Nintendo is seemingly taking on the secondhand game sales market in a couple of ways. One is the way they are planning on releasing some Nintendo Switch 2 games – only a key on the physical card, the game is then downloaded. Not everyone has access to reliable high-speed Internet, even in 2025. The other way they seem to be combating secondhand game sales, and I am all for this, is through the Nintendo Switch Online classics library. Nintendo are finally adding games that are prohibitively expensive now.
Photo by Pixabay
Finally Hard to Find Games Seeing Re-Release
While I am sure there are fans of the original Black Box Nintendo Entertainment System games, they are not exactly burning up the secondhand market for fans. Before anyone gets mad, the only prohibitively valuable Black Box releases are 5 screw variants or those that were graded and/or are still sealed. The actual game, the part that would be available on your Nintendo Switch, is not exactly sought after.
Instead, where are NES titles such as the Nintendo World Championship cart? I know they did a reimagnining of that idea but have they ever given regular fans a chance to play the rare version? I don’t think they have.
What about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters on NES (affiliate link)? That game goes for over $200 used. Konami is pretty easy going with licensing out releases so I am sure this would not cost a lot for Nintendo to secure.
Similarly, we see Baseball on the Game Boy but not rare, although not exactly great, Fish Dude (affiliate link) which is a good family friendly romp with dark undertones for kids to realize later in life.
Nintendo did secure Castlevania Legends on the Game Boy so there is light at the end of the tunnel here.
Taking on Scalpers and Resellers Where It Hurts
I know, there are not exactly a lot of scalpers pushing Fish Dude in a dark alley somewhere. Nintendo does too as they are focusing on the Nintendo GameCube soon.
Currently there are three GameCube games planned for release on the Plus Expansion Pack service. Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (affiliate link), F-Zero GX (affiliate link) and Soul Calibur II (affiliate link). While none of these are super valuable, they are sought after and the price of the Plus Expansion versus buying all three of these used is a fair trade.
Nintendo are also releasing a GameCube controller for the Nintendo Switch 2. It will only be available directly from Nintendo and for subscribers of the service.
Source – Retronews
Nintendo may have a hard time selling the public on this idea of $90 for a security key card as if it's a physical game. I have no interest in a Switch 2. I may finally get a Switch 1 second-hand if I'm wrong and everyone rushes to upgrade.
I am definitely a generation or two behind kind of gamer. I just cannot afford to keep up with the current gen. I actually stepped out of console gaming with the PS3/X360 era over prices. The releasing a slight upgrade mid life, and Internet required things, were big turn offs for me. I am still picking up bulk lots of games for those systems, and older, off of eBay, discovering so many great games I never had a chance to play, nor could have at $50+ a pop even back then. $80+ now is simply out of the question for me.
I want to get a Nintendo Switch 1 when they come down in price but it may be a while.