After a couple of weeks of big rumours, a video has surfaced online featuring the rumoured Nintendo Switch flash cart, and the video continues to fuel the notion that it is indeed real.
First off, what is a flash cart? A flash cart, or a game cartridge emulator, is a third-party device that allows users to play downloaded games on their Nintendo Switch console via emulation. Historically, most Nintendo consoles — the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS — have had users deploy this technology to play titles — or even ‘homebrew’ their own — while bypassing the licensing issues presented by Nintendo.
The Nintendo Switch was discovered to be able to use this technology but has since been patched out with the version 1.01 update. YouTube channel Modern Vintage Gamer details this version 1.0 exploit and how to accomplish it in their video, but fans should take note the exploit requires a version 1.0 Switch device.
A new video has surfaced from the very small YouTube channel, Mikaj, and features a soldered microSD card inserted into a plastic chipset base. This small Nintendo Switch game-shaped cartridge is then shown to function as one would expect a flash cart to for other Nintendo consoles, except this time it is on a Switch, and a Nintendo Switch OLED no less, to show this new tech works on the newer Nintendo platforms.
The insertion of the apparent flash cart continues to populate games on the Nintendo Switch OLED every time it is inserted into the console, functioning as someone familiar with flash carts would expect it to. Letting this information storm the beaches of the internet could be the final nail in the coffin for Nintendo’s inflated shop pricing. While CGMagazine would never condone piracy of any kind, a flash cart could keep the Nintendo Switch going for far longer if used properly by Nintendo themselves.
Currently, the Nintendo e-shop lists Octopath Traveler II for the new release price of $59.99, whereas every other platform, including physical copies for the Switch, can be found for cheaper, like on Steam, where it is available for a full 30% cheaper at $41.99. Red Dead Redemption also comes to mind as another inflated title on the shop. It’s $49.99 on the shop, but on the Xbox Store, you can currently grab a two-game bundle with both RDR & RDR2 for $49.98 (including EVERY add-on and DLC), for a penny less than the shop lists the first title alone.
While the Nintendo Switch flash cart remains a rumour, fans should take all news regarding one with a grain of salt until an official announcement of any kind is made.
