Switch 2 Game Cards Too Slow for Star Wars Outlaws, Dev Claims
▼ Summary
– A video demonstrates that storage media type affects Mario Kart World load times on the Switch 2, with CD Projekt Red noting similar challenges for Cyberpunk 2077.
– Nintendo designed Switch 2 Game Cards with slower data streaming speeds than downloaded games, despite similar read speeds on the original Switch.
– This design choice may have aimed to minimize hardware costs for the Game Card interface, though it did not significantly reduce manufacturing costs for the cards themselves.
– Nintendo could allow pre-installation from Game Cards to internal or expansion storage, but this may burden users with limited storage or high costs for extra cards.
– Developers may adapt to the slower Game Card speeds, but some might avoid physical media compromises as the market shifts away from it.
The performance gap between different storage options on the Nintendo Switch 2 is becoming a significant talking point among developers, especially for data-intensive titles like Star Wars Outlaws. A recent demonstration comparing load times across various media has brought this issue into sharp focus, highlighting how Game Cards lag behind faster alternatives such as MicroSD Express and internal storage.
Charles Tremblay, VP of Technology at CD Projekt Red, previously touched on this challenge while discussing the Switch 2 version of Cyberpunk 2077. In a June interview, he praised the data transfer speeds offered by MicroSD Express as “great,” while describing performance from the Switch 2 Game Card as merely “okay.” Still, Tremblay emphasized that the console’s overall input/output performance represents a major improvement over the slow physical hard drives that hampered Cyberpunk 2077 on last-generation systems.
It’s somewhat puzzling that Nintendo permitted such a noticeable speed discrepancy to exist on the Switch 2. On the original Switch, both SD cards and Game Cards reportedly topped out at around 90 MB/s. With the new system, however, Nintendo opted for a Game Card format that streams data considerably slower than games installed to internal or expanded memory.
This design choice may have been driven by a desire to keep hardware costs down for the Game Card reader itself. Even so, it doesn’t appear to have reduced the manufacturing expense of the physical cartridges. High production costs have often been cited as a reason many publishers favor cheaper Game Key Cards, though according to one developer, cost wasn’t a factor in the decision-making for Star Wars Outlaws, likely because the issue was already considered unavoidable.
Nintendo could potentially mitigate these variable load times by allowing users to install games from a Game Card directly to internal or expanded storage, similar to what Microsoft and Sony have offered with disc-based consoles for years. However, this workaround may prove inconvenient for players who want to avoid eating into the Switch 2’s 256GB built-in storage, or who don’t wish to invest in expensive high-speed memory cards.
As more studios develop for the platform, many will likely find ways to adapt to the Switch 2’s slower physical media interface. But with the broader industry continuing to shift away from physical game sales, some developers may conclude that compromising on load speeds isn’t worthwhile for a gradually shrinking segment of the market.
(Source: Ars Technica)
