With the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 today, one of the first things homebrew enthusiasts set out to do was see if the MIG Switch flashcart would work on the console. Prior to release, retailers of the flashcart were claiming that it worked with the Switch 2, but thanks to the efforts of users on GBAtemp, it appears that it in fact does not work. Beginning with the post in this thread, here, with a photo of a Switch 2 and MIG Switch resulting in an error code. Whether or not there is a workaround or fix is uncertain. Furthermore, a MIG Switch retailer posted about having a Switch 2 unit a month ahead of launch, stating that the unit worked, with what appear to be misleading claims. The potentially shady practices shown here.

Source

 

[LeyendaV]

Surprising nobody.

 

[K3Nv4]

Trust STD. When he his not hating, he knows stuff.

So wait to buy Mig switch 2 to use in switch 1?

 

[DeadSkullzJr]

Just going to put this here for people to read as a sort of reminder. Since I anticipate that there's going to be some funky comments in the future about the MIG Switch in its current state and the Nintendo Switch 2. So don't take this as a targeted comment(s).

You need to understand the difference between your standard flash cartridge running custom ROM loader and general management software, versus a cartridge emulator. Both are flash devices, but both are drastically and functionally different from each other. One is intended to bypass security measures for the sake of running custom software (ROM loading is merely a collateral possibility due to bypassing security and such), while the other is intended to run legitimately, validly, signed software (which happens to solely be the video games we launch on these systems) natively without bypassing any security execution measures. Based on my understanding, the only reason the MIG Switch even worked without requiring all of the necessary assets for a game dump, when running on a Nintendo Switch, is due to the fact the security system doesn't stop you from running software despite having invalid or insufficient information outside of the ROM image itself. The ROM itself is valid and legitimate to pass the measures, everything else is supposed to be extra layers of checks and balances on top of that, which I believe the system does in fact detect, valid or not, missing or not. The system security was never designed to halt all operations if anything else is invalid or missing, merely because normally that never actually occurs in the first place with game cartridges (they all contain the necessary valid assets). If the ROM image itself was damaged or modified in a way that renders it invalid, then the security measures would step in because now it's not valid software being detected anymore, so you won't even see it show up let alone run it. Sure, anyone could blame Nintendo for not having the foresight to check absolutely everything and put checks and balances to halt execution operations, but quite frankly they shouldn't have to either, considering the point of the MIG Switch wasn't even for piracy to begin with. That's also why you don't see a flash cartridge with a ROM loader and general management software, kin to the Nintendo DS era of flash cartridges, this would require the security measures to be bypassed. You also don't see homebrew running through the MIG Switch because all homebrew software created for the Switch avoids being valid by the security measures, they would have to be created with tools only Nintendo has access to, which is already a huge legal issue of its own.

The fact that as of this time of typing, the MIG Switch cartridge doesn't work with the Nintendo Switch 2, as stated in a previous comment I made in this thread, could be happening for a number of reasons, we can only guess. We still don't know if the tests being done are with full proper dumps or just partial dumps, for all we know everyone testing so far is using pirated ROM dumps or something, nobody has made it explicitly clear yet. I wouldn't consider this a huge loss though for anyone who runs their games legitimately with their own dumps, just use your official cartridges for a while. As for the pirates, well, sucks to be you I guess, not sure what to tell you, guess you'll be stuck sitting on systems for a while.

 

[Flame]

Just going to put this here for people to read as a sort of reminder. Since I anticipate that there's going to be some funky comments in the future about the MIG Switch in its current state and the Nintendo Switch 2. So don't take this as a targeted comment(s).

