Here's Why Nintendo Switch Cartridges Taste Really Bad

With the Nintendo Switch set to arrive in just a matter of hours now, Nintendo has confirmed one more detail about it: its game cartridges taste really bad. They are covered in a non-toxic material that is meant to discourage people from putting them in their mouths, a Nintendo representative confirmed.

"A bittering agent (Denatonium Benzoate) has also been applied to the game card," the spokesperson told Polygon. The Nintendo representative added that it's a good idea to keep the small Switch cartridges out of the reach of children so as to "avoid the possibility of accidental ingestion."

Denatonium Benzoate is the "most bitter chemical compound known to humanity," according to Polygon.

Jeff Gerstmann, the founder of GameSpot sister site Giant Bomb, put a Switch cartridge in his mouth and immediately wished he hadn't. For more on how Switch games taste, check out GameSpot's taste test video above.

In other Switch news, a recent report from a research firm predicted that the system will sell 5 million units in 2017. For more, check out GameSpot's review of the Nintendo Switch.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the console's launch titles--and it's a good one. GameSpot's review scored it a 10/10, while other outlets praised it as well.