A Nintendo Switch 2 user reportedly got his brand-new console banned by Nintendo after buying used Switch 1 games and patching them on his console. According to Reddit user dmanthey, they purchased four used titles off the Facebook marketplace, inserted them into the Switch 2, and had them all updated. When they turned on their handhelds the following day, they received a message saying that they were restricted from Nintendo’s online services and that they couldn’t even download the games they had already bought.
Fortunately for dmanthey, Nintendo had a quick resolution for them. Once they discovered the issue, they went to the Nintendo Support website and were immediately able to talk to a human. It was there that the company confirmed that their console was indeed banned because of the use of pirated games. Nevertheless, they were able to prove their innocence by pulling up the Facebook Marketplace listing for their games and sending the photos of their purchased cartridges. According to the Redditor, the process was painless and fast, and it was “so much easier than getting support from Microsoft or Sony.” By showing these things, you can prove to Nintendo that you purchased the games in good faith and that you were duped. Other users warned, though, that this isn’t always a guaranteed resolution.
Nintendo is known for being protective of its intellectual property and delivers harsh penalties to anyone caught violating it. We’ve already had several reports of users getting banned for using Mig Flash, even on their own ROMs. And while it’s not true that getting banned turns your Switch 2 into a brick, it will still prevent you from accessing the company’s online services, which severely restricts its features and usability.
This issue highlights the problem of buying second-hand games, as an unscrupulous seller can copy the game they’re selling to another microSD Express Card you can easily buy in many places, and then sell the original cartridge as a used game. Since doing this copies all game information, including the original’s unique identification number, Nintendo can detect if two copies of that specific game are loaded simultaneously anywhere in the world, telling them that it was pirated. They will then proceed and ban the specific console where the pirated game was loaded, disallowing the console from connecting to Nintendo’s online services and serving as a deterrent to other gamers who are even thinking of getting a pirated Nintendo title.
Thankfully, it seems that Nintendo is making it easier for those who have been victimized by getting banned permanently, quickly reversing the decision if they show proof that they have been duped. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether they can still play with the used game cartridges they purchased, or if these are considered pirated copies that could result in another console ban if used.
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