In recent days, you might’ve seen some people on social media wondering why Switch game cartridges taste so hellishly bad.
Sure, the tiny carts weren’t designed to be scoffed, but as many adventurous eaters have pointed out, the fact that they repel taste buds so efficiently is downright weird.
GiantBomb co-founder Jeff Gerstmann was the first unfortunate soul to nibble on a Switch title, and he quickly raised the alarm on Twitter. Naturally, that prompted a feeding frenzy, with console owners everywhere chowing down in the name of what we assume was science.
With madness taking hold, Nintendo has finally reared its head to explain away the offensive flavor.
In a statement to Kotatu, the console maker revealed it has deliberately coated Switch game cards in a non-toxic bitterness agent called Denatonium Benzoate to stop people “accidentally ingesting” them.
According to Wikipedia, it’s the most bitter chemical compound on the planet, and is often used in animal-repellent, antifreeze, and nail biting prevention varnishes.
Now, while we’re sure (most) mature players wouldn’t dream of gobbling up their favorite game, it seems like a smart way to stop younger, more carefree humans from accidentally eating them — which actually makes perfect sense.
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2017