Nintendo's Crackdown On Switch 2 Piracy Has Already Begun
It took hackers over a year to jailbreak the original Switch, but the Switch 2 has one vulnerability its predecessor didn't: backwards compatibility. Some new console owners have already tried to use a type of flash cartridge associated with the piracy of Switch 1 games on their Switch 2 consoles, and were promptly banned by Nintendo.
The device in question is called the MIG Switch and it's a cartridge that users can load up with games—either ones backed up from legally purchased copies or files pirated online. Nintendo started suing people who sell the MIG Switch last year and designed the Switch 2 so the carts wouldn't work with it. The makers of MIG Switch, however, recently released a firmware update that made it possible to use the devices to load Switch 1 games on the Switch 2.
Nintendo has responded by banning any Switch 2 that it's seemingly found to have run one of the illicit flash cartridges at some point. 'My NS2 has been console banned and I have absolutely no idea why!' wrote SquareSphere on the Switch 2 subreddit earlier today. 'The only thing I can think what has happened is that I tried my Mig switch in my NS2 once.'
Someone else reported something similar. 'Just wanted to let everyone know to refrain from using their mig flash on the Switch 2 online for now,' wrote givemeupvote on the Switch Hacks subreddit. 'My switch 2 was just banned (my account is fine for now).' They shared a picture of the error message on their Switch 2. 'The use of online services on this console is currently restricted by Nintendo,' it read.
X user SwitchTools said they used a MIG Switch with ROM dumps of their own games and were also banned at the console level, writing that they suspect Nintendo has a new method for detecting its presence. 'I strongly recommend that you do not use the mig switch, it was already very risky to use but it is even more so on Switch 2,' they wrote. Some players use MIG Switch and competing clones to create backups of their gaming libraries, though the proliferation of tools like it also threatens to make piracy on Switch 2 even worse than its predecessor.
While Nintendo has been banning these users from online services, it doesn't yet appear to be using its nuclear option. Back before launch, Nintendo updated its terms of service to give itself the option of bricking entire consoles if they violated the agreement. 'You acknowledge that if you fail to comply with the foregoing restrictions Nintendo may render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part,' it read.
Hackers have already started trying to reverse engineer the Switch 2. Early signs don't give much sense of how rapidly the hardware vulnerabilities might be discovered and exploited, but it seems likely that Nintendo has taken every precaution available to keep the Switch 2 as locked down as possible. Unlike at the start of last generation, however, the company is already on the legal warpath. Last month, it filed a lawsuit against accessory maker Genki who flaunted an early 3D-printed mock-up of the Switch 2 at a trade show earlier this year.
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Yahoo
5 hours ago
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Nintendo's Crackdown On Switch 2 Piracy Has Already Begun
It took hackers over a year to jailbreak the original Switch, but the Switch 2 has one vulnerability its predecessor didn't: backwards compatibility. Some new console owners have already tried to use a type of flash cartridge associated with the piracy of Switch 1 games on their Switch 2 consoles, and were promptly banned by Nintendo. The device in question is called the MIG Switch and it's a cartridge that users can load up with games—either ones backed up from legally purchased copies or files pirated online. Nintendo started suing people who sell the MIG Switch last year and designed the Switch 2 so the carts wouldn't work with it. The makers of MIG Switch, however, recently released a firmware update that made it possible to use the devices to load Switch 1 games on the Switch 2. Nintendo has responded by banning any Switch 2 that it's seemingly found to have run one of the illicit flash cartridges at some point. 'My NS2 has been console banned and I have absolutely no idea why!' wrote SquareSphere on the Switch 2 subreddit earlier today. 'The only thing I can think what has happened is that I tried my Mig switch in my NS2 once.' Someone else reported something similar. 'Just wanted to let everyone know to refrain from using their mig flash on the Switch 2 online for now,' wrote givemeupvote on the Switch Hacks subreddit. 'My switch 2 was just banned (my account is fine for now).' They shared a picture of the error message on their Switch 2. 'The use of online services on this console is currently restricted by Nintendo,' it read. X user SwitchTools said they used a MIG Switch with ROM dumps of their own games and were also banned at the console level, writing that they suspect Nintendo has a new method for detecting its presence. 'I strongly recommend that you do not use the mig switch, it was already very risky to use but it is even more so on Switch 2,' they wrote. Some players use MIG Switch and competing clones to create backups of their gaming libraries, though the proliferation of tools like it also threatens to make piracy on Switch 2 even worse than its predecessor. While Nintendo has been banning these users from online services, it doesn't yet appear to be using its nuclear option. Back before launch, Nintendo updated its terms of service to give itself the option of bricking entire consoles if they violated the agreement. 'You acknowledge that if you fail to comply with the foregoing restrictions Nintendo may render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part,' it read. Hackers have already started trying to reverse engineer the Switch 2. Early signs don't give much sense of how rapidly the hardware vulnerabilities might be discovered and exploited, but it seems likely that Nintendo has taken every precaution available to keep the Switch 2 as locked down as possible. Unlike at the start of last generation, however, the company is already on the legal warpath. Last month, it filed a lawsuit against accessory maker Genki who flaunted an early 3D-printed mock-up of the Switch 2 at a trade show earlier this year. . For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Engadget
