Flash Carts for the Nintendo Switch are Here // MIG-Switch Review

Summary

Taki reviews a new piracy device for the Nintendo Switch called the MIG-Switch, which can load game backups and bypass security checks. He stresses he owns legitimate copies but discusses concerns like getting banned for using dumped copies and bootleg cartridges. Taki sees some valid personal backup use cases but worries the cat is out of the bag and these devices could negatively impact all Switch owners.

Takeaways

• 😮 The video reviews a new Nintendo Switch flash card that can load multiple games and bypass security checks
• 😲 The flash card mirrors what a real game card does to trick the Switch into thinking it's an official cartridge
• 🤔 It has custom chips that are likely FPGAs coded to emulate a real card using files like serial numbers
• 👍 It could be useful for people with large collections who don't want to travel with all their game cards
• 😠 But it enables full cartridge backups that could lead to banned consoles and problems reselling games
• 😥 The unique IDs mean original and secondhand owners could both get banned for the same physical card
• 😡 The hardware also enables the potential for bootleg cartridge clones
• 🤨 There's still a need for the flash card's unique ID, but a dump of any ID code could emerge online
• 🧐 The video creator is also interested in the upcoming dumper device for easy cartridge dumping
• 😌 If used offline only with no piracy, there are some legitimate single player use cases

Q & A

What is the MIG-Switch?

The MIG-Switch is a multi-game flash cart that can be used on any Nintendo Switch console, including unmodded ones. It uses custom hardware to mimic an actual game cartridge when inserted into the Switch.

How does the MIG-Switch work?

The MIG-Switch contains specialized chips that have been programmed to act identically to a real Switch game cartridge. This allows it to read game files from the SD card and trick the Switch into thinking a real cartridge is inserted.

What files does the MIG-Switch need?

The MIG-Switch needs the .xci dump of the game, along with files containing the unique serial numbers and other identification tied to real cartridges. This helps it authenticate fully with the Switch.

Can the MIG-Switch go online?

Yes, the company claims MIG-Switch can play games online with no issues. However, there are risks of bans if the original cartridge owner goes online with the same game.

How do you switch between games on the MIG-Switch?

To change to a new game, you need to eject the cartridge when the LED is solid green, then reinsert it. This will cycle it to the next game on the SD card.

What are the risks of the MIG-Switch existing?

It enables piracy and may negatively impact the second-hand game market due to cartridge cloning. It also makes it possible for bootleg cartridges to be produced.

Does the MIG-Switch have any legitimate use cases?

Yes, it can be useful for someone with a large game collection who wants to easily travel with their library without risking damage to expensive cartridges.

What is the MIG-Switch dumper?

The dumper the company is releasing will allow dumping game cartridges without a modded Switch. This expands the risks but also makes it easier to backup your games.

Can the MIG-Switch be used offline?

Yes, it can be used offline without any of the unique cartridge identification. However, it still needs identification data from one Switch game.

How much does the MIG-Switch cost?

Currently, the MIG-Switch sells for around $60 USD.

Outlines

00:00

😊 Introducing the Multi Game Injection Switch Cartridge

Taki introduces a new Nintendo Switch flash card called the MIG-Switch that can hold multiple games and act as a physical game cartridge. He explains the hardware inside, how to update it and load game files, and demonstrates using it with 4 games he legally owns and backed up.

05:05

🤔 Using the MIG-Switch for a Game Collection

Taki shows the hassle of switching between games on the MIG-Switch but explains a valid multi-game use case. He discusses how someone with a large switch game collection could use it while traveling instead of carrying all their cartridges, which could get lost or stolen.

10:06

😟 Concerns About Piracy and the Secondhand Market

Taki explains concerns about piracy and problems the MIG-Switch could cause. As it can clone legitimate cartridges, people could sell copied games, banning buyers. And the hardware could allow bootleg clones, hurting collectors and game developers.

Keywords

💡flash card

A flash card is a piece of hardware that can store game data and mimic an actual game cartridge when inserted into a game console. In the video, the narrator reviews a flash card device called the 'MIG-Switch' which can store multiple Switch games and boot them on an unmodified Switch console.

💡piracy

Piracy refers to the unauthorized copying, distribution, or use of copyrighted software, games, videos etc. The narrator acknowledges the MIG-Switch enables game piracy but states he will only demonstrate legitimate backup uses.

💡game dumps

Game dumps are copied data from an original game cartridge that can be stored digitally and loaded onto devices like the MIG-Switch. The narrator explains he created dumps of games he owns for testing the device.

