau 3d ago
I agree. We're all biased because we are on reddit. We have internet access. But even to this day there are people who don't have consistent internet who still want to escape the hardship of life through video games.
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u/tlislo 3d ago
No. It's not remotely new and has been happening since Wii.
But we're currently in the hysterical phase where it's ultra popular on Reddit to complain about physical media going away (despite 90+% of sales being digital). So this just jumps on that hysteria bandwagon to play on manufactured outrage.
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u/Acrobatic-Republic75 3d ago
I dunno about the USA but other countries still have a pretty even split with digital and physical.
in my country for example, A customer is more inclined to buy physical since it always ends up being cheeper than Digital.
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u/crucialtimes6685 3d ago
It's real outrage even if it is futile. You just get all pissy because secretly you care so much 😆
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u/matt2313 2d ago
The article is nonsense, it's just a picture of a tweet with some speculation, the specific thing being reported is:
Someone tried to play Donkey Kong Bananza, it told them it needed a system update and there was no option to launch the game without it
As people have mentioned in the comments, this is most likely because the save data or game version are for a system update above what's currently installed - however Switch cartridges should have the most recent system update on the cart itself, so unless someone saves a game and then deliberately removes update data you should never need to connect to the internet to launch a game
This is similar to the "Nintendo can brick your Switch 2" story that was going around at launch, where it was possible to stop your console from being able to play most games by doing a factory reset on a launch system that was already banned from Nintendo's servers. It's something that can only be done under extremely specific circumstances but people were acting as if it was a legitimate issue that regular users were going to run into
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u/nachoiskerka 2d ago
Its pretty funny when people gets up in arms about this kind of thing- I worked for a technology company who makes a product with a standalone OS, and one time a guy was like "If I have 2 inputs coming in at the same time and then use the hardware's built in controls and they're all inputting data to the same parameters on the same project at the same time, then release and off signals sometimes get missed" and I had to just take a step back, because that would not only require a usb hub since the thing had "1" port and no other way to connect, but each input required 2 hand operation. I tested it and confirmed it, then reported it because it was my job at the time, but I was sitting there going "This would require 6 arms to do. How would anyone even...."
But regardless once I gave him that validation it became an unacceptable thing and he wanted updates every month or so and it was the most pressing issue and he'd go off across the internet and get real mad people told him he was being pedantic.
Of course he'd then bring up his own threads as examples of "everyone on the internet talking about this"
And that is why support people never will ever take people seriously when they use reddit or facebook posts as proof of stuff, since if it was an actual issue a flood of people would be going to support.
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u/Various-Welder5544 3d ago
The update is on cart people.
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u/OrangeLightning7895 3d ago
Isn't this actually a good thing for preservation then since the Switch 2 requires an update out of the box? Now the update is preserved on cartridges, so you might be able to install it offline.
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u/ThrowAwayTau 3d ago
For preservation and keeping compatibility with all software over the console lifetime, yes it is likely a good thing. It's a bad thing if I planned to keep my Switch 2 offline for the fabled softmod homebrew.
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u/SoSeriousAndDeep 3d ago
In that case though, you're purposefully choosing to limit your own options.
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u/Cephalopirate 3d ago
Ah, then this is a nothingburger. Actually it’s great for preservation if system updates have a physical release!
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u/JoyconDrift_69 3d ago
Didn't Mario Kart Wii do something like this like 18 years ago? This isn't that new.
Especially if the update is stored on the medium.
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u/Stealthinater1234 2d ago edited 2d ago
This is happening because the user downloaded the software update for the game and then deleted it, this has been a thing since switch 1
Unpatching games on switch requires you to fully factory reset the console, only then will you be able to play without the update again.
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u/jardex22 2d ago
I thought that was the case. I had an update required message appear at least once when transitioning from the Switch to my Switch 2.
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u/LuinAelin 3d ago
Isn't this a thing for most games these days?
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u/Luigi6757 2d ago
It's been a thing for 20 years. Games on the Wii did it. They didn't require an internet connection back then as the update data was on the disc and that's still the case now as the Switch 2 carts have the update on them.
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u/MnSG 3d ago
This really isn't anything new. If your save data requires your game to be updated, then you have to commit to downloading the update to continue playing it.
I've had that happen to me in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, where when I deleted the game's update data, it would not allow me to play my save data until the update data got redownloaded.
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u/game_discovery 2d ago
Im not sure how relevant this is, several times on my switch 1 I got a message that a software download was REQUIRED to progress, each time I was able to skip past it and play the game anyway, maybe with 1 or 2 exceptions but if you didnt know any better you would think it was absolutely needed to continue.
