Hmm, true. :/
I guess then they mean you download 7.1GB of installer, same as is on the cart. And the game grabs the other 13GB from somewhere when you run it.
It still doesn’t make sense, but ok…?
There must be some other reason beyond ‘too cheap to use more than an 8GB cart’, otherwise the eShop download would be 20GB right, not 7?
I don’t know what the technical/financial reason would be, but the numbers seem to add up. You wouldn’t expect the Switch version to be smaller in size than the Wii U version, so 7.1GB has to be wrong.
Not necessarily wrong - it’s the same size as the data on the physical media.
Okay, not “wrong” but we can surmise that 7.1GB is not the true size of the game.
Eurogamer had a good explanation for the cart expense.
[quote]
Well, we’ve heard that the cost of manufacturing a Nintendo Switch game is higher than the cost of making a PS4, PC or Xbox One game, because the cartridges the Switch uses cost more to make than Blu-ray discs.
We’ve also heard that the cost of the cart depends on the size of the cart. Switch game card carts come in a variety of capacities: 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB. At a high level, the bigger the cart the more expensive it is, although the price may vary according to print run (lower the volume, higher the price, for example - an issue that may affect indie developers who don’t expect to shift a huge number of copies of their game).[/quote]
Chaplin
1814
Ew. I guess buying a memory chip isn’t optional. Anyone have any good suggestions for one? I have read that they improve loading time on games (or at least Zelda).
I went with the Wirecutter recommendation of the Samsung EVO+; 128GB was a nice price/capacity balance for me. Sandisk would also be good.
We need a Eurogamer story to tell us this? ;)
Vesper
1817
Speaking of add-on cards. Can you specify a place to download eShop games? I didn’t see anything when I bought some. Or is it “automatic”?
It’s automatic, at least for now. It goes to the SD card if one is inserted and it has space, or the system memory otherwise. So if you want to download to system memory, remove the SD card first.
You can set the location for screenshots manually though (System Settings\Data Management\Save Data/Screenshots\Manage Screenshots).
All save data goes to system memory.
Chaplin
1819
If I install to system memory now, can I move a game or redownload it to the SD card later without losing save data?
Yes, as removing a game doesn’t delete the saves. You have to manually delete save data from the Data Management area in Settings.
I’m not sure if you can move a game from system to sd without re-downloading, though you can move screenshots. You can likely copy games from one sd to another using a PC.
http://en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/22333/~/how-to-archive-software
Here’s an image of Lego Undercover on the Switch store I took moments ago, my red emphasis:
They don't seem particularly forthcoming about the extra data size...
Eurogamer asked WB Games and got a weird answer.
[quote]Lego City Undercover publisher Warner Bros. has provided us with this short statement on the game’s cartridge version, which suggests you will be able to play without downloading anything.
“Players who purchase Lego City Undercover on Nintendo Switch at retail do not need to download the game to play,” a company spokesperson told us.
We’re still no clearer why the game’s box states it requires an internet connection, or 13GB of storage, but the suggestion here perhaps is that at least some of the game is playable without downloading.
We’ve contacted Warner Bros. again for further clarification.[/quote]
Maybe it’s kind of similar to what they did with Xenoblade Chronicles X? You can play that one without downloading anything, but it has several GB worth of optional downloads to improve loading times.
Yeah, it’s weird as heck. I don’t know what would be “optional” when the original game was 19GB though.
Wouldn’t be surprised if it were some bullshit “demo” mode a la partial console installs.
Do switch games all play directly off the cartridge?
Is it possible that the file size is a smaller number than 8, but it needs room to unpack (the 13), but ends up at 8 when finished?
JonRowe
1827
They were supposed to… which is why the low storage onboard wasn’t going to be a big deal.
