As per a new report from Kotaku, it seems as if Nintendo has started to ban Switch 2 consoles from users utilizing the MIG Switch cartridge on them. For those out of the loop, the MIG Switch cartridge is a type of flashcart that allows users to load up ROMs on their console and play them without swapping out games. While the obvious use case would be to load up illegal ROMs, some people have used MIG Switch cartridges to make legal backups of their games and load them all at once. Sadly, Nintendo doesn’t care if you’ve purchased anything as it still considers the device piracy.
All of this started shortly after the Nintendo Switch 2 launched a few weeks back. Nintendo had developed its latest console with a lockout, of sorts, for the MIG Switch cartridge and owners weren’t able to boot anything from it for a few days. The manufacturers of the MIG then released a firmware update which enabled functionality on the Switch 2 for not only original Switch games, but Switch 2 titles as well. Following that firmware update, however, users have now booted their consoles to a random message stating that online services have been “restricted by Nintendo.”
My Switch 2 test has been banned, after using the mig switch with perfectly legal dumps of my own cartridges, so it would seem that Nintendo can detect something
Similar reports on reddit are starting to come in.https://t.co/nbPMlRWSaPhttps://t.co/3eq6dkbFMi
I strongly… pic.twitter.com/btzjQYJzE4— SwitchTools (@SwitchTools) June 16, 2025
On Reddit, you can find users explaining their experiences with the MIG Switch, explaining how they were banned shortly after using it on their devices. Whatever method Nintendo is using to detect the MIG Switch, it saves that telemetry to the console itself and when a user logs into the Nintendo Network, their console gets flag. People have noted that their Nintendo accounts aren’t getting banned, but just the console itself, so that’s one positive I suppose.
Clearly, Nintendo is taking a hard stance against piracy for the Switch 2. While the hackability of the original console didn’t deter people from buying devices (it currently sits as the third best-selling console of all time behind the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo DS), it was extremely easy to get pirated games for the original device due to a hardware exploit. Later revisions fixed that problem and Nintendo has gone nuclear on emulator developers and resellers of hacked equipment, including the makers of MIG Switch. These console bans are likely a message to anyone looking to pirate games for the Switch 2: you will be punished.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
