Topic: Nintendo patents new cartridge with a memory expansion slot.

I just saw this leak on twitter and sounds interesting what it could do.

So what could this do, exactly? Would it be like a cheaper alternative to large-memory cards?

I don't know what this is or how it might be implemented, but if it means there's any chance of more 16gb+ games coming physically to Switch then bring it on.

Since I don't have the French link it's hard to translate what it says.

Maybe it helps in some way to reduce production costs for the cartridges? Interesting find.

Will the new cartridge have same size as old one ?

Perhaps it could just to store digital games in "cartridges", in addition to the SD card... Assuming it's real and they plan to do anything with it, of course.

@Eel
Or maybe turn the Switch games into NDS / 3DS style (save data stored inside the cartridge)

Perhaps because only certain sizes are made, this would allow a larger variety of sizes to be manufactured, if the expansion parts are more easily made in a variety of sizes. Then a publisher who say, has a 22gb game, they don’t have to shell out for a 32gb cart, because now Nintendo can provide carts in a size of 22gb, reducing cost and thus leading to more full physical releases.

This just looks like a another revision for the base switch. Nothing really to scream home about.

I don't even think this is a revision to the switch. It's a revision to the game cards. Probably so they can store more game data within them or something.

Probably more then meets the posting. To adapt a sd card into the cart would require new hardware to read that new function and current Switches probably don't have that chipset built in. And that would mean a New Switch unit with more options and hardware features. And if those are blank carts where one can download eShop to and store would be also a great feature then one isn't tied to the account that downloaded the game.

Would like to see the actual patent not just a tweet on it. In any case, this wouldn't really allow them to have larger games or make way for cheaper cartridges. Despite what some may think the ROM used in Switch cartridges is significantly cheaper than the flash used in microSD cards. The problem is significantly cheaper is still a fairly high cost when you're talking about 64GB, 128GB. Not N64 era high cost but we're still talking dollars rather than cents

What do I think it would be useful for? Honestly, I could see it being more of a novelty concept kind of thing. I'm thinking more along the lines of one of those weird accessory driven games Nintendo sometimes does. Maybe something along the lines of Mario Artist and the SD card is a way to copy large media between devices. Makes more sense than any of the other suggestions in this thread IMO

@SwitchForce
Not really, you just need to provide the right power and make the data visible in a way that the cartridge slot likes. No more complicated than the flash carts that exist for retro consoles or those cartridge reader USB devices. Or even like a USB memory card reader

Until you remember the switch already has an SD card slot, and the capacity to send files fairly easily via local communication.

I’d say the best suggestion so far has been the idea of letting publishers add on extra capacity modules to their cartridges. After all, the slot doesn’t really need to be accesible by the user.

Perhaps it's away to make switch games work with out having to have a seperate memory card.

It’s probably useless?

Perhaps they're just doing it to open up another potential avenue for litigation against the manufacturers of flash carts?

Trademark and copyright infringement have generally sufficed until now though.

@Eel
I mean yeah but the concept in general is of limited value for the same reason. The only reason you'd maybe want this is if you wanted a large chunk of writable storage available to the game specifically. It makes little sense for giving publishers more readable space because a larger cartridge would be cheaper. It makes little sense as more general storage because the Switch has its own storage and microSD card slot. But as a way to store media for some kind of media focused novelty game? eh, maybe

Actually, along those same lines.... probably the best use for something like this would be to revive the Nintendo Power Cartridge they used to have on the SNES/GB:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Power_(cartridge)

Not particularly exciting and not really anything anyone here would care about. And probably a dead idea because downloads are a thing. But basically it'd just be a blank writable cartridge you can buy and even put a larger SD card in if you want. Then you walk upto a kiosk in a shop and pay money to get a copy of the game downloaded to your blank card. A similar concept could potentially be used as a way to physically sell a "licence" to classic systems like NES, SNES, N64, GC, Wii U (the cart would be proof or purchase, the games would download to the card).

@Matt_Barber
Probably the correct answer

No idea what application this could have for gaming, but it's nice to see they are still taking physical media seriously and researching it. I'm sure they have some concept for it. There is a game behind most of what Nintendo do

I wonder if Nintendo will ever change the design of retail box for Nintendo Switch.
Sony has ever changing the PS3 retail box design from logo on the leftside to top side with PS3 instead of PlayStation 3 and it looked way much better.