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

 

[W00fer]

Mike Heskin confirms the downloadable .s2 file from the MIG Switch site is encrypted and the full firmware needs to be dumped from the device to inspect it.

I suspect even a chip decap is needed because the markings are scratched off.
I think China does that within the hour but it might be an ASIC.

Getting the (AES?) encryption key is the most important thing.

 

[G33ksquad]

On AliExpress already with a well rated shop too it appears. But $95 ouch! Over 70 sold, they will catch on and double the cost!

 

[Wario]

Mike Heskin confirms the downloadable .s2 file from the MIG Switch site is encrypted and the full firmware needs to be dumped from the device to inspect it.

I suspect even a chip decap is needed because the markings are scratched off.
I think China does that within the hour but it might be an ASIC.

Getting the (AES?) encryption key is the most important thing.

What’s the reason why the factory would scratch off identifying markings on the chip and can you post of a pic of it?

 

[TheStonedModder]

What’s the reason why the factory would scratch off identifying markings on the chip and can you post of a pic of it?

To slow down people reversing their work and open sourcing it

 

[White_Raven_X]

https://retrododo.com/nintendo-switch-flashcart/

LoL
I mean I don't know what else to say!

 

[realtimesave]

They dont only sieze things for a short while. Years ago I ordered $200 worth of xbox360 supplies from Modchipcentral (Canada based) to the US. the package got stuck in customs for almost a year and a half before they mailed me a huge package explaining that the goods had to be destroyed

I bought banned Bung products from China and never had an issue getting them. The only thing they ever confiscated were my sx core chips which I just reverse charged and got my money back anyways :\

 

[fst312]

The used Switch games market is going to be impacted. I can see people dumping their physical game cartridges then selling them. Someone else then buys the used Switch game cartridge at maybe a Gamestop, playing it and getting their Switch banned. The original owner may only play offline or does not care about being banned. It is the unsuspecting new owner of the used Switch game that will be pissed.

You know I doubt that will happen, maybe some games might be sold but if you have a huge switch game collection, it’s faster to insert the actual game instead of looking for the game one by one with mig switch flash cart. I would say only have like 5 games on sd card.

 

[Wario]

 

[White_Raven_X]

It's apparently somewhat working....

https://wololo.net/2024/01/19/the-m...st-part-but-concerns-remain-around-ban-risks/

 

[ELY_M]

hey!!! I have an idea how they made MIG Switch.

Look at this device for switching the physical games.

I am sure they reversed enginnered that device and added the sd slot.

Alxum Multi Game Switcher

I ordered it and it is coming to my house today or tomorrow.

 

[SylverReZ]

hey!!! I have an idea how they made MIG Switch.

Look at this device for switching the physical games.

I am sure they reversed engineered that device and added the sd slot.

Alxum Multi Game Switcher

I ordered it and it is coming to my house today or tomorrow.

I don't think they have RE'd the multi-game switcher, I believe they worked out how the cart init commands work.

 

[Nincompoopdo]

Be verycareful when buying retail games from now on.

Someone can buy the game, ripped it then returned it to the store (or Amazon). If the person is playing the game online and you bought the cartridge that he ripped - both of you will be banned.

 

[linuxares]

Be verycareful when buying retail games from now on.

Someone can buy the game, ripped it then returned it to the store (or Amazon). If the person is playing the game online and you bought the cartridge that he ripped - both of you will be banned.

No proof of that ever happened. Nintendo just banned the game cart.

 

[Nincompoopdo]

No proof of that ever happened. Nintendo just banned the game cart.

Now that the Mig dumper is available, it will happen very soon.

 

[SylverReZ]

Its only a matter of time to crack the encrypted firmwares.

 

[linuxares]

Now that the Mig dumper is available, it will happen very soon.

Maybe or they just do the same way so they don't have a PR nightmare

 

[aos10]

apparently, you can update the software of the cart, put the update file in the root of SD card and insert it into the flash cart, then put it on switch, and it will flash blue.

 

[W00fer]

Nintendo will not ban the gamecards if people return the games that another person already dumped and returned to Amazon. Not only is this a huge waste since the games cannot be sold again, but also quite a lot of manpower to swap the games which lowers profits. Plus all of the cards are one time programmable so they cannot flash them again. Nintendo has to pay license fees for every copy to for example Sega on Sonic the Hedgehog.

Another option is that games are checked upon return to see if they are dumped, but with 20+ million titles sold a year it's no way to check that. Every small toy store or mini website that sells these games will need to check them by hand. Impossible.

Quite a lot of countries have a no reason return policy on purchases so you cannot be fined over purchases that you refuse to say you dumped.

So if they give you a new copy that will be twice the license fee.

Since these big stores have a contract with Nintendo to order a minimum quantity it is messed up straight away.

What maybe is an option is if the games are used only that they all get new certificates. That's how Nintendo stopped it in the past. Only the legitimate ones pass the hash check and get a new certificate to play online.

For offline play in flight mode there is nothing Nintendo can do to issue new certificates or they have to make the Switch into an always online console which goes straight against their selling point that people can play where they want.

Also new hardware is a no go. It's already too late into the console gen. The only thing they can do is all Switches that go to Nintendo for repairs get a new cardslot that is protected.

From a business perspective it's just easier to shut down MIG and expect lower sales. And force a firmware update to block the MIG.

This will probably be their strategy. Nintendo uses chips from Macronix to store their games.
If the Switch firmware does authentication that it is indeed a real Macronix chip the game is launched. Maybe MIG already duped that, maybe not. Every memory chip has a controller inside that can work with the reader. Several commands can be given towards the chip. So I think that these commands will be intensified for new games.

Since the Switch will release games for a couple of years all older games might be possible to possible to copy and use. But newer ones have a new generation of chips. It's like Xbox that developed the XGD discs that could not be copied.
That is the way to go with the MIG dumper also. If dumps are blocked there is nothing to play.

So whatever you do, don't update past 17.0.1

 

[G33ksquad]

Curious when it’s eventually all decrypted if we will know when it was created, I wonder if these have been made for years but they waited to release them.

 

[BigOnYa]

Curious when it’s eventually all decrypted if we will know when it was created, I wonder if these have been made for years but they waited to release them.

You mean like waiting for someone to get out of jail.