A few days after the monumental reveal of a work-in-progress flashcart being made for the Nintendo Switch, more information has been made available. The previously unnamed flashcart is set to be called "Mig Switch", and the initial Twitter user that unveiled the Mig Switch's existence, After Time X, managed to get in contact with the team behind it all. According to them, they were offered a review unit of the Mig Switch, but turned it down, as the After Time X team fears legal repercussions from dealing with "backup loader" hardware.

Another interesting tidbit is that existing dumps of Switch games will NOT be compatible with the Mig Switch, and backups will need to be repacked to function with the flashcart. Games played with the flashcart can be played online, as well.

The Mig Switch currently has a website, where it is seeking distributors to work together with in order to sell initial limited quantities of the Mig Switch device, with the first units to be delivered sometime in January. The team claims that full availability is expected around March/April 2024. It'll come with the Mig Switch card, and the Mig Switch Dumper, with the latter of which allowing you to back up your games using NXdumpTool.

More Details Has Been Uncovered About the First Switch Flashcart

After some digging around by our @AfterTimeX journalists, it was discovered that the “Switch Flashcart” in fact has a name, “Mig Switch” and they agreed to answer a few of our questions about some points that… pic.twitter.com/kQtXdSNg7E

— After Time X (@AfterTimeX) December 27, 2023

Official Website

 

[TheStonedModder]

does this mean it works also with fake certs?
i did not see any mention reagrding this way to start a game.
i would suspect this only works on modded consoles, but i don't know

does anyone know more?

if you use a fake or public cert you’re asking to get banned

 

[mrgone]

if you use a fake or public cert you’re asking to get banned

that's not what i asked and that is stated clear enough!
would it WORK on an unmodded switch using a fake cert while not going online ?

 

[fmhugo]

Would it be possible to run games like customized XCI? Game, update and DLC.

 

[TheStonedModder]

that's not what i asked and that is stated clear enough!
would it WORK on an unmodded switch using a fake cert while not going online ?

Assuming this is similar to the Sxos situation that won’t protect you either thanks to logs. Once you do connect online they will sync and flag you

 

[linuxares]

Would it be possible to run games like customized XCI? Game, update and DLC.

We don't know yet.

 

[impeeza]

Another test i wanna do/see is playing a digital-only game converted into xci via this cartridge.

As far we know that can not be done because digital games do not have cartridge certificate nor UID

 

[TheStonedModder]

As far we know that can not be done because digital games do not have cartridge certificate nor UID

I assume a eshop cartridge release would have had a certificate added to it right ?

I ask cause I have a copy of castle crashes here that had a limited physical release. I wonder if special instances like that would be able to be “injected”

 

[impeeza]

does this mean it works also with fake certs?
i did not see any mention reagrding this way to start a game.
i would suspect this only works on modded consoles, but i don't know

does anyone know more?

No one beside the tester and mig team knows for sure but it may work only offline and if that (e)NAND will never get online

Post automatically merged: Dec 29, 2023

I assume a eshop cartridge release would have had a certificate added to it right ?

I ask cause I have a copy of castle crashes here that had a limited physical release. I wonder if special instances like that would be able to be “injected”

Yes because the cer and UID are things on the "hardware"

 

[TheStonedModder]

No one beside the tester and mig team knows for sure but it may work only offline and if that (e)NAND will never get online

Post automatically merged: Dec 29, 2023

Yes because the cer and UID are things on the "hardware"

I guess I meant more so if the game was packed differently

But that still makes sense. I appreciate it

 

[NotMe1702]

If we can actually use custom XCIs, i wouldn't even care to be banned since all i care is updates anyway, let's hope for the best

 

[Perfect One]

As far we know that can not be done because digital games do not have cartridge certificate nor UID

But who said that, in order to play a xci game via this flashcart, the ID files must be of said game?

For example: in order to use mario kart 8 deluxe ID bin files, you can only play xci of that game.

Something is telling me that custom xcis will work as in sx os era.

 

[impeeza]

But who said that, in order to play a xci game via this flashcart, the ID files must be of said game?

" To play online"

Post automatically merged: Dec 29, 2023

But who said that, in order to play a xci game via this flashcart, the ID files must be of said game?

For example: in order to use mario kart 8 deluxe ID bin files, you can only play xci of that game.

Something is telling me that custom xcis will work as in sx os era.

May be but we don't know yet

 

[linuxares]

https://gbatemp.net/threads/r4-like-switch-fpga-code.645150/ I just wait for someone that have the know how to test this x3

 

[KiwiFruit]

Interesting speculation from @hexkyz in this Twitter thread: https://nitter.net/hexkyz/status/1740168835607773473

Especially #5:

Not France, Germany. There's a Max Louarn associate from Germany, Kim Schmitz.

View attachment 410691

Source.

