As a general warning directed toward anyone that might be getting or who might already have a Nintendo Switch 2, using the MIG Switch 2 accessory, a trendy way to dump game data from personally owned game cartridges, may not be the best idea.
As many Nintendo Switch 2 owners are now finding out, Nintendo appears to have implemented a detection technique that, when triggered, may ban consoles that use this accessory to dump game cartridges.
In essence, the MIG Switch 2 is a reflashable game cartridge-like accessory with a microSD card slot embedded inside of it. You can reprogram the cartridge using your own game ROMs that you’ve dumped thanks to the microSD card slot inside.
Several instances of users getting banned have started popping up on Reddit, with some users showing images of their affected Nintendo Switch 2 displaying the message “the use of online services on this console is currently restricted by Nintendo.”
The Reddit threads explain that they used the MIG Switch 2 while connected to the internet, likely to try using online gameplay features, and they believe this was the trigger for the detection.
While the user’s Nintendo account wasn’t banned, the console that tried connecting to online Nintendo services is now barred from doing so, which means they should be able to keep gaming if they buy another Nintendo Switch 2.
Likewise, users who become banned in this way can still play offline, but they’re forever barred from playing online on that particular console. Very unfortunate indeed.
It remains to be seen if there is any sort of remedy for this error, as users are undoubtedly frustrated with being locked out of features in their newly acquired Nintendo Switch 2 consoles.
While dumping game data may be against Nintendo’s terms of service, there’s nothing inherently wrong with dumping game data from your lawfully owned game cartridges for yourself as personal backups in case the main game cartridge fails. In fact, these legal game dumps are used in emulation software on other platforms.
Instead, it’s the act of sharing these game dumps with others that meets the definition of piracy and brings legality into question. If you’re not sharing them, then there’s no real legal issue here. It seems this is just Nintendo’s way of saying, “we don’t want you doing this.”
In any case, it would be wise for Nintendo Switch 2 owners to avoid using MIG Switch 2 accessories, as it could result in being unable to utilize the console to its full potential while gaming.