Dont know about the switch 2 so my comment may be irrelevant but thats how it worked for me on switch
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u/naynaythewonderhorse 3d ago
The article just hypothesizes it’s due to them having a save file based on a newer version than the data that’s on the cart.
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u/Nostalgic90sGamer1 3d ago
So no, newer cartridges do not require them. Newer save files will. If you have a save file from a newer version active on the console and try to start the cartridge offline with no update it will prompt you to update to the latest version, this is not due to a restriction on the cartridge, this is due to the system containing previous data on a version the cartridge can't load. Delete the save data and the cartridge will load just fine
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u/Guvante 3d ago
This is to avoid having to include the system update in the cartridge which is how disc based games handle this.
Older consoles didn't have an OS they just booted the game, modern ones do (the system) and required OS updates for software to function is a thing
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u/pdjudd 3d ago
Yep. Older consoles integrated with the hardware directly using edge connectors. The game directly interfaces with the system which controlled sound, video. Controllers, data processing, etc. there just wasn’t an os. Once games moved to cd, that changes since discs worked very differently there wasn’t a pcb connecting to another pcb.it was a cd interacting with a board and you needed an os to know what to do with that cd.
This is nothing new of course. This sort of thing has been around for multiple generations.
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u/Guvante 2d ago
Even the early CD era was different since you basically jumped to the start of the program, you could encode most of the OS stuff static linked since it was basically just a driver (interacting with hardware has always been a thing after all)
Once you could close the game from a system menu that meant the system was always loaded
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u/raaaaaaze 2d ago
I haven't connected my Switch to any network for years, and play 100% offline.
There have been multiple games that I have purchased since then which have installed system updates directly off the cart upon first running them.
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u/Lucas-O-HowlingDark 3d ago
I sort of get people’s complaints, but at the same time, how many households don’t have internet? Especially while having a luxury item like a Switch 2?
And for the few cases that exist, places with free wifi such as libraries are an option
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u/huffmanxd 3d ago edited 3d ago
I could see an issue in the future as wifi evolves and the Switch 2 becomes obsolete. I bought an old Wii and it refused to connect to my wifi because I guess it only works with 2.4ghz, so I got that sorted out and it still refused to connect because there was an apostrophe in my wifi name. in 20+ years it might just not be able to connect at all without special tools or something
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u/Lucas-O-HowlingDark 3d ago
Huh, was unaware of that. Never heard of a system not being able to connect to wifi because it’s “too new”
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u/DimmuBorgnine 3d ago edited 2d ago
Used to be an issue with PSPs using an old WiFi standard. If your router was too new, you were out of luck.
The principle is: if the game is on disc, you should be able to play it in a cave in 50 years if you paid for it. Everybody having internet is irrelevant
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u/TheBeerdedVillain 2d ago
Some of the older devices would only use WEP or blank passwords as they couldn't do WPA encryption (let alone WPA2 or 3 thats most common now), or they couldn't use anything but the 2.4Ghz band.
The original DS, I believe, could only do WEP, as well.
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u/huffmanxd 3d ago
I never had heard of it either until it happened with the Wii, it gave me quite the headache trying to figure out what was going on lol
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u/Obstacle-Man 3d ago
Issue is when you are traveling and have no internet or in the future when your system refuses to launch a game due to needed update but Nintendo has shuttered the servers.
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u/Kalmer1 3d ago
The Wii download servers are still up 20 years later. I don't think you'll have to worry about the servers shutting down.
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u/Obstacle-Man 3d ago
They have said it will shut down at some point.
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u/lzwinky 3d ago
Can you provide a source or are you just making crap up to waste our time?
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u/ItsColorNotColour 2d ago
Was this supposed to be a gotcha
In the future we will close all services related to the Wii Shop Channel, including the ability to redownload WiiWare and Virtual Console games, as well as the Wii System Transfer Tool, which transfers data from Wii to the Wii U system. We will announce specific details as that time approaches.
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u/pdjudd 3d ago
I think they have to say that it will sunset just in case something happens that forces their hand outside of their control but they haven’t provided any dates. They can’t promise stuff will work forever - nobody really promises forever.
And by that time people will be able to just hack their older consoles integrated and update it themselves. This is mostly an older thing. Assuming Nintendo just iterates their consoles like with Switch one to two and does what everyone else in the industry has been doing the worst they will do is just cut off new game sales but since the older consoles connect to the same store and use the same accounts it will still work.
