Fans are warning others to be mindful of Nintendo’s new anti-piracy policy when buying a secondhand Switch 2 — or risk buying a console that’s permanently stuck offline.
As reported earlier this month, Nintendo fans suspect the company has begun blocking access to all online functionality on Switch 2 consoles that have used the MIG Switch flash card — a device used to play unofficial copies of games.
This tactic, which is seemingly permanent, leaves a Switch 2 console displaying the error code 2124-4508 when accessing any online functions. Impacted consoles are unable to download and play any digital games or Game-Key cartridges, access system updates or game updates, play using online multiplayer, communicate using GameChat, or use any Nintendo Switch Online functionality, including the subscription’s retro game catalogues.
If you’re buying a Switch 2, you likely want to do some of those things. And, unfortunately, someone has already reported the first instance of picking up a pre-owned Switch 2 at a discount and finding they have been sold a console that’s been banned.
Writing on reddit, user Bimmytung reported buying a pre-owned Switch 2 from Walmart, and checking the box in-store to ensure that everything physically looked as it should.
“Physically it’s fine, everything seems there,” Bimmytung wrote. “Notice that the Mario Kart code is scratched off. Hmm. Naturally wonder if the original buyer redeemed the code and returned the system. They knocked $50 off the price so I figured I’d roll the dice and at least have the hardware. Bought a Pro Controller 2 while I was at it.
“Get home and go to finish the setup – quickly get Error Code 2124-4508. A quick Google search shows me I’m screwed. FML. Thankfully my local Walmart accepted the return without any fuss but still… I wish nothing but enthusiastic double gonorrhea to the lowlife scum that did this.”
As word spreads of the MIG Switch card’s risk, and as more Switch 2 consoles get banned by Nintendo, the likelihood grows that further impacted consoles will end up on eBay, or in secondhand retail shops.
Fans have suggested that anyone buying a secondhand Switch 2 console should now ask for proof the device still has access to its online functionality, and an assurance the previous owner had not used a MIG Switch previously, in order to avoid being caught up in a later ban wave.
Back in May, ahead of Switch 2’s launch, Nintendo updated its Nintendo Account Agreement to make clear that any attempt to use “hardware or software that would cause the Nintendo Account Services to operate other than in accordance with its documentation and intended use” risked “the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device [becoming] permanently unusable in whole or in part.”
Still, reports that Nintendo was swiftly bringing down the ban hammer on users who had inserted a MIG Switch into their console came as a shock to many Switch 2 owners, who found their new purchases banned from accessing online functionality almost immediately.
IGN contacted Nintendo at the time to ask for more detail on the bans, but did not receive a response. IGN has asked the company today for detail on what impacted customers should do if they purchase a blocked secondhand Switch 2, whether Nintendo would acknowledge this situation and remove bans, and whether the console maker would issue guidance to retail chains that handle secondhand stock warning them of the situation.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