💡online ban

Nintendo can detect unauthorized or pirated games online and ban/block users from online services. Given the piracy concerns, the narrator keeps his Switch offline while testing the MIG-Switch.

💡secondhand market

The secondhand market refers to the buying and selling of used games and hardware. The video raises concerns that the MIG-Switch could enable former owners to sell games while retaining encrypted backup copies that could still get buyers banned.

💡unique identification

Modern game cartridges contain unique serial numbers and identification data. By copying this data, devices like the MIG-Switch can exactly mimic real cartridges for piracy purposes.

💡game cloning

Game cloning refers to making unauthorized copies of game cartridges with identical data/code to the originals. The narrator worries the MIG-Switch hardware could enable cloning real cartridges.

💡bootleg

Bootleg games are unauthorized reproductions of official games, often lower quality. The narrator worries copycat devices could produce bootleg clones of real Switch games using similar methods.

💡cartridge dumper

A cartridge dumper is a hardware device that can read/copy data from a game cartridge for backup or piracy purposes without modding the console.

💡digital piracy

Digital piracy means illegally distributing or using unauthorized digital copies of games and software. The narrator notes devices like the MIG-Switch make piracy easier, posing challenges to copyright holders like Nintendo.

Highlights

This is a review of the new Nintendo Switch flash card that can be used on unmodded Switches

The flash card mimics an actual game cartridge using custom hardware to mirror what a real cartridge does

The hardware has two identical mystery chips that are likely FPGAs or ASICs programmed to act like a game cartridge

The chips need to be updated with firmware to be able to read game cartridge dump files from the SD card

After updating, the flash card can read a Super Mario RPG dump and boot up the game, showing it works

With multi-game support, you can hot swap between different games by ejecting and reinserting the cartridge

This has valid use for travelers with large collections, but opens issues for online play and secondhand sales

Full cartridge dumps with unique IDs mean original and secondhand owners could both get banned online

The hardware enables making bootleg clones of games that appear identical to original cartridges

The hardware is cheap so other companies could copy it and produce bootleg clones at scale

You can use it offline without issues, but it still requires the unique ID from one real game cartridge

A standalone dumper device could expand these issues but also increase accessibility

Nintendo will aim to stop the spread of these devices that enable piracy options

People can leave other questions about the device in video comments

See another recent video covering the RP4 Pro emulator device for more

Transcripts

How's it going everyone, Taki here. Today, I've  got a big video for you. If you saw my community  

post, then you already know that I have a review  copy of the new Nintendo Switch flash card and  

this video, we're going to do a review of it. Now,  before we dive into this video, I do just want to  

say that I think there's a high chance that this  video is going to get taken down by Nintendo.

The product that we're gonna be looking at  today does have an overt piracy element to it,  

but I'm not going to be covering that  in this video. I'm going to be covering  

a part that I think is above board. Now,  all of the games that you're going to see  

in this video are my own. I bought them  with my own money and I backed them up,  

and those are the cards that I'm going to  use for this video for obvious reasons.

I'm not going to demonstrate the process of  backing up these cards because Nintendo doesn't  

believe that people like me even have the legal  right to be able to back up the cards that we own,  

but that is what I'm going to do. I  am not using any piracy in this video.

That all being said, I hope they don't do that  because there's a lot of important information  

here, especially if you don't want to buy  this thing at all. The existence of this  

does have the ability to negatively  impact every switch owner out there,  

including myself. And I want this  information to exist so people can  

fully understand what is going to happen when  this thing starts shipping out next month.

The topic of today's video is this guy.  This is the MIG-Switch and at a high level,  

this is a multi-game flash cart that is capable  of being used on every switch out there,  

including ones that have not been modded at all.  It does this by using some creative hardware on  

the PCB to mirror what an actual game card does  when it's inserted into a switch, and when done  

correctly, the company that makes this says it's  identical to an actual physical game cartridge.

Right now this cartridge won't work because  we need to do some extra stuff to it,  

but I will just show off that it  does go in as a normal cartridge  

would and when you insert it all  the way, it would show up here. 

But again, it needs some more work to be  able to function correctly. As you can see,  

when I push this card into place, there's  a red LED right there and that basically  

tells you that this is not being able to  read the files that are on that SD card.

Now, as I pointed out, there are ways that this  can be used in a somewhat legitimate sense. And  

there are also ways that this can be used in  an illegal sense. Now, I can’t show you in this  

video, but on this SD card, I have a full backup  of the Super Mario RPG game, and I have all of the  

files that the manufacturer says will allow this  cartridge to act as a physical copy of this one.

