I saw this thing called the MIG Flash — or MIG-Switch, if you remember it from way back — and it’s now buddies with the Nintendo Switch 2. Yeah, there was a teaser, and the official blurb goes, "Compatible with Switch 2." But the real mystery is: how did they even get it to vibe with the new console? I mean, last I checked, they were having a rough time. Maybe it’s some sort of firmware magic?
So, a little backstory — the MIG Flash dropped last year, basically letting folks with a Nintendo Switch play their game backups from a microSD card. It’s like playing dress-up: pretending to be an official game cartridge so the console buys it and runs whatever ROMs you’ve got stashed away. The idea was, play your legit game backups or, if you fancy yourself a developer, test out your budding creations on the Switch 2. Of course, pirates sniffed it out too.
Initially, folks thought it couldn’t hang with the Switch 2. But lo and behold, it’s up and running. Maybe they cracked Nintendo’s latest defenses? I watched a demo on X where they booted up The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom using the MIG Flash. It booted, but took ages. Now they’re bragging about the MIG Flash V2: "Just plug & play!" They make it sound like it’s the easiest thing ever.
I guess a new firmware pulled a Houdini act on those checks Nintendo shoved into the Switch 2, blocking the whole boot-and-load song and dance. That said, don’t get any ideas about running Switch 2 game backups; those ROMs are yet to be cracked open, and let’s not sidestep the "that’s illegal" bit.
Now, the part nobody wants to talk about. Technically, this thing could let pirates play old Switch games on the new console, but the ban hammer is real and all too ready to strike. Every Switch cartridge has a secret identity number. Nintendo’s pretty sharp at catching duplicate IDs bouncing between consoles. Result? Your account, or worse, your console could end up in ban limbo. Or you might be sitting with a fancy brick instead of a console.
Oh, and if you want more stories like this, don’t forget to hit up Tom’s Hardware on Google News. Hit that follow button for your daily tech fix.