People are learning the hard way what happens if you try to run modified games on Nintendo Switch 2.
The launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 may mark a new era for Nintendo, but one thing that will never change is the company’s dislike of pirates and modders.
Nintendo is fiercely protective of its hardware and software, which is why it has routinely forced emulators to be shut down. The story of Gary Bowser in 2023 also shows how ruthless the company can be towards those it catches modifying Nintendo hardware.
So, it should come as no surprise that Nintendo has been proactive in preventing such activity with the Switch 2, with reports throughout the week revealing that the console can detect pirated or modified software and permanently disable all online connectivity as punishment for using them.
Some Switch 2 owners have reported such instances after attempting to use a device called a MIG Switch on the console. The MIG Switch is a cartridge that you can dump Switch games onto, essentially serving as an all-in-one cartridge for your game library.
While you can download pirated game files from the internet onto the MIG Switch, some use it as a means of backing up Switch games they’ve legally bought, though Nintendo clearly doesn’t care about that distinction.
Since the Switch 2 is backwards compatible, those who own a MIG Switch cartridge decided to see if it works on the new console. Apparently, it should following a firmware update, but it seems Nintendo was one step ahead of them.
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According to the likes of SwitchTools on X and givemeupvotes on Reddit, using the MIG cartridge will prompt an error message and ban you from accessing Nintendo’s online services forever more.
It doesn’t appear to brick the console entirely, however. As demonstrated in a YouTube video by Scattered Brain, it’s still possible to access and play games offline, so it’s not as if the ban turns the console into a paperweight.
That said, the ban is believed to be built into the hardware itself, and is independent of your Nintendo account. The ban makes it impossible to unlink the account and virtual game cards from the console and when Scattered Brain attempted a factory reset, that wound up bricking their console entirely.
Nintendo’s policy is that it warns Switch 2 owners not to mess around with the hardware like this. In fact, ahead of the console’s launch, it updated its account services user agreement to say it has the right to ‘render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part’ if you violate its policy.
At least, that’s what the US version reads, though we can’t imagine there’s any more leeway here in the UK since it still states any hardware modifications violate Nintendo’s code of conduct.
Despite all this, it’s unlikely this will put an end to any Nintendo related piracy. People are stubborn and are bound to try and come up with workarounds, regardless of the threat of legal action.
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