Nintendo has pushed major system updates for the Switch, which will enable a new virtual game card-owner system for digital games, as well as several Switch 2-related features, including Gameshare. Virtual Game Cards allow you to easily exchange digital games between multiple switch consoles or lend them to your family.
System version 20.0.0 is the most consequential update of the switch firmware for some time now. In addition to adding virtual game cards and game shares to the main menu, we will show you the ability to perform system transfers to Nintendo Switch 2 locally between consoles or using cloud backups.
To my surprise, the icon colors for the News and Nintendo eShop icons have been changed to green and red, respectively. Loading the eShop is completely branded with a fierce switch 2 red rather than the previous orange.
However, the heading features are definitely Game Share and Virtual Game Cards. But you can’t use Game Share yet. This feature allows for several multiplayer games Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classicusing only one copy of the game, being shared locally between multiple consoles (like the old Nintendo DS download play system). However, it only works if a Switch 2 user is sharing. Additionally, Switch 2 users can use Gameshare online for some games via the GameChat feature in the new console.
So for now, virtual game cards are the most exciting changes. Select a Virtual Game Card from the menu and you’ll see a neat menu of all digitally owned games and DLCs. This is represented as a small card. From here you can load and eject from your current console, load it into another console, or rent it to a member of the Nintendo Account Family Group (for 14 days).
For those with only one switch, the Virtual Game Cards menu is a neat new way to view and manage your digital game collection. For those with multiple switches, and for families of switch users, it is a massive quality of life update that allows for much more flexible use of digital games.
I lent the game to my family and went back this morning to collect it. Everything works very seamlessly as long as the console is nearby. However, one thing that confuses you with virtual game cards is that the card being loaded is not the same as it is downloaded to the console. You can download it, but it’s not loaded or not loaded, but it’s not actually downloaded to the switch.
The limits make you feel a bit off, but virtual game cards are a very important update for many Switch owners. This latest system update also makes the switch ready for the Nintendo Switch 2 imminent arrival, which is also an exciting icing on the cake.
