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People are actually grading Game Key Cards for Switch 2 games… and it’s getting out of control. A sealed copy of Street Fighter 6 just got a 9.9 rating — despite being a Game Key Card with expiring DLC codes and no full game on cartridge. In this video, we break down why this is ridiculous, what it means for collectors, and how this trend could ruin physical media forever.
If you're sick of anti-consumer practices and digital-only nonsense, this one's for you. Let’s talk about why grading Game Key Cards might be the worst idea in modern gaming.
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#streetfighter6 #switch2 #gamekeycard #gradedgames #cgcgrading #nintendoswitch2 #digitalonlygames #gamerant #gamenews #gamingleaks #videogamecollecting #anticonsumer #switch2controversy #physicalvsdigital #gamingdrama
DISCLAIMER: This video contains opinions and humor based on publicly available information. It is not intended to harass or defame anyone.
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Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
the Nintendo Switch 2 hasn't even been
0:02
out on shelves for a full month and
0:04
somehow we're already grading game key
0:06
cards like their rare artifacts from a
0:08
lost civilization not even real physical
0:11
games mind you no we're talking about
0:13
glorified download codes sealed in
0:16
plastic welcome to the clown show folks
0:19
so here's what just happened someone out
0:22
there and I swear I am not making this
0:24
up i'll pull out the screenshot got a
0:26
Game Key card copy of Street Fighter 6
0:29
for the Nintendo Switch 2 graded by CGC
0:33
yeah the collectible comic book people
0:36
that do game grading and card grading
0:38
you name it not only did this game key
0:41
card for Street Fighter 6 on the Switch
0:43
2 get an insane 9.9 grade but the game
0:48
itself it's a game key card guys that
0:50
means it's not even fully on the
0:52
cartridge it's one of those dreaded Game
0:55
Key card releases that everybody's upset
0:57
about yeah you heard that right guys
1:00
somebody actually graded their Game Key
1:03
Street Fighter 6 Switch 2 game and it
1:06
got a 9.9
1:09
grade by CJC this is the clip right here
1:12
i saw this trending on Twitter and
1:14
Reddit i don't know where this was at
1:16
too Many Games was this past weekend if
1:18
Too Many Games was the event that had a
1:21
vendor that graded a Game Key card shame
1:24
on you shame on Too Many Games if it's
1:26
not I apologize but this is too far and
1:30
And Reddit's talking about this too
1:32
right this is way too far i can't
1:34
believe that somebody did this and paid
1:39
the money to get a Game Key card
1:44
graded all right let that set in for for
1:47
as volatile and how uh divisive the
1:50
whole concept of game key cards on the
1:52
Switch 2 are I cannot believe somebody
1:55
did this all right I want to meet the
1:58
idiot that did this please somebody let
2:00
me know if you know who this guy is so
2:02
we could talk to them or something or
2:04
this is the most stupid thing I've ever
2:06
seen all right a game key card something
2:08
that is not a real actual game getting
2:11
graded like it's an actual real
2:13
collectible we're doomed we are doomed
2:16
guys we are doomed as a nation as a
2:19
nation we're doomed collecting has gone
2:22
to to hell in a hand basket
2:25
nearly almost every third party game on
2:27
the Switch 2 at this launch is a Game
2:29
Key card except like four or five
2:32
physical releases and what does this
2:34
mean it means that the game itself
2:36
doesn't even include the full actual
2:39
game on it it's just a fancy looking
2:42
download voucher with a plastic shell
2:44
that's what it ultimately comes down to
2:46
and a lot of people are still very upset
2:48
about it i've done some rants about it
2:50
i've I've already had it set this is the
2:52
worst of both worlds of physical and
2:55
digital it It provides that feeling of
2:58
oh I got something tangible but it
3:00
really isn't it's It's a anti-consumer
3:03
tactic that is wild in today's society
3:06
and Nintendo ain't the only one that has
3:08
been doing it xbox and PlayStation have
3:09
been doing it but it's absurd how many
3:12
game key releases we saw at the Switch
3:14
to launch but let's go ahead and talk
3:16
about this right it's not ridiculous
3:18
enough about this whole situation of a
3:20
game key card getting graded it gets
3:23
worse here guys that included DLC in
3:25
this game yeah this is the uh year 1 and
3:28
two DLC that's included in the Street
3:30
Fighter 6 game key card it's just a
3:33
download code for this game yeah so you
3:37
have a game key card of Street Fighter 6
3:40
for Switch 2 and then you have the DLC
3:43
which covers year one and two of Street
3:45
Fighter 6 it's just a download code
3:50
and wait for it here's here's the worst
3:53
part about it it expires in 2027 if it's
3:56
not used so imagine this you spend money
3:59
buying this game then you go and you
4:02
spend more money to get it graded right
4:04
because it's a collectible and then in
4:06
two years half of the content that's
4:09
included on this is literally dead what
4:12
you're really grading here is basically
4:14
a ticking time bomb of digital
4:16
nothingness because that DLC is going to
4:18
be worthless how can you even rate
4:20
something at 9.9 that isn't even a
4:23
actual physical item this is where we're
4:26
getting now in the world of collecting
4:28
at this point getting a comic is one
4:30
thing getting a card is one thing and
4:33
grading them both is actually something
4:36
that's kind of neat right but now we're
4:38
