Hacking Discussion Bricking your Switch on purpose or: How AutoRCM works
- Thread starter mnemonicpunk
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I think this is a bit off-topic but, when will we have an app like FBI in the Switch? Because I have little money to spend in games right now.
So, you're making your first post on GBAtemp
You're thinking "man i want to know how to have dem free gamz"
So you look around and find a thread that has nothing to do with end-user uses for the Switch
"ah yes, perhaps my question will be answered"
You comment on this thread, admitting that it's off-topic, informing everyone that you know you're doing a stupid thing
0/10 too much water
I had a 3DS and used a9hl on it. I wasn't aware of how it worked though, just a user in that scene.
Things like that are precisely why I made this thread, so people can make an informed choice about what they are willing to risk. As we know a9hl was responsible for some bricks, had I know that I might have held out until b9s was around.
Last edited by mnemonicpunk,
I hope this whole board doesn't turn into the Gateway vs CFW circlejerk that the 3DS boards were for so long. People will hack thier systems how they see fit.
I personally have no issue shelling out $45 to see what the SX product is all about while we wait for CFW to catch up. Other people can't justify it which is fine, then CFW is for them.
I have a GW card which I still use with emuNAND and have Luma B9S for sysNAND. Best of both worlds there. Who's to say the Switch won't eventually be the same?
On the topic of this post I would recommend not modifying your sysNAND for the SX or CFW to enter RCM as we're not sure how deep Nintendo can dig to find system modifications. But it's safe to assume they will hunt you, they will find you, and they will revoke your consoles certificate.
I personally have no issue shelling out $45 to see what the SX product is all about while we wait for CFW to catch up. Other people can't justify it which is fine, then CFW is for them.
I have a GW card which I still use with emuNAND and have Luma B9S for sysNAND. Best of both worlds there. Who's to say the Switch won't eventually be the same?
On the topic of this post I would recommend not modifying your sysNAND for the SX or CFW to enter RCM as we're not sure how deep Nintendo can dig to find system modifications. But it's safe to assume they will hunt you, they will find you, and they will revoke your consoles certificate.
I don't think circlejerking will be a particular problem this time around. Unlike Gateway back then, SX is just a fancy way of running the exact same payloads FG launcher runs, through exactly the same entrypoint. Opinions may be split about the optional software SX sells along with it, but even that is basically CFW in a way. Just not free and open source.
If that is worth the money for you, go ahead. Let us know how it works.
I don't plan to spend any money since I like the direction Atmosphere is headed in but I'm still interested in how it performs.
If that is worth the money for you, go ahead. Let us know how it works.
I don't plan to spend any money since I like the direction Atmosphere is headed in but I'm still interested in how it performs.
Yes it is. Just because Nintendo has their own Switch recovery mode doesn't mean that the recovery mode Nvidia built into the Tegra chip isn't also a recovery mode. Where do you think the initials RCM came from?
I will say this: I am dumbfounded that the first thing that came out for Switch wasn't a flashcard. The moment I saw that cartridge in the first commercial for it I thought "Oh, we'll get a flashcard in 2019." As someone who's been on the edges of handheld hacking from the GBA era onward, it's kinda strange to be at a point where the idea of a flashcard is outmoded.
Last edited by Darth Meteos,
There is a mode specifically called "Recovery Mode" in the Switch which has a different procedure for entering it. Hence calling RCM "Recovery Mode" is needlessly ambigous when calling it RCM is perfectly fine.
You can find out more here: http://switchbrew.org/index.php?title=Boot_Modes
Last edited by mnemonicpunk,
i know it is the wrong thread...but.....what do u think....can we use dlc and game updates with roms?
You are using the word "brick" wrong tho.
By definition, a console becomes a brick/paperweight when the console stops working, with 0 chance of recovery.
AutoRCM likely corrupts the boot files yea, but we don't know at what extent. It could literally be 1 byte off. But the console still boots RCM payloads and even a OS if you let it. That's no brick.
A brick is impossible to recover. We're looking at a semi-brick at most.
It will be interesting to see what method TX used in its AutoRCM.
But by scaring people by "OMFG TX BRICKS THE SYSTEM ON PURPOSE OH NO" it's not correct to do as well.
No one knows how they do it, OP should add a note on his main post saying that his theory is what it is, a theory and pure speculation.
By definition, a console becomes a brick/paperweight when the console stops working, with 0 chance of recovery.
AutoRCM likely corrupts the boot files yea, but we don't know at what extent. It could literally be 1 byte off. But the console still boots RCM payloads and even a OS if you let it. That's no brick.
A brick is impossible to recover. We're looking at a semi-brick at most.
It will be interesting to see what method TX used in its AutoRCM.
But by scaring people by "OMFG TX BRICKS THE SYSTEM ON PURPOSE OH NO" it's not correct to do as well.
No one knows how they do it, OP should add a note on his main post saying that his theory is what it is, a theory and pure speculation.
Last edited by LightOffPro,
If flash carts for Switch ever happen, they will still take a long time. While pretty much every level of security of the Switch has been utterly broken and well documente at this point, the ASIC used to communicate with the carts is still a black box. That also makes it a very unappealing way to load backups, since there are many other software ways of injecting your own stuff into the Switch. My guess at this point is that flash carts won't happen at all and software solutions will rule the world.
this entire thing write up is misleading.
a brick is a system that does absolutely nothing, except for physical qualities, like a brick for example. if the switch boots to RCM mode every time, 99.9% of the time (give some times it might not boot but similar success rate to a normal switch), then it's not completely bricked.
i have a 3ds xl that is bricked. you press power and nothing happens, you use magnethax and nothing happens. its worth nothing more than its physical parts. that is a brick at best.
a brick is a system that does absolutely nothing, except for physical qualities, like a brick for example. if the switch boots to RCM mode every time, 99.9% of the time (give some times it might not boot but similar success rate to a normal switch), then it's not completely bricked.
i have a 3ds xl that is bricked. you press power and nothing happens, you use magnethax and nothing happens. its worth nothing more than its physical parts. that is a brick at best.
There's really no reason for them to exist, either. Backups will be playable on-console in a matter of weeks after Atmosphere releases, if not less. Underestimating the eyepatched ones among us is probably a bad call. Gateway's features like cheats will probably be available on TX's stuff, (has this been confirmed?) if you want to pay for it like the old Gameshark. The future is bright!
I agree software rules now but idk if they won't happen. It's only a year into the Switch lifespan. We have Mariko units coming, which presumably patch Fusee, and then maybe a hardware revision in the future (Hard to tell if they'll do a "New Nintendo Switch". All portables got upgrades but no home consoles have yet). I'm willing to bet if a manufacturer got a working flashcard they would be able to make a good profit say, when a new model comes out, or if Mariko units happen to patch Deja Vu/Jamais(?). I guess the use of flashcards in the future depends on how well Nintendo plays cat and mouse. They're definitely not needed right now though.
Last edited by igivenup,
If RCM hadn't been discovered, we would be calling Switches always booting to RCM bricks. But you are right of course, a Switch that always boots to RCM is not a full brick.
I pondered that when writing my original post but decided to use brick instead of semi-brick for one simple reason: Users will not care about the distinction unless something goes wrong and I want people to be aware of the full risk they are taking with their hardware. I do the same over in the ReSwitched Discord when users ask questions and always give them examples of the worst things that could happen, just so they know for sure what might happen if they take the plunge.
Do you feel an additional paragraph in the original post clarifying that would help the casual reader understand the risk better?
yeah, the use of the term brick does very strongly imply "utterly useless and unrecoverable", where as this is the intended function and actually has a distinct positive usage and is easily reversible if done responsibly
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