Originally published on ColdCaseTech.
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Then vs. Now (News report): Then: Macronix, the Taiwanese memory manufacturer described as Nintendo's main Switch cartridge supplier, announced on its Q3 2026 earnings call that it is phasing out ROM production, as reported by Engadget and The Verge. Now: Engadget reports there will be no new Macronix ROM products and that Switch 2 cartridges use NAND flash, a segment Macronix is not phasing out.
On November 4, 2026, Engadget reported that Macronix, the Taiwanese semiconductor and memory manufacturer it describes as Nintendo's main Switch cartridge supplier, is phasing out its ROM production, a move confirmed by CEO Miin Wu (Engadget). The Verge reported that the company announced the gradual phase-out during a recent quarterly earnings call and is instead focusing on NOR flash memory for data centers (The Verge).
Key Facts
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Macronix, phasing out ROM production | Engadget |
| Q3 2026 net profit | Record-high $337 million | Engadget |
| ROM revenue | Down 39 percent year over year | The Verge |
| NOR and NAND revenue | NOR up 158 percent; NAND up 768 percent | The Verge |
| ROM share of sales | Five percent, down from 26 percent a year earlier | Engadget |
Timeline
- 2026-11-04: Engadget reports that Macronix is phasing out ROM production, confirmed by CEO Miin Wu (Engadget).
- 2026-11-04: The Verge reports that Macronix announced the phase-out on its Q3 2026 earnings call (The Verge).
Details (as Reported)
Engadget reports that the ROM business has declined by 39 percent over the past year and now accounts for five percent of Macronix sales, down from 26 percent at this time last year (Engadget). A post embedded in the report states that there will be no new ROM products and that Q3 is the last quarter in which Macronix reports ROM sales separately (Engadget).
According to Taipei Times as cited by The Verge, Macronix chairman and CEO Miin Wu said during its Q3 2026 earnings call: "Customers are chasing us for more capacity, demanding that we deliver more NOR flash solutions for data centers" (The Verge). The company also reportedly expects chip price hikes to persist (The Verge).
Engadget notes that Macronix is far from the only entity helping to create physical Switch cartridges (Engadget). It also reports that Switch 2 cartridges use NAND flash memory, a segment Macronix is not phasing out, so the change does not affect them in quite the same way (Engadget). The embedded post describes Macronix as making the ROM chips in Switch 1 and Switch 2 game memory cards (Engadget).
On physical media, The Verge reports that Nintendo has recently said it has "no plans" to ditch physical games (The Verge). Nintendo stated in August that physical titles accounted for 38.5 percent of its games sales (The Verge). Engadget puts digital products at 61.5 percent of Nintendo's software sales and around 85 percent on PS5 (Engadget). Sony has announced a plan to stop production of physical game discs starting in January 2028 (The Verge).
The Verge adds that the exit comes nearly a year after Micron shut down Crucial, its consumer RAM and SSD brand, to meet AI data center demand (The Verge).
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What Is Not Yet Confirmed
- Engadget reports that Microsoft has yet to announce a plan to sunset physical media on Xbox, where it puts digital at 96 percent of software sales (Engadget).
Sources
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