You need to understand the difference between your standard flash cartridge running custom ROM loader and general management software, versus a cartridge emulator. Both are flash devices, but both are drastically and functionally different from each other. One is intended to bypass security measures for the sake of running custom software (ROM loading is merely a collateral possibility due to bypassing security and such), while the other is intended to run legitimately, validly, signed software (which happens to solely be the video games we launch on these systems) natively without bypassing any security execution measures. Based on my understanding, the only reason the MIG Switch even worked without requiring all of the necessary assets for a game dump, when running on a Nintendo Switch, is due to the fact the security system doesn't stop you from running software despite having invalid or insufficient information outside of the ROM image itself. The ROM itself is valid and legitimate to pass the measures, everything else is supposed to be extra layers of checks and balances on top of that, which I believe the system does in fact detect, valid or not, missing or not. The system security was never designed to halt all operations if anything else is invalid or missing, merely because normally that never actually occurs in the first place with game cartridges (they all contain the necessary valid assets). If the ROM image itself was damaged or modified in a way that renders it invalid, then the security measures would step in because now it's not valid software being detected anymore, so you won't even see it show up let alone run. Sure, anyone could blame Nintendo for not having the foresight to check absolutely everything and put checks and balances to halt execution operations, but quite frankly they shouldn't have to either, considering the point of the MIG Switch wasn't even for piracy to begin with. That's also why you don't see a flash cartridge with a ROM loader and general management software, kin to the Nintendo DS era of flash cartridges, this would require the security measures to be bypassed. You also don't see homebrew running through the MIG Switch because all homebrew software created for the Switch avoids being valid by the security measures, they would have to be created with tools only Nintendo has access to, which is already a huge legal issue of its own.

The fact that as of this time of typing, the MIG Switch cartridge doesn't work with the Nintendo Switch 2, as stated in a previous comment I made in this thread, could be happening for a number of reasons, we can only guess. We still don't know if the tests being done are with full proper dumps or just partial dumps, for all we know everyone testing so far is used pirates ROM dumps or something, nobody has made it explicitly clear yet. I wouldn't consider this a huge loss though for anyone who runs their games legitimately with their own dumps, just use your official cartridges for a while. As for the pirates, well, sucks to be you I guess, not sure what to tell you, guess you'll be stuck sitting on systems for a while.

Thank you.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[DeadSkullzJr]

Thank you.

My thoughts exactly.

Minor corrections in my post, but hope this sheds some light on the situation .

 

[TheStonedModder]

Minor corrections in my post, but hope this sheds some light on the situation .

Very much so! Thank you for taking the time

I posted a link to Twitter too. Hopefully some of those confused folk see it as well

 

[TheZander]

Forget the mig. I just dusted off my cobra black fin and because of the unique p2p cartridge sharing with a little tweaking and soldering it's sharing game cards

 

[TheStonedModder]

Forget the mig. I just dusted off my cobra black fin and because of the unique p2p cartridge sharing with a little tweaking and soldering it's sharing game cards View attachment 509399

Ngl I’ve been wanting to buy one of these for shits and gigs

Im jealous

 

[DeadSkullzJr]

Forget the mig. I just dusted off my cobra black fin and because of the unique p2p cartridge sharing with a little tweaking and soldering it's sharing game cards View attachment 509399

Haven't seen one of these in quite a while. Definitely an interesting concept even today. Too bad it has major drawbacks though with being limited to much older firmware versions, let alone doesn't allow you to run custom software. Definitely nifty for your cartridge backups though!

 

[impeeza]

Why Nintendo didn't block MIG on a Switch 1 in the first place? But only on Switch 2. Is it a hardware based gamecard's Lotus3 ASIC fix, or just some kind of it's internal firmware update?..

Switch 2 uses a different LOTUS computer, and even the Switch 1 games runs on a Emulator

for sure Switch 1 can not be patched without a hardware change.

 

[DeadSkullzJr]

Switch 2 uses a different LOTUS computer, and even the Switch 1 games runs on a Emulator

for sure Switch 1 can not be patched without a hardware change.

Not necessarily, they could alter the firmware for the Nintendo Switch to actually halt operations if a dump on the MIG Switch doesn't have all of the valid asset information necessary (or if anything is straight up missing) outside of the ROM image itself. You don't need additional hardware to do software checks and balances like these. Of course, with custom firmware, this will likely be bypassed, but by that point, you defeat the purpose of having a MIG Switch already if you plan to just run pirated software in that environment.

 

[SylverReZ]

Forget the mig. I just dusted off my cobra black fin and because of the unique p2p cartridge sharing with a little tweaking and soldering it's sharing game cards View attachment 509399

I've seen one of those before and that being the Cobra Blackfin, which makes it possible to backup your own PS Vita games over a P2P network. It came also with a dongle which emulates the PS Vita gamecard and has a microSD slot to fit all of your games. Probably one of the very first flashcarts for the Vita.

It was quickly pulled from the market after it never sold well to the team's expectations, hence nobody really talks about it. And around 2017, the main developer came forward that the Cobra team owner did not pay him for the hard work, which lead to the BlackFin software leaked along with source code and more.

