I'm pretty sure I already know but, I noticed my spare key has a little black hole in the back corner and it doesn't seem to do much of anything anymore. I would guess this means the electronic mind is taking a holiday huh? Any hope of restoring it to its former glory or is an expensive trip to dealer in the offing?

If you mean that there is an actual hole, it means the cap and the transponder chip have gone missing. Without the transponder chip, the key will open doors, trunk, glovebox but will not start the car.

If you get a new key, or a replacement transponder chip, they will have to be programmed to mate with the security system, and all keys must be present at that time.

As expected but are chips available or is it just easier to get a new key?

The chips can be had, but more trouble than they are worth because they changed generations. You would need to know which one fits.

If you can get a junk key from the same year then you can dig out the chip and insert it.

You would still need to have it programmed unless you have access to the dealer level software.