Nintendo bans users of MIG Switch flash cart on Switch 2

Nintendo is taking no quarter when it comes to potential piracy.

Some users of the Nintendo Switch 2 have reported that their consoles have been permanently banned from Nintendo's online services after using a MIG Switch flash cart. The users have been banned from online multiplayer, Nintendo's eShop, and other online services like cloud backups. 

The MIG Switch is a flash cart for the original Nintendo Switch that was launched in early 2024. The cart allows users to load backups of Nintendo Switch carts and play them on the console.

Many users have used the MIG Switch as a more convenient method of playing games they own; gamers load multiple games onto the single MIG Switch cart and leave it in their Switch, removing the need to swap out carts. Other users, however, have reportedly used the MIG Switch for piracy, illegally installing Switch games they don't own onto the flash cart.

Switch 2 gamers on Reddit and X have reported their consoles booting with an error code of 2124-4508, which means the console is restricted from online services. Currently, it appears the offline capability of these consoles is still fully functional.

Nintendo has played a cat-and-mouse game with Switch piracy over the past few years. Perhaps most notably, Nintendo sued and successfully shut down the Switch emulator Yuzu in March of 2024. Many other Switch emulators either shut down or disappeared as a result, although other projects have since been created.