Just going to put this here for people to read as a sort of reminder. Since I anticipate that there's going to be some funky comments in the future about the MIG Switch in its current state and the Nintendo Switch 2. So don't take this as a targeted comment(s).

You've summarized all of my thoughts and frustrations all in one piece.

 

[Inaki]

Just going to put this here for people to read as a sort of reminder. Since I anticipate that there's going to be some funky comments in the future about the MIG Switch in its current state and the Nintendo Switch 2. So don't take this as a targeted comment(s).

You need to understand the difference between your standard flash cartridge running custom ROM loader and general management software, versus a cartridge emulator. Both are flash devices, but both are drastically and functionally different from each other. One is intended to bypass security measures for the sake of running custom software (ROM loading is merely a collateral possibility due to bypassing security and such), while the other is intended to run legitimately, validly, signed software (which happens to solely be the video games we launch on these systems) natively without bypassing any security execution measures. Based on my understanding, the only reason the MIG Switch even worked without requiring all of the necessary assets for a game dump, when running on a Nintendo Switch, is due to the fact the security system doesn't stop you from running software despite having invalid or insufficient information outside of the ROM image itself. The ROM itself is valid and legitimate to pass the measures, everything else is supposed to be extra layers of checks and balances on top of that, which I believe the system does in fact detect, valid or not, missing or not. The system security was never designed to halt all operations if anything else is invalid or missing, merely because normally that never actually occurs in the first place with game cartridges (they all contain the necessary valid assets). If the ROM image itself was damaged or modified in a way that renders it invalid, then the security measures would step in because now it's not valid software being detected anymore, so you won't even see it show up let alone run it. Sure, anyone could blame Nintendo for not having the foresight to check absolutely everything and put checks and balances to halt execution operations, but quite frankly they shouldn't have to either, considering the point of the MIG Switch wasn't even for piracy to begin with. That's also why you don't see a flash cartridge with a ROM loader and general management software, kin to the Nintendo DS era of flash cartridges, this would require the security measures to be bypassed. You also don't see homebrew running through the MIG Switch because all homebrew software created for the Switch avoids being valid by the security measures, they would have to be created with tools only Nintendo has access to, which is already a huge legal issue of its own.

The fact that as of this time of typing, the MIG Switch cartridge doesn't work with the Nintendo Switch 2, as stated in a previous comment I made in this thread, could be happening for a number of reasons, we can only guess. We still don't know if the tests being done are with full proper dumps or just partial dumps, for all we know everyone testing so far is using pirated ROM dumps or something, nobody has made it explicitly clear yet. I wouldn't consider this a huge loss though for anyone who runs their games legitimately with their own dumps, just use your official cartridges for a while. As for the pirates, well, sucks to be you I guess, not sure what to tell you, guess you'll be stuck sitting on systems for a while.

This is all of us speculating here, but... anyway, my two cents:

The thing about MiG Switch is that it supposedly works at a higher level, signatures and all crypto validity things are in the images, so the linker will still respect and read those. The serial number and so on, the optional files, if present, then the response is said to be aiming for ( not necessarily achieving it ) 100% the same as original carts. Now, what could change is something more subtle, like electric response in voltages or something that seems easier: reading speeds.

There's speculation going on on nintendo being able to detect MiG Switch on the read speed basis ( the speculation says regular switch 1 carts are supposedly 190MB/s and they say MiG Switch supports speeds up to 190MB/s too, but regular microSDs are like 100MB/s aprox. ). Anyway, this is yet another... well, difficult thing

 

[DeadSkullzJr]

So I'm assuming they proved switch 2 games don't run on switch 1 like many were saying last week.

They never could and wouldn't for the simple fact that software designed for the Nintendo Switch 2, not only leverages off the hardware boost, but also takes additional advantage of the newer instruction set and such provided by the newer hardware. For the same reason New Nintendo 3DS games do not work on the original Nintendo 3DS hardware. The games would have to be reworked entirely to function with the Nintendo Switch hardware specifications and capabilities, which isn't realistic to happen. The closest thing you'll get is Nintendo Switch games that are Nintendo Switch 2 enhanced, meaning one copy of the game that can run on both pieces of hardware, and benefiting based on the hardware circumstances. Kin to New Nintendo 3DS enhanced titles and DSi enhanced titles for the respective Nintendo (3)DS family of systems.

