The digital version of LA Noire clocks in at 29GB's which means if you haven't upgraded the memory of your Nintendo Switch, you're going to need to. While the Switch boasts 32GB storage, 6GB's of that is allocated to the system hardware so there's no way this game fits on the Switch without an upgrade. Additionally, if you buy the cartridge version of the game you'll be forced to download a 14GB patch before you download.
We will touch on Nintendo's underlying problem here shortly, but there's something that needs to be addressed. Prior to shipping the game, Rockstar had the option to ship this game in a 32GB cartridge. This would've meant any and all worries the gamer has would be eliminated as literally everything this patch and full game requires could've fit on the cartridge. Rockstar decided to save some cash and ship on a smaller memory cartridge, and then push the cost of buying more memory onto you, the consumer. While Nintendo can take some blame for this situation, it's ultimately Rockstar twisting your arm all in the name of saving money. Now, back to my rant.
All the headlines today are acting like it's breaking news Nintendo shipped a console with insufficient memory. Like they've never played the Wii-U (which offered 32 GBS for the deluxe model), The Wii, or GameCube. When it comes to shipping consoles that don't keep up with the gaming industries increasing need of storage for games, these guys are number one.
That said, it's not as though the quest for more storage is necessarily a drag. You can purchase 128gb's of micro SD storage for a Switch for under $50, which is just a handful of bucks less than buying a full price game. With the amount of "must own" games on the Switch, it's becoming a bit more of a necessity to move on from the 32 GB storage.
Which is all the more reason why Nintendo needs to get with the times. Hell, they could've even partnered with Sandisk (which they have since the console's launch) and shipped each console with a 128gb SD and passed the price onto the consumer and some folks would've been grateful for the convenience. Why didn't they do that?
Perhaps the answer comes in Nintendo's lack of understanding in 3rd Party. Nintendo is a company that releases a beautiful looking game like Super Mario Odyssey and keeps the overall download under 6 GB's. It's truly a remarkable achievement, but Nintendo has the advantage of years of working with their hardware and knowing all the right tricks to optimize for its console. Third-party developers just want to push out a version that's compatible with all three platforms as quickly as possible, and that means less time is spent on storage management because who worries about space on an Xbox One or PS4?
I guess my point is, internet isn't the only thing Nintendo does poorly. They need to recognize that in their next generation and develop a console that, God forbid, doesn't require a memory card or external device to save games. You do so much right Nintendo, let's get on board with this one.
