Nintendo explains why Switch cartridges taste nasty

[beschizza]

Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/03/02/nintendo-explains-why-switch-c.html

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[Daedalus]

Know Your Audience…

[brzap]

I was annoyed when aerosol duster cans started adding bittering agents to prevent inhalant abuse, since it’s hard to avoid getting a whiff of it when spraying them (and it is pretty nasty).

But I really think that, had I purchased a Switch, I would have gone my whole life without noticing that there was such an agent in its game cartridges.

[emo_pinata]

That’s actually pretty interesting.

[euansmith]

How are the going to combat those customers with an anal fixation instead of an oral one?

[nimelennar]

[LearnedCoward]

_{. … … … … … … … …}

[Donald_Petersen]

The fact that you had that comic standing by to answer the question a mere 6 minutes after it was asked proves that you have a sibling.

[themadpoet]

I have a new thing to do when getting access to a wish in my D&D campaign…

[Daedalus]

@euansmith

How are the going to combat those customers with an anal fixation instead of an oral one?

Have you seen the size of those cartridges? Pretty sure a teacup maltese could pass one without too much difficulty.

THE DEVS THOUGHT OF EVERYTHING

[Brainspore]

But can you still get a mushroom high from licking them?

[Mister44]

“Mario, we need to have a talk about consent. You can’t just lick people with out permission.”

[Brainspore]

If you think he’s got a problem then wait until you see Yoshi.

[SenorSchaffer]

I have something to admit. When everybody else has huffing on their NES cartridges trying to get them to work, I would lick mine. The small strip of saliva did the trick…and it tasted nice and metallic like licking a 9-volt battery but without the tingle.

I’m sure I did way more damage to the carts (and brain) that way but it worked at the time.

[tikaro]

I could have SWORN that I learned about “terrible-taste-as-a-service” brand of denatonium benzoate “Bitrex” from BoingBoing.

Anyhow: Bitrex! It’s added to all kinds of things that shouldn’t be eaten:

Bitrex

[Liam1]

Does it get on your fingers after handling a cartridge?

[glenblank]

Yep. Denatonium benzoate is often used in Denatured Alcohol (ethanol) to discourage people from drinking it.

Note, though, that most most formulations contain genuinely poisonous denaturants as well - usually methanol or pyridine, or occasionally acetone or MEK or isopropanol. Something toxic and difficult to remove.

(So I guess that’s “to prevent intentional poisoning”, eh?)