Despite how small a detail it might seem and how weird it might be for Nintendo to bring it up during its showcase of the Nintendo Switch 2, an important question still remains about an infamous but crucial safety feature. Much like the original Nintendo Switch, Nintendo is again demonstrating its focus on making the Nintendo Switch 2 and its games just as family-friendly, such as providing updated and enhanced parental controls for the upcoming console. However, Nintendo has yet to confirm if one of its more bizarre, albeit justifiable, safety features will return for the Switch 2 and its game cartridges.
While Nintendo hadn’t initially advertised the taste of its cartridges when launching the original Switch, it was ultimately forced to come clean and admit that it had used a “bittering” or aversive agent to prevent individuals from accidentally swallowing its Switch games. But while it was unlikely that games such as Cooking Mama would be taken literally and eaten, this feature did make some sense from a health and safety standpoint, even though Nintendo’s previous cartridges for its DS consoles hadn’t included this agent. Therefore, with the Switch 2 successor on the horizon, Nintendo should confirm upfront if its cartridges will taste just as bad.
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Explaining The Importance Behind The Taste of Nintendo Switch Cartridges
It was arguably just as weird as the feature itself that the Switch cartridge’s bad taste was discovered by chance after games journalist Jeff Gerstmann randomly taste-tested one during a live stream, later recounting the experience via social media.
Likely to Nintendo’s chagrin, as tasting Switch games went viral, it was prompted to release a statement via Polygon confirming that its cartridges had a non-toxic coating of denatonium benzoate, a common aversive agent used in paint, antifreeze, and other solvents to deter accidental ingestion. But while the novelty of this unique safety measure has died down, the fact that the Switch’s cartridges taste foul has persisted.
Regardless of how weird this design choice seemed, there appeared to be some logic behind Nintendo’s decision when considering the bigger picture, as the company was marketing the Switch as the family-friendly console of choice. Though older players would likely recognize both the absurdity and potential danger of swallowing a game cartridge, ensuring that kids are discouraged from doing so with this unusual safety feature fits this family-friendly model. So long as Nintendo maintains this strategy with the Switch 2 as its successor, it stands to reason that it will share this feature.
The Case For And Against The Switch 2 Continuing This Safety Feature
While Nintendo hasn’t shied away from more mature games, such as recently partnering with FromSoftware for the Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods, it hasn’t lost its core focus on “family fun” gaming. With the Switch 2’s improved Joy-Con 2 design, Game Chat and Camera peripherals, and launch titles such as Mario Kart World, Split Fiction, and Hogwarts Legacy, Nintendo appears to be adhering to the original Switch’s family-friendly approach through social gaming for all ages. As a result, it may as well continue to use an aversive agent on its Switch 2 cartridges as there’s no such thing as being too safe.
However, one controversial change with the Switch 2 is Nintendo’s new “game-key cards,” seemingly encouraging players to buy cheaper digital game copies and use GameShare to share these with other players. It seems that Nintendo is joining the push towards a digital-only model seen elsewhere within the gaming industry and could be aiming to out physical games entirely. If this is the case, then the arguably niche safety feature of bad-tasting Switch 2 cartridges may be redundant if they’re only going to be replaced by the likes of GameShare and game-keys.
Source: Polygon
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Nintendo
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Proprietary
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256GB internal / MicroSD
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1080p (handheld) / 4K (docked)
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Nintendo eShop
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Yes