What that basically looks like is you're gonna  have a series of files. The first one is the most  

common because it has existed for a long time.  It's a .xci dump of the actual game cartridge,  

and these files are typically used on  modded switches or emulators like yuzu  

and Ryujinx. The difference is that this  cartridge is able to use several other  

files that are present on an actual game  cartridge that haven't been used thus far.

I'll have the full list on screen, but  these would be things like unique serial  

numbers that are tied directly to each individual  cartridge, and no cartridge should be the same.

So that's how it works from a high  level, but to be able to understand  

how it's actually accomplishing that, we're  going have to open it up. And you can see  

that there's a screw on the top here. So  we're just going to go ahead and take off  

that screw and then we will be able to see  the PCB that's underneath this front cover.

I'm going to leave the shell down here  so we can take a close-up look at this  

PCB. I'm going to put this down  on the table in just a second,  

but I want to do one close-up shot so you can  see what this looks like. So the first thing  

you'll notice on this PCB is that we have  two small chips here that look identical.

And the thing that's pretty obvious here  is that they have gone ahead and etched  

off the top of this to try to hide  what this chip actually is. To me,  

stuff like this always seems kind of pointless  because this will not stop the people who have  

the technical knowledge be able to find out  what this chip actually is and what it's doing.

Now, personally, I don't know exactly what these  chips are, but I can guess that they're probably  

an FPGA or some other ASIC that was coded to  be able to act like an actual game cartridge  

and be able to use those files that we mentioned  earlier. Now, for those of you out there that can  

remember the days of the Nintendo DS, then you  know that piracy was rampant on that console and  

there were a lot of solutions that came out to  be able to do what this cartridge is doing now.

But we can probably guess due to the length  of time that this took to come to market,  

that Nintendo upped up their security to  a significant degree versus those older  

consoles. This is an example of an R4 cartridge  for the Nintendo DS, and it basically does the  

same thing that this new cartridge does. But this  one has less functionality at this point in time.

As I mentioned earlier, I did a full backup of  this cartridge on this SD card, but right now,  

these two chips do not know how to  use those files. At a high level,  

there are a few different ways you can  go about creating a cartridge dump,  

and one of the more common ways is to create  what is called a split file dump of a cartridge.

A dump of this game will create  two different files, and right now,  

these two chips have not been programmed  to be able to read those split files.  

So we need to update this. And I'm  going to show that process right now.

So I have the files on my SD card and I'm going  to put this inside the MIG-Switch and we need  

to power this to be able to update the two chips  that are inside here. We can do that by putting it  

inside a Switch console and you'll see that that  blue light will blink once the blue lights go on.

That means it's fully updated.

All right, so we've gone ahead and  updated the software that's on this card.

Now when we insert it into this, it  should show up as Super Mario RPG,  

because all of the same files that are on  this cartridge are now on this one. So I'm  

going to push this cartridge down and you  should see that this LED here turns green  

and then the game will show up here. And it's  green. And we should be able to boot this up.

And you can see that it fully  works. So in this situation,  

we have a single game on the MIG-Switch,  and since I'm doing this in the legal way,  

there's no real point to do this because I  could just use my real game cartridge if I  

wanted to. If I lose either one of them, I'm  basically losing the same amount of money.

So it doesn't make sense to just use this for  a single game. So that's when we get into the  

multi-game aspect of this. So what I’m going  to do now is follow the same process that I  

did to put my own Super Mario RPG files onto this  MIG-Switch and do the same thing with three other  

games so I can show how this works when you have  more than one title on the MIG-Switch SD card.

Well, that took a little while, but I have all of  the files for these four game carts that I own on  

the MIG-Switch SD card and now I can go through  the process of showing you what it's like to use  

this in multi-card mode. So let's start by just  inserting the cartridge. And if I'm not mistaken,  

it should just go back to Super Mario RPG, since  that was the last game that I played on this.

And you can see that that's the case. This  process is a little jank for a first gen release,  

but let's go through what you have to do to get  this to switch to a new title. So you just saw  

the LED light went green when I first put this  in. If you want to switch to a new cartridge,  

you have to eject the card when the light  is solid green and then reinsert it again,  

and then you go to the next game in the list.

So let me just show you what that looks like.  Insert the card, eject, and then when I insert  

again, a new game should show up here and  Pokémon Sword is there. Now, if I want to  

switch to another game, I have to do that same  process again. So eject it, insert it, eject it.

And now when I insert it again, it will  be a different game. And there's Let's Go  

Eevee. Eject, insert, eject, insert again  and there is Link's Awakening. So again,  

these are my games right here that I backed up  off-camera with my own Switch, and the company  

that makes the MIG-Switch claims that you  can use all of these online with no problems.

