The End of an Era: Tracing the Evolution from Nintendo DS to Switch and the Implications for Used Game Buyers

An accessory that gets people talking

The Nintendo DS is undoubtedly an exceptional console, bringing back great memories for many of us. Some have undoubtedly known the R4, a (legal) cartridge which made it very easy to accommodate all the video games on the machine and to play them peacefully (which remained illegal, obviously). Today, for the Nintendo Switch, there is a similar accessory: the MIG Switch. The principle is similar: for example, we can, from a physical game in our possession, copy it to the MIG Switch and even store several titles there. Until then, you are within your rights.

Of course, the use is quickly diverted and The MIG Switch is mainly used to host pirated Switch games retrieved directly from the Internet. And there, for once, it is completely illegal. The real danger comes above all from the internet connection: if this is active on your console, Nintendo should know fairly quickly that you are playing a pirated title.

For good reason, the unique serial number assigned to each copy of a game: it serves as a perfect tracer for the Kyoto firm. And obviously, who says pirated game, even says serial number almost everywhere in nature: for the moment, it is quite simply a lifetime ban from online services which is risky.

Nintendo warns

You will certainly say that to avoid any problems, it is simply a matter of not connecting your Switch to the internet and avoiding Nintendo's surveillance (and you will probably be right). But there is another danger looming: if a player copies a physical game on the MIG Switch for example and decides to resell this same physical game to someone (he keeps the digital copy with him anyway)the buyer then recovers without knowing a title… copied. And he will play it at home, probably connected to the internet, then warning Nintendo of a pirated game in his possession (and that of the reseller).

Both can then be banned for life and the phenomenon can obviously grow if the digital copy ends up on the internet at some point. And the worst is that the buyer can thus be punished without even knowing why and then resell/give back/lend the game… creating a real chain reaction.

For his part, the company behind the MIG Switch is unsurprisingly clear: it claims that the copy of Switch games on its accessory is only designed for a personal purpose. Obviously, this is a small legal loophole that has been exploited for a long time in the video game landscape, but also threatens the second-hand market. An industry already weakened by the advent of digital…

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