The title is technically true, but leaves out the pretty significant context that he has openly used the MIG Switch, a device technically for "backups", but realistically for piracy.
It's within the realm of possibility that you could get in trouble after buying used games which have been the source of pirated copies, but I don't believe that this guy's situation is an example of that happening.
"Nintendo cuts off online access for console after guy uses tool made for piracy" is a less compelling title though.
Animal Crossing will forever be a kids game that changed my life profoundly, and twice. Like most of us, Animal Crossing got me through Covid19. It was such a strange time to be locked in and spending 10 hours of every day working on collecting and manicuring your town. I remember my sister and I really bonded over this game, and there were many days where my mom and dad watched us play.
But aside from a worldwide pandemic, I remember the first time Animal Crossing changed my perspective was when I was ~13? I had grown up with a GameShark on the Gameboy Color, but years later my next exposure to hacking was on the Nintendo DS playing online in Animal Crossing. Had some random person I made friends with on the Nintendo forums join our small group of friends to travel between towns. This person could do some impossible things! They'd dig rivers, spawn-in objects, and I still have a vivid memory of them making the game rain items on balloons like some festive meteor shower.
I remember at that time you'd hear horror stories about hackers coming in and destroying peoples' towns. I did hear about abuse. I liked my (Ukrainian?) friend who would show up and help us make impossible towns with rivers that went in circles and showed us game assets we'd likely never have discovered on our own.
I'm a PC gamer now, and I avoid consoles for the lock-in and control companies like Nintendo exert over its players. I understand why they do it but I feel like the experiences I had could never happen today.
Whoever that was started me on a career of game modding and software development and I'm glad I got to meet them while it was possible.
> To be clear, if this happens to you, the physical cartridges that you own will remain playable, without updates, and some previously downloaded digital games may remain accessible.
What about game-key cards? (the cartridges that don't contain the game, but a license to download it)
This could reduce the library of games you can play, if they don't let you download the games you purchased.
> Other social media users were quick to reassure Nelson of two things. Firstly, hardware bans received for using second-hand game carts that have been cloned by tools like MIG Flash are not uncommon.
I think the author and I have different definitions of "reassure".
> And, probably more importantly, Nintendo is receptive to owners who can provide corroborating evidence that they are innocent of Nintendo-flavored piracy.
Unless you, say, borrowed a game from a friend who you didn't know bought it from someone who ripped it. Right now it seems they're pretty lax about the "evidence" you bought it, but I'm sure they'll get stricter fast.
Thought about this situation buying used games for the kids and me off Facebook. It’s terrible because I used to trade and buy nes/gameboy and other systems games as a kid. It allowed me to play more games but sometimes you’d get a game that sucked really bad.
Modding is one thing but piracy is another. Nintendo despises both.
It’s pretty clear from the article that the ban is due to using a defeat device (which he posted publicly about trying out) and very likely has nothing to do with the game he bought.
People buy these consoles even knowing about Nintendo practices, lawsuit after lawsuit worse than Apple.
I'm sorry but I've no sympathy, it's because of people that keep buying broken games and accepting companies policies that the gaming industry is in a shit show status right now.
You have to give Nintendo credit, they won't give up on trying to solve the unsolvable piracy issue. They're willing to devalue their consoles (meaning their own bottom-line) by crashing game resale value in a mad attempt to stop piracy.
While Nintendo does make good games such as Animal Crossing, their behavior makes me find it hard to support them with my money.
I bought first-gen Nintendo Switch with the faith that maybe I should support the devs for doing nice work, but after getting into the community, I found myself regretting giving my money to wrong hands, it may not be much, but money is money.
For anyone who hasn't been following this story, this is misinformation. The user had been playing pirated games on their MIG Switch and when they got banned for it, tried to blame a pre-owned copy of Bayonetta
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[ 5.2 ms ] story [ 54.9 ms ] threadI am Jack's complete lack of surprise.
Big N, really?
It's within the realm of possibility that you could get in trouble after buying used games which have been the source of pirated copies, but I don't believe that this guy's situation is an example of that happening.
"Nintendo cuts off online access for console after guy uses tool made for piracy" is a less compelling title though.
But aside from a worldwide pandemic, I remember the first time Animal Crossing changed my perspective was when I was ~13? I had grown up with a GameShark on the Gameboy Color, but years later my next exposure to hacking was on the Nintendo DS playing online in Animal Crossing. Had some random person I made friends with on the Nintendo forums join our small group of friends to travel between towns. This person could do some impossible things! They'd dig rivers, spawn-in objects, and I still have a vivid memory of them making the game rain items on balloons like some festive meteor shower.
I remember at that time you'd hear horror stories about hackers coming in and destroying peoples' towns. I did hear about abuse. I liked my (Ukrainian?) friend who would show up and help us make impossible towns with rivers that went in circles and showed us game assets we'd likely never have discovered on our own.
I'm a PC gamer now, and I avoid consoles for the lock-in and control companies like Nintendo exert over its players. I understand why they do it but I feel like the experiences I had could never happen today.
Whoever that was started me on a career of game modding and software development and I'm glad I got to meet them while it was possible.
What about game-key cards? (the cartridges that don't contain the game, but a license to download it)
This could reduce the library of games you can play, if they don't let you download the games you purchased.
I think the author and I have different definitions of "reassure".
> And, probably more importantly, Nintendo is receptive to owners who can provide corroborating evidence that they are innocent of Nintendo-flavored piracy.
Unless you, say, borrowed a game from a friend who you didn't know bought it from someone who ripped it. Right now it seems they're pretty lax about the "evidence" you bought it, but I'm sure they'll get stricter fast.
Modding is one thing but piracy is another. Nintendo despises both.
I'm sorry but I've no sympathy, it's because of people that keep buying broken games and accepting companies policies that the gaming industry is in a shit show status right now.
https://www.theverge.com/news/685162/nintendo-switch-2-sales...
I bought first-gen Nintendo Switch with the faith that maybe I should support the devs for doing nice work, but after getting into the community, I found myself regretting giving my money to wrong hands, it may not be much, but money is money.