taking games that aren't physical and
4:40
getting them graded
4:43
what is going on here future buyers
4:46
better pray that the servers are still
4:48
up in a couple years or else this thing
4:50
is just a paper weight in a plastic tomb
4:53
a $70 paper weight I might add you
4:55
because these Switch 2 games are
4:58
overpriced immensely overpriced now
5:00
don't get me wrong here guys video
5:03
collecting video game collecting I
5:05
should say is a real thing if you look
5:06
behind me I got shelves and shelves of
5:08
actual physical media i even got
5:10
physical games right here i got Toy
5:12
Story on the Super Nintendo
5:14
not a great game but I still have it
5:16
there's legit history and nostalgia
5:18
behind Super Nintendo games and grading
5:22
sealed Super Nintendo games it's cool or
5:24
original PlayStation games but this this
5:27
is people literally grading digital
5:30
access keys like it's a Pokemon base set
5:34
Charizard and saying it's a highly
5:36
valued collectible and I don't like the
5:38
route that this is going okay cgc even
5:41
has an entire division that is now
5:44
grading video games and starting at I
5:46
think like 40 bucks they'll slab your
5:48
sealed video game in into like a clear
5:52
box they'll clean it authenticate it
5:54
package it whatever it takes to make
5:56
this sealed game look vintage right it
5:59
it's it's a practice that is becoming
6:01
common it was mostly for like comics
6:04
cards and old school collectibles but
6:06
now we're getting into the video game
6:08
stuff and this has caused controversy
6:09
with like Wada and all that throughout
6:12
the last few years
6:14
if you go on eBay you'll see tons of
6:16
graded video games which let's go ahead
6:18
and take a look at that right here this
6:20
for example this is a 95 mint Ocarine of
6:24
Time for $65,000
6:26
USD
6:29
mint sealed copy that is a college
6:32
tuition here guys but hey maybe 20 years
6:35
from now we'll see Street Fighter 6 on
6:37
the Switch 2 listed at $50,000 because
6:40
somebody graded a cardboard box with a
6:43
code inside now at least Ocarine of Time
6:46
has a physical game in there that will
6:48
work in 20 years 30 years as long as
6:51
it's in mint condition it will work
6:53
there's no need for downloads there's no
6:55
"Oh is the game not on the full
6:57
cartridge?" But this is something that
6:59
we've been seeing more and more and more
7:01
so we got a sealed Ocarine of Time here
7:04
and there's over 15,000 listings on eBay
7:06
guys for example here's Dragon Ball Z
7:08
Ultimate Battle 22 PS1 sealed water
7:12
graded 9.8A
7:14
plus for 130 bucks okay that is kind of
7:20
on the lower end i would say it's not no
7:23
65,000 freaking dollars like Ocarine of
7:26
Time but you can see people are still
7:29
going out and getting any kind of game
7:31
graded for this and there's a bunch of
7:33
them if you can look at the top where it
7:35
says people who viewed this also viewed
7:37
this item you can see up on top there's
7:40
a few other of the same copy of the game
7:43
uh of Dragon Ball and they're all about
7:44
the same price you got $140 here 125 139
7:49
so there's a market here and I still
7:51
don't get this market i I really don't
7:54
maybe it's just me uh I don't find the
7:57
the coolness in getting a video game
7:59
graded again a comic or a card sure but
8:02
a video game I I don't know i don't
8:04
think I can get behind that
8:07
in my opinion it's total insanity to
8:10
think that a game key card which again
8:12
is digital nothingness it's basically a
8:14
digital voucher for a video game is
8:17
worth grading i can't believe CGC
8:20
actually did this and again a Super
8:22
Nintendo game or something at least it's
8:24
a real item a real thing that has a real
8:26
game on it this whole digital like
8:29
modern world thing it's been very hard
8:32
to swallow like at least I'll buy a
8:33
digital game here or there but I stop at
8:36
the uh game key cards i'll buy real
8:39
physical media for the Switch 2 all day
8:41
like Mario Kart and even Cyberpunk but
8:44
I'm not buying a Game Key card i don't
8:46
care how the norm it becomes i'd rather
8:48
just get a digital game at that point
8:51
just to make a stand just to be a
8:52
stubborn sob right it's just wild how
8:55
quickly we've gone from this is a scam
8:58
to I must ex enase my download code in
9:02
an acrylic case and and have it on
9:04
display on my shelf because I'm a
9:06
collector like the Switch 2 has barely
9:08
launched here again less than a month
9:10
and we're already seeing collectible
9:12
hysteria over software that might not
9:14
even run years from now there's
9:17
something fundamentally off about that
9:20
and and I hope I'm not the only one
9:22
right at least with graded comics or old
9:24
game cartridges you get the actual thing
9:27
right the actual product but with Game
9:28
Key cards again like I said you're
9:30
grading a promise a fragile corporate
9:33
controlled promise and and I do not like
9:36
it it It's a sign of things to come and
9:40
call me a boomer whatever you want i
9:42
think most of you guys that are retro
9:43
collectors or video game collectors in
9:45
general will agree with that as well so
9:47
let me know what you guys think is this
9:49
peak stupidity in the collecting world
9:52
or just the beginning of something even
9:54
dumber uh drop your thoughts in the
9:56
comments and and hey if you're planning
9:57
to slab your Pikmin 4 game key card or
10:00
whatever is out there maybe just just
10:02
don't subscribe if you enjoy this kind
10:04
of no BS commentary and I'll catch you
10:07
in the next video guys
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