Kyoto, Japan — With the Nintendo Switch about to hit stores, tech writers, vloggers and gamers are testing everything about it — including the taste. One guy found out very quickly that the tiny game cartridges taste absolutely awful.
I put that Switch cart in my mouth and I'm not sure what those things are made of but I can still taste it. Do not try this at home.
— Jeff Gerstmann (@jeffgerstmann) February 25, 2017
In spite of the warning from Giant Bomb co-founder Jeff Gerstmann, others were quick to taste-test the cartridges for themselves. According to available reports, they all regretted it almost instantly.
Nintendo tells me the Switch carts are coated with a bittering agent, Denatonium Benzoate. Now we know! https://t.co/FGNtEoso53 pic.twitter.com/eLdxHM19Ws
— Fahey (@UncleFahey) March 2, 2017
The video game site Polygon said a Nintendo representative confirmed that Switch cartridges are coated in a material that’s meant taste bad so people won’t put the units in their mouths.
According to Polygon, Nintendo applied a bittering agent has been applied to the game card. The representative stated that the substance, denatonium benzoate, is non-toxic.
“Nintendo recommends keeping Switch cartridges away from children ‘to avoid the possibility of accidental ingestion,'” Polygon reported.
