Nintendo introduces new lending system for digital Switch games

In addition to showing off a bunch of new games including a brief glimpse at Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Nintendo also shared some new features coming to the Switch. Coming in an April system update, Nintendo is introducing a new game management system called “virtual game cards.” Virtual game cards are meant to function similarly to physical ones. When the feature goes live, purchases of digital games on the Nintendo eShop will automatically create a virtual game card that you’ll be able to manage from a dedicated screen.

Virtual game cards also make sharing games between consoles simpler. Using a local wi-fi connection, you can use virtual game cards to transfer digital games between Switch 1 and Switch 2 consoles. But perhaps the most interesting aspect of this feature is that now, you’ll be able to lend games to members of your Nintendo Switch Family account. You can only lend out one game per person and only for two weeks, but its still very neat that Nintendo has replicated the spirit of renting video games from Blockbuster.

Since Nintendo already told us the Switch 2 is backwards compatible, it seems like this new virtual game card system was created to ease the transition for players upgrading their consoles. We’ll learn more about the Swtich 2 and all its new features during the Switch 2 direct on April 2nd.