Nintendo Switch Cartridges Taste Terrible

Don't expect to add Switch carts to your diet anytime soon.

By Jonathon Dornbush

If you were thinking about eating Nintendo Switch cartridges, please don't.

Due to taste tests by multiple intrepid reporters, including Giant Bomb's Jeff Gertsmann and IGN's Alanah Pearce, Switch cartridges were discovered to have a lingering, bitter taste to them. And there's actually an official reason for it.

In a statement provided to IGN, a representative for Nintendo explained that the cartridges have been coated with a "bittering agent" to discourage owners from eating them.

"To avoid the possibility of accidental ingestion, keep the game card away from young children. A bittering agent (Denatonium Benzoate) has also been applied to the game card. This bittering agent is non-toxic," the statement reads.

According to an early '90s U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report, as spotted by Polygon, Denatonium Benzoate is an aversive agent that has been used in animal repellents, nail biting deterrents, and as flavoring in placebo medicine.

Now that you're prepared not to eat your Switch cartridges when the console launches on March 3, check out our reviews of some of the system's launch games, including our review of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and our 1-2 Switch review. And for our thoughts on the console so far (cartridge or controller taste has not yet been factored in), read our Nintendo Switch review in progress.

Jonathon Dornbush is an Associate Editor for IGN. He doesn't eat his games, he plays them. Find him on Twitter @jmdornbush.

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