 

[SDA]

Trust STD. When he his not hating, he knows stuff.

How nice of that, especially when it's a moderator to say such a statement.

 

[Rahkeesh]

A theoretical MiG Switch 2 maybe having an easier time emulating game key-cards is an interesting thought. Minimal license data you'd have to dump and just fetch the game data from Nintendo servers and let the Switch's SD Express reader be used. Might fail on games with no key-card release though, like what seems will be most first-party games.

 

[Deleted member 319555]

View attachment 509365​

With the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 today, one of the first things homebrew enthusiasts set out to do was see if the MIG Switch flashcart would work on the console. Prior to release, retailers of the flashcart were claiming that it worked with the Switch 2, but thanks to the efforts of users on GBAtemp, it appears that it in fact does not work. Beginning with the post in this thread, here, with a photo of a Switch 2 and MIG Switch resulting in an error code. Whether or not there is a workaround or fix is uncertain. Furthermore, a MIG Switch retailer posted about having a Switch 2 unit a month ahead of launch, stating that the unit worked, with what appear to be misleading claims. The potentially shady practices shown here.

Source

Duh? What did people expect?

 

[DeadSkullzJr]

This is all of us speculating here, but... anyway, mi two cents:

The thing about MiG Switch is that it suposedly works at a higher level, signatures and all crypto validity things are in the images, so the linker will still respect and read those. The serial number and so on, the optional files, if present, then the response is said to be aiming for ( not necessarily achieving it ) 100% the same as original carts. Now, what could change is something more subtle, like electric response in voltages or something that seems easier: reading speeds.

There's speculation going on on nintendo being able to detect MiG Switch on the read speed basis ( the speculation says regular switch 1 carts are supposedly 190MB/s and they say MiG Switch supports speeds up to 190MB/s too, but regular microSDs are like 100MB/s aprox. ). Anyway, this is yet another... well, difficult thing

I think access speed is rather a broad point to make in my opinion. Yes, we are talking about direct flash chips holding specific information versus a storage medium like an SD card where it's not going to be as consistent, especially provided it's designed for more dynamic applications. Different grades of SD cards will vary in speed, but the problem with the access speed logic is the fact that even official game cartridges can sometimes have speeds that aren't always consistent. Defective flash chips exist, not to mention no chip is made the exact same, it's not as inconsistent as say, the dye of a processor, but there is no guarantee that the flash chip will perform exactly the same as another. Especially when there are multiple avenues for making and selling these flash chips, some batches coming from different vendors. You'll never get just a single brand that's in use, it's usually at least a few different ones over time which may or may not perform just as good.

 

[Inaki]

I think access speed is rather a broad point to make in my opinion. Yes, we are talking about direct flash chips holding specific information versus a storage medium like an SD card where it's not going to be as consistent, especially provided it's designed for more dynamic applications. Different grades of SD cards will vary in speed, but the problem with the access speed logic is the fact that even official game cartridges can sometimes have speeds that aren't always consistent. Defective flash chips exist, not to mention no chip is made the exact same, it's not as inconsistent as say, the dye of a processor, but there is no guarantee that the flash chip will perform exactly the same as another. Especially when there are multiple avenues for making and selling these flash chips, some batches coming from different vendors. You'll never get just a single brand that's in use, it's usually at least a few different ones over time which may or may not perform just as good.

microSD and carts are very similar in nature and can, as you say, have pretty wild variations on speeds... yes, BUT, when doing a few passes for a few MBs and timing the response speeds and averaging them, if there is fundamental differences, I bet they can be safely detected. I mean, even with noise or deviations accounted for, I think there is robust ways to detect different nature by timing. Now, IF this was the case and MiG Switch supported faster microSDs ( maybe using microSD express on the MiG Switch itself ? maybe it'd need a MiG Switch fw upgrade... ) to work at close to original cart speed, then we would be on a narrower scenario where those fundamental timing differences no longer worked.

EDIT: https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-microsd-card-130038282.html
It seems like 180-190MB/s is achievable with some regular microSD cards.

 

[Nozu86]

Can i say that i'm disappointed in the online capabilities? It limits itself to 164 mbit on my end with every other device going into the 4xx from 500 i can get. Neither over lan nor wifi i can get the switch 2 to reach those numbers. Also tried an 3rd party adapter but nope.