Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Stories of bricked secondhand Swap 2 consoles are already coming in.
- Nintendo has been banning consoles that use MiG Swap carts, with no recourse.
- This has main implications for the used Swap 2 market going ahead.
The Nintendo Swap 2 has solely been out for just a few weeks, however some fortunate customers have already discovered offers on secondhand consoles. One Reddit consumer reported discovering such a deal, scoring a candy $50 low cost on the console, although new consoles had been offered out. Properly, at the least it appeared like an excellent deal, till an “Error Code: 2124-4508” message appeared on the display throughout setup at house.
This error code prevents the console from utilizing any on-line Nintendo companies, successfully bricking the system. It’s Nintendo’s nuclear possibility within the warfare towards piracy and ToS violations, and the corporate hasn’t been shy about utilizing it.
For instance, many customers are reporting having their consoles bricked after making an attempt to make use of a MiG Swap cart. These carts can be utilized for piracy or to play backups of bought video games. Nintendo considers each use circumstances a violation of its ToS and doesn’t differentiate between them when completely bricking consoles.
Odds of secondhand Swap 2 consoles being bricked are uncomfortably excessive.
This creates a minefield for the secondhand Swap 2 market. There are presently no choices to take away a console lock, so you will need to flip the console on and test that it may well hook up with Nintendo’s servers earlier than buying.
The consumer talked about above managed to return the console and get a full refund, however for those who purchase a used Swap 2 from a non-public particular person or, even worse, eBay, your odds of getting caught with a bricked console are uncomfortably excessive. Except you possibly can take a look at the console your self, it’s higher to keep away from secondhand Swap 2 consoles altogether.
The Nintendo Swap 2 retails for $449 for simply the console, or $499 for the console and Mario Kart World. The sport is a obtain code somewhat than a cart, although, so shopping for the bundle secondhand will seemingly depart you with a ineffective code, even when the console isn’t bricked.
