This doesn't make sense, I definitely saw download cards on sale at Target when I went to buy my XL this past Sunday morning.  They were sitting right next to the retail copies on a 3DS display.

Then they likely printed it out on the receipt, as per what the article says. :)

Are the download cards in japan akin to itunes giftcards, with a 'scratch-off' on the back? 

Maybe it's so people don't copy the code. Then go home and and enter it

You can't copy a card code. They need to be activated at the register to be used.

stuff

I read an article a few weeks about when this game came out in japan.

95 percent purchased the physical copy
5 percent purchased the digital copy

I don't anticipate the number to much different or better here in North America <_<

Read Disco Stu's post again, he said he saw the cards for SALE next to a 3DS display.

found this on BestBuy:


http://goo.gl/WO1Uf


not necessarily a card, but maybe more than just GameStop will be selling codes(?)

Nintendo Power... Shonen Jump... and this? Shit. The digital age is saying fuck you to everything now.

Do I need to continue to quote the article I wrote? :P

According to Nintendo of America, there aren't any cards. "Some retailers are using other methods." I further used GameStop as an example (which NoA did to me when I asked) saying that they post the download code on the receipt. As per what Nintendo of America representatives told me, there are no cards; just printed codes on receipts and other manners similar to that.

So, until someone goes and buys one of these cards and shows me that it is a card with the code printed on it, then I'll believe what a Nintendo of America representative told me. They could be wrong, but I will err on the side of the company that published the game.

I can confirm this, when I bought my XL I wanted a digital version of mario and they just printed a receipt with a code. I used that code in the e-shop and had mario downloading without problem.


I guess this will be a well kept secret or something for Gamestop because the employee had to really dig around to find the sku for the digital copy.

Ah, i see. My bad.


Anyway, yeah, my brother also bought the digital copy (dem Club Nintendo coins) and indeed brought home a soulless receipt.