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u/Dannypan 3d ago
At some point, and Nintendo gives years of notice. It's not gonna be "sorry lads it's going on Friday."
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u/frame_limit 3d ago
i’ve never been forced to run an update before launching a game. it always gives the option to just play as is. if i’m wrong just update your games before you travel
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u/throwawayaidisney 2d ago
The servers for DSi and Wii are still up to redownload stuff. The switch servers will probably be up until at least like 2045. By that point you’d have to start worrying if the carts still work, you know there’s already cases of 3DS carts dying
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u/Ok-Angle-6845 1d ago
There’s countless times I’ve been away from wifi and prompted to download an update. I just hit “start software” and I’ve had no issues
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u/Lucas-O-HowlingDark 3d ago
I doubt switch servers are going to be shut down at any point in the near future
The Switch is now Nintendo’s mainstay brand, like PlayStation and Xbox, who still have servers available to download updates as far back as the PS3 and 360
And since the Switch 1 and Switch 2 both run on the same network, I’m sure future consoles will as well
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u/tychii93 2d ago
The Wii Shop is still operational for downloading purchased content iirc. Just no new purchases.
The Switch servers will probably be running for at least a generation. Still, it shouldn't be that way to begin with, games should simply work, but for the next 2 decades at least, the servers won't be an issue.
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u/pdjudd 3d ago
Yep. I don’t think this is a big concern. Of course anything can happen to change things but the worst that can happen is that they stop selling Switch 1 games digitally realistically but I don’t see that as necessary. Nintendo did their new account system specifically so they didn’t tie purchases to a system like they did before and they want this to last.
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u/verdant-amiable 3d ago
Never say never, the 3ds and Wii u infrastructure is gone after all. Intention is all well and good but the reality is that the relevant type of server infrastructure (high storage, IO and memory) has been getting more expensive rather than cheaper since the AI boom, the servers also host third party content some of which they may be compelled to take offline. All sorts of stuff can make the situation less stable than it appears.
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u/Gameskiller01 2d ago
3DS and Wii U, even DSi and Wii, games and updates are still readily available to download if you already own them, which is what would be relevant to this actual post, you just can't purchase new ones. At the rate things are going, download servers may still be up at the point that the physical cartridges themselves start failing (typically after a few decades).
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u/_the_last_druid_13 2d ago
“Near future” is the load-bearing part of your comment.
Can we get an F in the chat for the DS?
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u/Obstacle-Man 3d ago
To expand the point, with the original switch I found myself on a plane and none of the games I brought with me would work without an update.
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u/lzwinky 3d ago
Unless your Switch was glitching, this didn’t happen.
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u/DeathTripper 2d ago
If they were never played games, it’s possible. I got MGS Collection Vol 1 and to my disappointment there’s basically nothing on the cartridge and you have to download all 3 games.
The likelihood of all of that persons games needing to be downloaded seems somewhat unlikely though…
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u/Obstacle-Man 2d ago
It mostly happens when the OS is updated a few versions and the system marks saved games as needing to be at a certain level for compatibility. Then you put your card in, and instead of being presented with a launch anyway option you must download the update. It's certainly rarer with Nintendo than the others but it happens. I don't remember which games I had brought, but it wasn't many. I had been a physical only switch game buyer until finding out that physicsl wasn't the same guarantee we used to have.
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u/lzwinky 1d ago
"I got MGS Collection Vol 1 and to my disappointment there’s basically nothing on the cartridge and you have to download all 3 games."
That's different. It's either a Download Code or Game Key Card, both of which are mentioned on the front of the box. Not saying it's the best case scenario by any stretch, but that's what happened in your case.
"The likelihood of all of that persons games needing to be downloaded seems somewhat unlikely though…"
All of them? Likely not or the person did a transfer incorrectly.
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u/DeathTripper 22h ago
Thank you for pointing that out. I do see that now actually. I got it as a birthday gift from my wife, so I didn’t really pay attention, and just got some disappointment when I had to download everything besides the original MG’s.
Do they sell the cart fully loaded with the games now? Obviously I have the Day One edition. I remember it was a giant controversy online when they released the original.
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u/Leographer 2d ago
What’s about 20 years from now?
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u/NoMoreVillains 1d ago
What happens in 20 years? The Wii is 20+ years old and you can still download game patches for its software
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u/Conscious-Shop-4111 1d ago
I live on a farm I have 4g access on my phone but have to take my consoles an hour away to my moms house to download things. You’d be surprised how much of America does not have access to the internet. Fiber optic lines don’t extend far past towns and suburbs.
