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After just 12 days, Nintendo is already nuking Switch 2 console accounts for players caught using Mig Flash — popular cartridge allows Switch 1 games on the new console, but users say they're only using their own ROMs

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Affected users are barred from using online services on the console, for now.

A Nintendo Switch 2 console next to its box
(Image credit: Jeffrey Kampman/Tom's Hardware)

Various user reports suggest that Nintendo is actively issuing bans to Switch 2 consoles that have been used with the MIG Switch (now MIG Flash) flash cart. Several affected users have reached out on X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit, sharing accounts of their consoles being banned from using Nintendo's online services after using the device.

Despite earlier reports suggesting otherwise, MIG Flash (formerly MIG-Switch) showcased Nintendo Switch 1 ROMs running on Switch 2 hardware. This functionality is believed to be achieved through a recent firmware update, which mitigated or bypassed whatever new security checks Nintendo introduced with its latest console.

The MIG-Switch is a specialized, reprogrammable cartridge that's designed to mimic a real Nintendo Switch cartridge, but allows you to store your own game ROMs or backups on its microSD card. This essentially enables you to hold multiple game copies on a single cartridge, letting you conveniently switch between them with the help of a button.

That being said, it isn't as simple as dumping pirated copies on a MIG-Switch and calling it a day since Nintendo has robust anti-piracy measures in place, often through unique cartridge identifiers. If two users attempt to play the same game online simultaneously using a single copy, Nintendo can flag this as piracy. As you can expect, this likely has led to many false positives, especially in the case of used cartridges.

It appears the Switch 2 is even stricter on this front, as there are now widespread reports of users being banned even when using what they purport as their own legitimately dumped game ROMs on the MIG-Switch. While users' Nintendo accounts reportedly remain unaffected, their consoles are now blocked from accessing Nintendo's online services. That means saying goodbye to Mario Kart World, the eShop, YouTube, cloud saves, and the list goes on.

Firmware updates are generally not encompassed by these restrictions, but we cannot say for sure without more verified cases. There is a chance Nintendo may reinstate these consoles, as they were most likely caused by the changes introduced with the latest MIG-Switch firmware, rather than users booting up pirated ROMs. Regardless, the MIG-Switch isn't a Nintendo-authorized accessory, meaning that the company likely has no legal obligation to reverse these bans. As a matter of fact, Nintendo's updated EULA reserves the right to effectively brick your console in case of unauthorized hardware/software modifications.

Contacting Nintendo Support might prove worthwhile, but we won't hold our breaths on it. It isn't technically a $449 paper weight, as you can still play offline titles, but that's a major compromise given the Switch 2 has been available for less than two weeks. Given Nintendo's release cycle, users who upgrade once per generation and face a ban on their Switch 2 might have to forego online services for several years, depending on when the Switch 2's successor launches.

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Hassam Nasir
Hassam Nasir
Contributing Writer

Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he’s not working, you’ll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.

16 Comments Comment from the forums
  • TheyStoppedit
    The title of this article in misleading. Nintendo is not nuking consoles or remotely disabling them. They are simply banning them from being able to be played online. The console itself is still perfectly playable offline. There's a big difference there. Nuking consoles would be a whole-nother animal. If they start doing this, prepare for a class action. "Oh, but you signed EULA/TOS/TOU agreement" means nothing. EULA/TOS/TOU does not forfeit basic consumer rights
    Reply
  • Streager
    Man, if only Nintendo warned everyone before the console launched what they would do if they tried to hack their console.
    Reply
  • logainofhades
    Just Nintendo doing Nintendo things.
    Reply
  • ezst036
    Its always Nintendo. Attacking, attacking, attacking.

    I always tell people to buy a Steam Deck. Valve is a much better company than Nintendo, Nintendo sucks.
    Reply
  • chaos215bar2
    Streager said:
    Man, if only Nintendo warned everyone before the console launched what they would do if they tried to hack their console.
    Yes, because playing a backup of a game you own is now "hacking". (No, let's not turn pirates into a convenient excuse to also punish paying customers.)

    Is Nintendo legally in the clear doing this? Sure. Doesn't mean anyone should like living in a world where a company gets to effectively brick hardware you've paid for (you'll probably want an update some time unless you planned to play the launch titles forever) because you played a game the wrong way.

    This is why I will not be buying a Switch 2.
    Reply
  • xelistren
    The issue people seem to be ignoring is that the gaming industry doesn't actually sell the games or the operating system. They are being sold licenses to use the software. A license can be revoked by contracts and other legal documents effectively meaning that if you violate the contract the company doesn't have to reimburse you. If you want to blame anyone blame Microsoft who was the first to implement the licensing system for end users.
    Reply
  • logainofhades
    Except Microsoft can't disable our hardware's functionality because they don't like how we use their software. Nintendo has been anti consumer for a very long time.
    Reply
  • colossusrage
    TheyStoppedit said:
    The title of this article in misleading. Nintendo is not nuking consoles or remotely disabling them. They are simply banning them from being able to be played online. The console itself is still perfectly playable offline. There's a big difference there. Nuking consoles would be a whole-nother animal. If they start doing this, prepare for a class action. "Oh, but you signed EULA/TOS/TOU agreement" means nothing. EULA/TOS/TOU does not forfeit basic consumer rights
    Can the console still receive console firmware and software updates? Can the game receive patches? If not, then I consider the console nuked. There are games like Hogwarts Legacy that require an online download before you can play the game, otherwise you can only play the first 30 minutes or so. Not receiving updates and patches will effectively render the console useless over time and for a lot of single player games.
    Reply
  • ikethederg
    ezst036 said:
    Its always Nintendo. Attacking, attacking, attacking.

    I always tell people to buy a Steam Deck. Valve is a much better company than Nintendo, Nintendo sucks.
    The steam deck is a scam(horrid OS, obsolete hardware for PC games, overpriced) Valve is honestly more evil than Nintendo in a lot of ways as well. Steam has gotten worse with every update. It's also a commercial failure. Windows handheld PCs are outselling it now. Don't be stupid with hardware and using hack devices and you won't get banned until the system is no longer supported.
    Reply
  • Blacksad999
    ikethederg said:
    The steam deck is a scam(horrid OS, obsolete hardware for PC games, overpriced) Valve is honestly more evil than Nintendo in a lot of ways as well. Steam has gotten worse with every update. It's also a commercial failure. Windows handheld PCs are outselling it now. Don't be stupid with hardware and using hack devices and you won't get banned until the system is no longer supported.

    A scam?

    The Switch 2 comes with 2-3 hours of battery life. A laughable 256GB of storage which hasn't been relevant in a decade. (1TB NVME drives are $50) A non-OLED edge lit LCD screen. Non Hall Effect or TMR sticks, so they're 100% going to drift over time. And it runs the equivalent of a RTX 2050 Mobile, a bottom of the bin GPU from about 5 years ago.

    And they have the absolute nerve to charge $450 for that thing? lol That's WILD.
    Reply