Nintendo Switch retail packaging wastes so much space

The retail packaging of Nintendo Switch games are ridiculous.

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Nintendo's next-gen Switch console is nearly here, so we're finally seeing the retail packaging for Switch games - and what a huge waste of plastic for such a small cartridge.

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The game cartridges that Nintendo Switch games comes in at 31mm x 21mm x 3mm, making them small - as the 3DS cartridges are just 35mm x 33mm x 4mm. But, Nintendo has used a gigantic case for the cartridge, coming in at 170mm x 104mm x 10mm. SomeSwitch game packages won't include instruction manuals, registration cards, legal health warning or anything else that would use more physical space in the case. However, Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ will have a 20-page full-color game manual, and we can clearly see where the actual game manuals go in the case.

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This isn't an unusual thing for Nintendo, as 3DS cartridges only use 2% of the volume in the package, Sony isn't any different with Vita cartridges taking just 0.8% of its total packaging volume. The retail boxes seem to be for those who want to have a library of games on their shelves like previous-gen games - but we live in a new world, Nintendo.

Anthony joined the TweakTown team in 2010 and has since reviewed 100s of graphics cards. Anthony is a long time PC enthusiast with a passion of hate for games built around consoles. FPS gaming since the pre-Quake days, where you were insulted if you used a mouse to aim, he has been addicted to gaming and hardware ever since. Working in IT retail for 10 years gave him great experience with custom-built PCs. His addiction to GPU tech is unwavering and has recently taken a keen interest in artificial intelligence (AI) hardware.

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