Fuck Kim Schnitz.

hexkyz is proly right, then this will get ugly

common shared certs will all get blacklisted and even personal ones can get tracked against duplicate usage aginst multiple games. lotus can keep being given blacklisted certs, rejecting them and not working, and keep bricking the MIG until it is replaced, over and over. mig wont give cert to not get tracked down and no one in scene will risk own certs either

some poor sap will get themselve banned and locked out of their own stuff cuz of this if they arent careful

since it is literal gamecard forgery it will only run gamecard files, no updtae or dlc will work because the console will reject code as switch and gamecard are not actuall hacked by just getting tricked to think real cart, no custom xci either and anything that slip through will get firmware patched. people will get banned with unmodded switch and gimp their system permanettly or be forced to hardware mod

gonna be real ugly

also this def means switch 2 will use t2 on lotus, making this useless going forward

now i know why they put this out so late, it's a grenade to userbase hahahaha. bet it costs a lot too to cash out quick and run

 

[fst312]

hexkyz is proly right, then this will get ugly

common shared certs will all get blacklisted and even personal ones can get tracked against duplicate usage aginst multiple games. lotus can keep being given blacklisted certs, rejecting them and not working, and keep bricking the MIG until it is replaced, over and over. mig wont give cert to not get tracked down and no one in scene will risk own certs either

some poor sap will get themselve banned and locked out of their own stuff cuz of this if they arent careful

since it is literal gamecard forgery it will only run gamecard files, no updtae or dlc will work because the console will reject code as switch and gamecard are not actuall hacked by just getting tricked to think real cart, no custom xci either and anything that slip through will get firmware patched. people will get banned with unmodded switch and gimp their system permanettly or be forced to hardware mod

gonna be real ugly

also this def means switch 2 will use t2 on lotus, making this useless going forward

now i know why they put this out so late, it's a grenade to userbase hahahaha. bet it costs a lot too to cash out quick and run

They still should have waited, might be useless for many but imagine switch 2 used the same cart as switch. I think switch 2 will if it’s backwards compatible with switch. This would have been a quick ban for switch 2 users but I don’t think many would care if it will be the same as switch online is right now. Switch online will always to me have that flaw that I need someone on my friend list to actually play with them online, unless something changed that I am not aware of. Maybe switch 2 somehow fixes that problem.

 

[KiwiFruit]

They still should have waited, might be useless for many but imagine switch 2 used the same cart as switch. I think switch 2 will if it’s backwards compatible with switch. This would have been a quick ban for switch 2 users but I don’t think many would care if it will be the same as switch online is right now. Switch online will always to me have that flaw that I need someone on my friend list to actually play with them online, unless something changed that I am not aware of. Maybe switch 2 somehow fixes that problem.

switch 2 uses different carts but will use Lotus variant, so decap would have worked too

but Lotus has multiple tiers of mitigation built it this was never a good venture and why it is being released now, it's a cashin with all risk on end user for a limited value product

is why no one has pursue flashcarts for switch, its not like ds/3ds, lotus is very good hardware

i bet this make nint add anothet tier of security to next lotus, t3 to make an additional security layer since t1 is defeated even if they do make a new similar t1 on new hardware with new hardware keys

 

[TheStonedModder]

switch 2 uses different carts but will use Lotus variant, so decap would have worked too

but Lotus has multiple tiers of mitigation built it this was never a good venture and why it is being released now, it's a cashin with all risk on end user for a limited value product

is why no one has pursue flashcarts for switch, its not like ds/3ds, lotus is very good hardware

i bet this make nint add anothet tier of security to next lotus, t3 to make an additional security layer since t1 is defeated even if they do make a new similar t1 on new hardware with new hardware keys

You keep commenting but I don’t think you really fully understand what you’re reading

There shouldn’t be any risk to the end user at all as long as you do your due diligence

Unless of course there is something we all havnt learned yet but all knowledge so far points to you’ll be fine as long as you don’t cut corners

I’m sure there will be community tools to mass edit certs for people with multiple backups

 

[KiwiFruit]

You keep commenting but I don’t think you really fully understand what you’re reading

There shouldn’t be any risk to the end user at all as long as you do your due diligence

Unless of course there is something we all havnt learned yet but all knowledge so far points to you’ll be fine as long as you don’t cut corners

I’m sure there will be community tools to mass edit certs for people with multiple backups

i think you do not understand limit of this and how lotus work

nint can track certs on carts, if you use the same cert ahainst many games it will be obvious to telemetry

each cart has one cert, they don't know game to cert relation but if 10 game show 1 cert, it is obvious. even if you provide own cert, you will have to use own cert at most on only a few game to not be blatant. best case is 1:1 use but then... why buy this?

any common scene cert will be instantly banned, using a common cert which someone not knowledge might do risk getting console banned and causing user many issues because of this product

you cannot edit a cert, a cert is rsa signed by nintendo they publsh all valid certs

 

[linuxares]

i think you do not understand limit of this and how lotus work

nint can track certs on carts, if you use the same cert ahainst many games it will be obvious to telemetry

each cart has one cert, they don't know game to cert relation but if 10 game show 1 cert, it is obvious. even if you provide own cert, you will have to use own cert at most on only a few game to not be blatant. best case is 1:1 use but then... why buy this?

any common scene cert will be instantly banned, using a common cert which someone not knowledge might do risk getting console banned and causing user many issues because of this product

you cannot edit a cert, a cert is rsa signed by nintendo they publsh all valid certs

Yes by all means. Tracking is how Nintendo knows you "activated it" to earn coins for Nintendo Online.

 

[KiwiFruit]

Yes by all means. Tracking is how Nintendo knows you "activated it" to earn coins for Nintendo Online.

ye they use the unique certs on cart to to do this, so they know what cert is used at all times though becuse they trust cert before the cert and game were correlate by switch, not by cert to game

they never have needed to do much about it before but now they might, and if they start blacklisting them on lotus verification and use them as flags for bans, it will be very ugly unless you provide all your own cert and use them all on as few game as possibl

edit: i guess some people can start mass cert dumping from game and sharing them and then returning games to retailer but this sounds like good way to get in trouble or banned from stores