Is it safe to assume Nintendo’s next gen console will be compatible with Switch game cards? (Maybe you already bought BOTW, Mario 3D All-Stars for the next gen console?) – Nintendo Switch Forum – Page 1 – Nintendo Life

A few thoughts here:

I fully concur. As a wise person once said, ‘If you don’t get your hopes up, you don’t get disappointed’.

…and so are far more physical games than you’d think these days. Now, don’t get me wrong, I fully understand that physical games provide far less barrier to access years down the road (p much only the potential lack of access to patches or updates), and I agree that many people would be upset if the industry went digital only. But I think it’s important to note that even as of right now you’re often only buying a license when you buy a physical game. So far this has not been litigated (as far as I know, at least; I ANAL), so for now it’s totally true that physical games provide more access – but imo that’s how the discussion ought to be framed: as one of continued access and availability. Until some court says otherwise, saying that digital games are a license (and implying that physical games are not) is technically not intellectually honest – and either way, really seems to miss the point of why people prefer physical games. People don’t necessarily care about the particulars of ownership, they just want to be able to play their games in the future; those particulars are relevant details, sure, but they’re not the main point.