If they implemented this card correctly,  then that should be the case, but I don't  

really feel comfortable with doing that. So  you'll see that my switch is on airplane mode.

we're going to talk about the issues with this  product in just a second but I want to wrap up  

this part of the video by going over where I think  this has a valid use case so let's say for example  

you're a person with a huge collection of switch  games that you don't want to carry around with  

you when you're traveling I have a few switch  models and I'll typically try with a switch  

light since it's so light but I don't want to  carry around a lot of my very expensive switch  

cartridges because if I lose those then I'm out  a lot of money but if I just lose a switch it's  

not that big of a deal some of these cartridges  need to be imported into the country that I live  

in so it's a big hassle to replace them if I do  lose them but it's not a big hassle to replace a  

switch since these are very easy to get where I  live so from like a non- pirate standpoint I can  

see the appeal of something like this for someone  that has a large collection of switch titles that  

they don't want to travel around with obviously  you could use digital releases for something  

like this but I like to buy all of my games as  a physical release that's where the above board  

aspect of this product ends and now I want to go  over some of the issues or potential issues that  

I think people should be aware of now that this  exists after checking out the comments from the  

last couple of days I have seen a lot of people  that are now worried about the secondhand market  

for switch games and that's something that's valid  to go over let's go through a couple of scenarios  

let's say for example somebody owns this Pokemon  sword game and they do a full backup like I did on  

their Mig switch later on they go ahead and sell  this on the second handm Market or they return it  

to the store that they bought within the return  window you come along and buy this game and use  

it on your own switch and then you go online  with it while the original owner of this card  

has a full backup of that cartridge including  all the unique identification that ties it back  

to the original physical cartridge if they go  online and you go online it will be very easy  

for Nintendo to ban both of your devices and based  on the sentiment that I've seen on the internet  

over the last few days this seems to be something  that a lot of people are looking forward to doing  

now when it comes to the cartridges that I own  I buy half and half new and used sometimes I can  

get the game that I want to play with the version  that's released in the country that I live in but  

other times I'll buy secondhand models of ones  that people have imported in the country so I  

can get the us or the European version before  now I never had to worry about whether or not  

my account would be banned from using a physical  cartridge like this because the dumps that people  

made of cartridges like these never included those  unique IDs now that they do Pandora's Box has been  

opened and I don't think that we can ever go back  even beyond the fact that we now have to worry  

about whether or not somebody has done a full  backup of a cartridge that they now are trying  

to sell off this Hardware existing now makes  it possible for people to make bootleg clones  

of original cartridges that will look identical  to the original cartridge unless you open it up  

obviously in this example it's easy to tell that  this is not an official cartridge because it has  

that SD card slot but if they remove the SD card  slot functionality and only included the ROM for  

the game that they want to make a bootleg clone  of then you can see how this could become a big  

issue I haven't talked about the price at all in  this video but this Hardware sells for around $6  

but I don't think these two chips here are that  expensive and if another company can come around  

and find out how to copy this solution then  it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility  

that they would go ahead and start making bootleg  clones of more expensive cartridges unfortunately  

the cat's out of the bag now and I have to assume  that this thing is going to sell like crazy so  

these kinds of things are things that you're going  to have to be worried about going forward Beyond  

everything that I just covered there is a way to  use this without any of the unique identification  

that comes from an actual game cartridge if you  never intend to go online with it you do require  

the unique identification from a single switch  game so I imagine that somebody in the internet  

will just you know dump that and then everybody  will use it for their own purposes but I just  

wanted to mention that here personally I am more  interested in the dumper that this company makes  

right now you need to have a hack switch to even  be able to dump a cartridge in the first place  

and if you already have a hack switch and there's  no reason to use something like this because you  

can just install the game files on an SD card  and travel around in that way when their dumper  

comes out that will expand the issues that I  just talked about in my last section but it'll  

also make it easier for people to take their  game files and play it on the systems that they  

want to instead of just being locked down to the  Nintendo switch obviously Nintendo's not going to  

be happy about that but that's where things are  right now if you have any other questions about  

something that I didn't address in this video you  can leave those down below and I'll try my best  

to address them I don't have any affiliate links  in this video for this Mig switch so I can't help  

you out and give you any advice on where to buy  one if you want one for yourself but these will  

be shipping in the next month if you enjoyed  this video and you want to see another take  

a look at a recent video that I did on the rp4  pro emulation it's another device that kind of  

looks similar to a switch but it has a lot more  functionality happy gaming everyone Taki out