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Nintendo Switch game cartridges taste offensively bad (2017)

polygon.com

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Re: Nintendo Switch game cartridges taste offensively bad (2017)

#51

Post by Hamuko »

kaladin-jasnah wrote: post #41
astrange wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sony is older than Apple and was one of Steve Jobs' main inspirations. He even wanted to make everyone wear uniforms (which Sony and Nintendo still did then) - that's where his same outfit every day habit came from. They weren't focused back then, but neither was Apple.

Didn't Jobs also offer Sony to make laptops that ran OS X? Also, random thing, but both Orbis (Playstation operating system) and OS X are based on FreeBSD.

Apparently they even made an official Sony VAIO Hackintosh.

https://www.theverge.com/2014/2/5/5380832/sony-vaio-apple-os...

Re: Nintendo Switch game cartridges taste offensively bad (2017)

#52

Post by School-Cotton »

Alex3917 wrote: post #33
matheusmoreira wrote: post #2

> “A bittering agent (Denatonium Benzoate) has also been applied to the game card,” the spokesperson said, adding that Nintendo recommends keeping Switch cartridges away from children “to avoid the possibility of accidental ingestion.” The representative also noted that denatonium benzoate is non-toxic. That was unexpected and interesting.

Note that non-toxic does not mean edible, as the FDA recently clarified due to many people being severely poisoned from eating cakes decorated with luster dust meant for crafting. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7043a2.htm You would think that if something says non-toxic, licking it shouldn't kill you, but apparently not.

What _does_ it mean, then?

Re: Nintendo Switch game cartridges taste offensively bad (2017)

#53

Post by tialaramex »

Yes. In the EU product "denatured alcohol" for most purposes is likewise treated with the same agent. This replaces the widespread use of methanol and similar products which are poisonous (yes even if you call the product "meths" it probably isn't methanol in the EU today). The rationale is that poisoning people is not an appropriate reaction to attempted tax avoidance. Alcohol is only "denatured" because booze is taxed, there's no technical reason to use poison, and so the EU took the poison out, for the same reason it doesn't execute or torture criminals.

Re: Nintendo Switch game cartridges taste offensively bad (2017)

#55

Post by tacker2000 »

TylerE wrote: post #16
jmole wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sony is Japan’s Apple if anyone is. A company like Nintendo doesn’t seem like it has an American equivalent, and I actually can’t imagine a company like that surviving the ups and downs of the 80s/90s/00s tech cycles in the US, especially with our tendency towards M&A.

I don't get the Sony:Apple comparison at all. If anything, Sony is Japan's Microsoft: Do a gazillion things, many of them poorly, to such a unfocused extent that some of your divisions actually end up competition with each other. Like in Sony's case, how they've had internal battles for decades between the device side (that wants to make devices that are useful) and the content side (that wants DRM out the ass on eve…

I dont know if you can say that Sony is doing stuff “poorly”. Most of the hardware they make is very solid. Think about their speakers, headphones, the consoles, etc. But yes i agree, they are a huge company with a lot of divisions where sometimes the decisions are at odds. Which parts do you think are doing poorly?

Re: Nintendo Switch game cartridges taste offensively bad (2017)

#56

Post by isthisnametaken »

MBCook wrote: post #42
amelius wrote: post #32

This type of coating is also on Duracell batteries.

I had to buy some coin cell batteries a few months ago (CR2032s or similar) and was surprised to see the package proclaiming they’d done that. Made sense, but had never thought of the need before.

Kids swallowing coin cell batteries is a recurring and very serious problem. Hospitals will take it very seriously (x-rays, etc) if there's even a suspicion that one has been swallowed.

Re: Nintendo Switch game cartridges taste offensively bad (2017)

#57

Post by flatiron »

badlucklottery wrote: post #27
MBCook wrote: post #3

I know this isn’t new but I still love that Nintendo did this. It’s such a Nintendo thing. They’re a toy company and think like one. Did Sony do this with the Vita cartridges? I don’t remember hearing so (and never thought to taste them?). Heh.

>Did Sony do this with the Vita cartridges? Well, wonder no longer. I just licked a PS Vita copy of World of Final Fantasy and it only tastes faintly of plastic.

My SD2Vita also doesn’t taste too bad ;)

Re: Nintendo Switch game cartridges taste offensively bad (2017)

#58

Post by cwkoss »

tialaramex wrote: post #53

Yes. In the EU product "denatured alcohol" for most purposes is likewise treated with the same agent. This replaces the widespread use of methanol and similar products which are poisonous (yes even if you call the product "meths" it probably isn't methanol in the EU today). The rationale is that poisoning people is not an appropriate reaction to attempted tax avoidance. Alcohol is only "denatured" because booze is ta…

Does this bitterant leave a residue when the alcohol evaporates? That seems like one benefit of methanol vs bitterant: all of the alcohol can still evaporate without depositing bitterant as a side effect.

Are there bitterants that evaporate similarly to alcohol but are not toxic?

Re: Nintendo Switch game cartridges taste offensively bad (2017)

#59

Post by [deleted] »

School-Cotton wrote: post #52
Alex3917 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note that non-toxic does not mean edible, as the FDA recently clarified due to many people being severely poisoned from eating cakes decorated with luster dust meant for crafting. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7043a2.htm You would think that if something says non-toxic, licking it shouldn't kill you, but apparently not.

What _does_ it mean, then?

[deleted]

Re: Nintendo Switch game cartridges taste offensively bad (2017)

#60

Post by progbits »

xen0 wrote: post #50

If you own a Switch, I encourage you to drop whatever it is you're doing and go lick one of the cartridges. You need to experience this.

Definitely second this. I have been downloading all my Switch games but bought one cheap cartridge just to see what all the craze was about.

It did not disappoint, no matter how bitter you think it can be, it is worse. The aftertaste lasts for a very long time and rinsing your mouth makes little difference.

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