Nintendo has just concluded what could be the final Switch 1 focused Direct presentation as all eyes are set to be on the Nintendo Switch 2 once the April 2nd presentation takes place.
Although some interesting games were revealed such as Metroid Prime 4, Pokemon Legends Z-A, and a few smaller titles, most of the big hitters have been and gone as the Nintendo Switch enters its eighth year of release.
That hasn’t stopped Nintendo from delivering new ways to play games and setting new standards, as it has announced Virtual Game Cards, a new way to share your digital library of games.
During the Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo revealed a new system that will allow players to share their digital libraries with friends and family.
With physical cartridges and discs for other systems, gamers are easily able to lend them to friends and family and allow them to play them with no issues. However, digital games are tied to your account and can’t be easily accessed by others. While you can log into your account on another system and download them that way, it isn’t convenient as you give account access to other people.
Virtual Game Cards will allow players to connect with another Nintendo Switch console via a local connection to verify the lending, and then you will be able to share your digital games with them.
If you have a second Nintendo Switch console with your account logged into both of them, you will be able to freely select which titles are accessible on which console and swap between them at any time.
When it comes to sharing with others, there are limitations in place for this. You can only lend out one title per console at a time to other players, and after 14 days they will be returned to you.
However, you can repeat the process with the same title or a new one, and have them lend you games too. While the game is being borrowed by someone else, you will lose access to it until it is returned.
You will be able to do this as a one-off trade, or as part of a family group of up to eight players, allowing you to easily share games with a select group of people. This will be great if you have multiple Nintendo Switch consoles or a group of close family and friends that have varied libraries.
Also in the Nintendo Direct presentation, we were treated to new information on games such as Metroid Prime 4 and Pokemon Legends Z-A, both of which will be launching in 2025.
Nintendo concluded the presentation with the announcement of the new Nintendo Today app, which will launch later today. This app will give players daily updates on upcoming games, as well as a place to release trailers, give information on upcoming Direct presentations, and all things Nintendo.