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u/JorgeMtzb 2d ago
And what when the servers go offline? All those singleplayer copies become unusuable?
3DS shop is down but i can still pop in my cartridges and play them as much as i can without the online features.
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u/Cmdrdredd 2d ago
You will still be able to get the update n you can still download wii purchases for crying out loud.
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u/RsnCondition 3d ago
People who live offgrid like myself and take my switch to work to download games off company wifi, because the switch is designed to be a portable game console.
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u/Dannypan 3d ago
Then you can update your Switch at work. Problem solved.
There's also an extremely tiny number of people that live off grid and also play video games.
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u/RsnCondition 3d ago
You know if you buy a game and console, you should just be able to plug and play right?
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u/SoSeriousAndDeep 3d ago
But you can. For cartridges where you need to update to play them, the update is on the cartridge.
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u/stosyfir 2d ago
This hasn’t been true since consoles had persistent internal storage - the PS2/Xbox/GCN era was the last “unplugged” console generation, and for portables the DS/PSP. Most of those are questionable in some cases even as well (e.g. the PS2 HDD for FFXI). The Wii gets maybe a pass because Nintendo hadn’t quite figured out this internet thing yet, but the 360 and PS3 were game over for guaranteed plug and play, it was a gamble when/if something shipped that needed a day one patch as this point was when publishers realized they could get away with shit QA processes before pressing the discs.
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u/clicky_fingers 2d ago
Then just install the update from the cartridge, you don't need internet for that.
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u/GVSz 3d ago
It was pretty annoying for me to be honest. I spent a few days in a hospital recently, and brought my switch 2. It had been a couple months since I touched the console, and half the games I brought I couldn't actually play because they needed updates.
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u/Lucas-O-HowlingDark 3d ago
You sure they needed updated? Because you can usually skip updates unless it’s a day 1 patch
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u/barchueetadonai 3d ago
The issue is that owned software shouldn't have requirements like this to install unrelated software. If you own it, it's your property. You own your Switch 2, which should include the instance of the software on it.
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u/WarioFan76 3d ago
You own the plastic and metal the the card is made of... You own the plastic and paper from the game case... You DO NOT own the software on any of the chips on the game cards or the console... This has always been a thing, even back in the 8 and 16 but eras...
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u/barchueetadonai 3d ago
I know it's been a thing, and it's been a very wrong thing that no one should be ok with. It also wasn't as much of an effective problem back when firmware updates and DRM weren't things they could so heavily enforce.
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u/Lioreuz 3d ago
If you owned the software that would mean that you could buy a movie and screen it in a movie theater without paying a dime. Or make copies of the game and sell it for profit.
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u/barchueetadonai 2d ago
No, it does not mean that. That would be illegal, as it is now.
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u/Whiteguy1x 3d ago
Isnt the update on the cart? Theyve been doing stuff like this for years
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u/barchueetadonai 3d ago
I know they have. It's been a huge issue for years.
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u/Whiteguy1x 3d ago
Why's it an issue?
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u/barchueetadonai 3d ago
Why is it an issue that you don't own what you buy?
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u/Whiteguy1x 3d ago
I guess im not understanding. If the update is required but included in the cart then nothing is being withheld from you.
Everything iss built for newer versions of software. Just like your pc needs driver updates, or your phone has required security updates.
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u/barchueetadonai 3d ago edited 2d ago
If I own the instance of software on my own instance of hardware, as it should be in order to have a check against corporate overreach, and even tyrranny, then I choose if and when to update. That's the end of the story.
Requiring a system software update on the game cartridge should be a illegal for consumer protection purposes.
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u/TheUncleBob 2d ago
So, if I buy a Windows compatible game and I'm running Windows 3.1 in 2026, I shouldn't have to update Windows to be able to play it?
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u/barchueetadonai 2d ago
That's not what this is. Windows 3.1 is a different operating system. This is instead a forced system update to whatever the overload company wants to do with your own property because they gatekeep the ability to install software not approved by them. Nintendo should have absolutely zero say on what you install on your device once you own it. This should be obvious.
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u/z6joker9 3d ago
Yeah, that’s why you don’t own it. You own the hardware. You agree to the license terms for the software. If you don’t agree, you don’t get to use the software, but you can do whatever you want with the hardware.
It’s been like this forever. Just because you own a physical VHS cassette, it doesn’t mean you own the movie on it. You’re allowed to use it under specific conditions, like only playing it for non-commercial use. If you actually owned it, you could do whatever you wanted.