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How to buy the Nintendo Switch 2: Latest stock updates at Best Buy, Target, Walmart and others
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Mario Kart World ($80) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Donkey Kong Bananza ($70) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Costco (membership required) Additional Switch 2 games Nintendo Amazon Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Samsung microSD Express Card (256GB) for Nintendo Switch 2 ($60) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Amazon Joy-Con 2 bundle ($95) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Switch 2 Pro Controller ($85) Switch 2 Camera ($55) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Hori Nintendo Switch 2 Piranha Plant Camera ($60) Joy-Con 2 Charging Grip ($40) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Joy-Con 2 Wheels (set of 2) ($25) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Switch 2 All-in-One Carrying Case ($85) Nintendo Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Switch 2 Carrying Case and Screen Protector ($40) Nintendo (invite required) Walmart GameStop Best Buy Target Nintendo Switch 2 Dock Set ($120) Nintendo GameCube Controller for Switch 2 ($65) Nintendo (Switch Online required)
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Pros Runs at playable frame rates in most scenarios Runs at playable frame rates in most scenarios Incredible graphics in 1080p (even in handheld mode) Incredible graphics in 1080p (even in handheld mode) Accurate gyro controls Accurate gyro controls Mouse mode offers more options for aiming Cons Some visual glitches caused by DLSS Some visual glitches caused by DLSS Inconsistent buttons in games and menus (especially in mouse mode) Inconsistent buttons in games and menus (especially in mouse mode) No automatic mouse mode control switching You can play CD Projekt Red's open-world cyber ninja simulator on either Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 with solid visuals at 60 frames per second in 'performance' mode, but it won't ever be as fluid a playable experience as it is on Switch 2. Yes, it's handy to take your console on the go without having to finagle any streaming over Wi-Fi, but when docked, the experience is still better due to tighter controls. By default and with two Joy-Con 2 controllers, Cyberpunk 2077 offers joystick plus gyro controls for aiming. There's a separate option you can turn on to enable Joy-Con 2 mouse mode. Either way, you can achieve better pinpoint-accurate gunplay than you can with thumbsticks. I could sit back on the couch and enjoy the game without hunching over a keyboard and mouse and still feel like I wasn't missing out on its high-octane, spectacle-fueled combat systems. In about 15 hours of gameplay, I tried both control sets and played in handheld mode as well. The mouse controls are very accurate, but the issue is always finding a comfortable position to rest your palm. My hand started cramping rather fast as I tried it on the couch cushion next to me or a chair's armrest. I was using the Killswitch case grip made by Dbrand, which made it far more ergonomic for mouse controls. The issue is how often you need to roll your hand to press face buttons for actions and menus. 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Either way, you can expect it to get between 30 and 40 fps under 'quality' graphics settings, even during an intense gunfight. That's equivalent to what you may get on a Steam Deck, though I found the performance to be more consistent on Switch 2. I experienced some frame rate dips when driving in third person in dense environments (first-person mode aids frame rates by taking up a portion of the screen with the players' gun or car models—a longtime performance trick used by most first-person shooters). Any occasional performance hitching wasn't enough to distract from the game's visuals. If you're somebody who absolutely demands 60 fps from every game they play, you're not going to find that experience with Cyberpunk 2077 on Switch 2. There are occasional visual glitches. On complicated textures like rugs or fabric, the game rendered odd kaleidoscope effects that could become distracting in cutscenes. This is likely due to the use of Nvidia's DLSS. 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It's a game where the environment informs the story. Every bag of trash dumped on the side of the road speaks to a world that has become so corporatized there are no social services as simple as garbage pickup available to all but the wealthy. The player can climb to the top of an overlooking skyscraper and watch the evening haze choke Night City and all its inhabitants in a thick gloom. You need some amount of visual fidelity to represent that, and the Switch 2 version of Cyberpunk 2077 maintains that atmosphere. The first time I played the game shortly after launch, I ran through the full 60 hours in a state that would better be described as an interactive slideshow. The game was so bugged I sometimes felt like my PC was infected with an in-game neurovirus. But I still loved it for the wonderful, human-centric story it told—of characters who felt real and personable and themes of corporate oppression that feel more pertinent today than they did in 2020.
