Nintendo Advised Not to Eat Nintendo Switch Cartridges and Here is Why

nintendo cartridge foul taste
Mike Fahey from Kotaku

To those with children, we know how they like to munch their toys or whatever things they can get a hold on to (or if you have dogs at home). Apparently, Nintendo has done some “magical” things to the Nintendo Switch cartridges to prevent this from happening.

According to Kotaku, Nintendo has applied a chemical agent called Denatonium Benzoate to Nintendo Switch cartridges that tastes so, so bad that it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, literally.

The bitter, non-toxic chemical agent is there to prevent accidental ingestion by our little ones. And of course, the more we were told not to do it, the more curious we’d become.

Mike Fahey, a senior editor at Kotaku, (and a few others) tried and quickly regretted their decisions. The chemical tastes so bad that they said they could still taste it long after. It teaches the adults some lessons and it will definitely teach the children too. Ideally, they should be taught not to even touch a Switch cartridge, but if they are being naughty, it’s safe to know that they definitely will not swallow it.

Mike explained his experience as:

“Immediately upon touching a Nintendo Switch cartridge one’s tongue is assaulted by a harsh bitterness that spreads like a brush fire through the mouth. Having a drink on hand helps, but not completely.

The taste and how it spreads suggests some sort of oily residue left on the cartridge. If you’ve ever pinched an orange peel and tasted the oil that oozes from the rind, it’s like that, only without the citrus accents.”

In short, it tastes super bad and as curious as you might be, I suggest to stay away with it for a good reason. On the other hand, we shouldn’t worry too much leaving our game cartridges lying around or in the console.

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