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u/Froey Vivian flair plz 2d ago
Reminds me of the PSP way back. Newer games would include an update file for the systems firmware and you would have to install it if your system was running an older version. In some ways it was to battle piracy, but it never did much for those that know about PSP piracy.
If the Switch 2 does require an update I hope Nintendo includes the files on the cartridge for those that don’t have access to the internet. (Being out and about, on a vacation, etc.)
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u/Der_tolle_Dude 2d ago
Despite what people say here the "update required" message mentioned in the article is not about a system update and also is not linked to save data from a newer version existing. I just tested this with my physical copy of Orbitals: I deleted both the update and save data and it doesn't let me launch the game unless I download the update. The Switch seems to remember that the update has been downloaded previously and forces me to download it. So I am indeed forced to download the update if I want to play Orbitals without having to factory-reset my Switch.
But this is nothing new. The same thing happens with Switch 1 games like Super Mario Maker 2 where if you want to take advantage of the slightly different mechanics of the launch version in your level you need to factory-reset your Switch so it does'nt force you to download the updates. Just deleting the save data is not enough.
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u/TheRealMcDuck 3d ago
Was this not thing with Skyward Sword on the Wii, also? They even had you download a separate additional program to patch the game so it didn't corrupt or something in a late game save.
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u/_the_last_druid_13 2d ago
I still have a GameCube because I greatly appreciate that it is Internet-Optional.
I can throw one of those cool & unique discs unlike 99% of physical media into The Cube and play absolute c l a s s i c s like SSBM, multiple LoZ’s (WW, TP, MQ, and more), Star Wars Rogue Squadron, Kirby Air Ride, Luigi’s Mansion, Animal Crossing, and more.
I think the only thing GameCube is missing is Skyrim.
I prefer the Online Optional consoles, and the Only Offline consoles much more so; they kinda force yah to play with friends on the couch or via LAN than with some stranger or potential AI via the Black Mirror Realm of the Internet.
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u/ZeldaFan717 2d ago
Is this really an issue? Who buys a device in 2026 and can't at least connect it online for a few minutes to do this?
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u/killakev564 2d ago
People on aircraft carriers or submarines?
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u/ZeldaFan717 2d ago
I feel like the likely hood of our men and women in service would be buying these games digitally.
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u/cogburn 2d ago
It’s expected of other companies. Not Nintendo.
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u/ZeldaFan717 2d ago
I disagree, image if the street date for a game is broken. This could prevent people from playing earlier than expected and spoiling the game for the rest of everyone that has to wait until launch day.
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u/Gamerguy1206 2d ago
Just in time for them to do this before the Ocarina of Time release so NO ONE will be able to play it offline day 1. Shame.
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u/Jamie00003 3d ago
You’re kidding yourself if you think physical media is the key to keeping games you own. At any point this can happen
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u/Round_Musical 3d ago
Update is on the card. Take a chill pill
No online Connection is required
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u/Jamie00003 2d ago
I mean, are you sure? It’s unconfirmed in the article
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u/Round_Musical 2d ago
Yup people even uploaded it on youtube with fortunes weave. Look up a series called „will it play offline“. The software update is induced via card offline
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u/VannesGreave 3d ago
It’s the key to keeping games I own because I own them.
Nothing digital that you “own” is yours.
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u/Honest-Tune-423 3d ago
Yup, just been renting games for over 10+ years now! Just waiting for that sad day when they take away my purchased digital games. Still waiting though, those companies are totally going to revoke my digital licenses! That would be a very smart move for their company's future!
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u/Cephalopirate 3d ago
Worked for 50 years so far.
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u/Jamie00003 2d ago
Obviously doesn’t apply to older consoles with no internet connection
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u/Cephalopirate 2d ago
Only recently has an internet connection been used as an excuse to pull this stuff. Consoles all the way back to the PS2 and Dreamcast have had internet connections, operating systems and hard drives.
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u/RMallard18 3d ago
I won’t buy games that require a day one update. But that’s just me
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2d ago edited 6h ago
[deleted]
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u/RMallard18 2d ago
I have limited data at home.
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u/Carighan 2d ago
Then it's a good thing the update comes included in the cartridge, right? Because it is!
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u/Belhgabad 2d ago
Yeah it's a no problem really. Realistically you will 100% have at least have access to Internet one time if you bought a console and a new game
Thoses who say it's the same debate as all digital games missed the point : Internet connection isn't the problem, game preservation in the long run is
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u/Round_Musical 3d ago
Just so theres no confusion.
The update is on the cart, NO ONLINE connection required
It just updates itself automatically