Hacking Question Is it OK to just update microSD software on 3.00 Switch?

[Jacobh]

I’m sure they will,

It's not just a license. It's a package that is included in one distribution of the firmware.

So there is a version of each firmware with it and without it.

Since you can't downgrade you'd need to find a way to reinstall the same version of the firmware you already have installed with the package. That seems unlikely any time soon.

Just format your card FAT 32 if you want to use it. Although if you aren't upgrading firmware I'm not sure what you need the sd card for.

 

[Digital_0xFF]

Just asked SciresM on the matter. Getting the SD update WILL ABSOLUTELY also force an update to the latest firmware.

link to thread/comment pls?

 

[DocKlokMan]

link to thread/comment pls?

It was in the ReSwitched discord server.

There’s two firmwares, one with the SDXC support and one without. When you insert an exFAT formatted SD card the Switch goes online and requests a download of the version of firmware that has the support. Since Nintendo only offers the latest firmware for download online, that’s what you get. Cart updates leave that part of the firmware alone during updating, similar to how 3DS cart updates would not update the Sound app.

 

[leonmagnus99]

@mech thought i will just write my question here ,no need to create a new thread!

it is similar to this thread, so here's the thing i got my pokken copy today and i will be getting my 200gb mSD later next week or so.

anyway to my pokken question, if i would want to play the game i would need to use the update that is in the game, which is 3.0.0 correct?

and my question regarding the mSD , if i want to use it with the format the Switch formats it to (i believe it is exFat?) then i will have to update the switch to the latest version for that right ?

and if i were to format the mSD on my pc to exfat, the switch wont read it?
(from reading this thread, i think i saw you mentioning that exfat speeds are faster?)

and i believe reading only that formatting the mSD from pc only >fat32 will be readable for switch.

so i am kind of torn about this thing, how do i go on using the mSD as exfat?
if i wont be able to use it as exfat unless i update, i will keep it the way it is for now.

and well maybe some sort of homebrew might be able to bypass that update thing that pops up for the mSD.

 

[Deleted-355425]

@mech thought i will just write my question here ,no need to create a new thread!

it is similar to this thread, so here's the thing i got my pokken copy today and i will be getting my 200gb mSD later next week or so.

anyway to my pokken question, if i would want to play the game i would need to use the update that is in the game, which is 3.0.0 correct?

and my question regarding the mSD , if i want to use it with the format the Switch formats it to (i believe it is exFat?) then i will have to update the switch to the latest version for that right ?

and if i were to format the mSD on my pc to exfat, the switch wont read it?
(from reading this thread, i think i saw you mentioning that exfat speeds are faster?)

and i believe reading only that formatting the mSD from pc only >fat32 will be readable for switch.

so i am kind of torn about this thing, how do i go on using the mSD as exfat?
if i wont be able to use it as exfat unless i update, i will keep it the way it is for now.

and well maybe some sort of homebrew might be able to bypass that update thing that pops up for the mSD.

If you want to play pokken you will need to use the update on the cart and you will end up on 3.0.0, if you want to use exfat on your 200gb micro SD you need to go online and download the patch that lets your switch console support it but you will get the update nag and its not worth the risk. If it says install update is it for the exfat or the latest firmware?

 

[leonmagnus99]

you will get the update nag

this sounds annoying , i rather wait then.

but what exactly are the speed differences between exfat/fat32.

i do know that the limitation of fat32 is 4gb and no more, so if a game was above 4gb we would need to split them somehow.

but is there a speed difference as well?
and would splitting games actually be even possible.

i kind of doubt that.

 

[_______]

Why would you want to use a microSD card on older firmware if you cant access the eShop to download games?

He still needs that to install the games (If he decided to go physical). The internal memory is 8gb only.

 

[PolloDiablo]

He still needs that to install the games (If he decided to go physical). The internal memory is 8gb only.

32GB.
Install the games? You mean the physical games that have mandatory downloads?
I believe you can't download those without updating the firmware, but don't quote me on that, I'm not sure.

 

[_______]

32GB.
Install the games? You mean the physical games that have mandatory downloads?
I believe you can't download those without updating the firmware, but don't quote me on that, I'm not sure.

Interesting, I thought they actually copy the game into your device, not read from the cart.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

this sounds annoying , i rather wait then.

but what exactly are the speed differences between exfat/fat32.

i do know that the limitation of fat32 is 4gb and no more, so if a game was above 4gb we would need to split them somehow.

but is there a speed difference as well?
and would splitting games actually be even possible.

i kind of doubt that.

The update nag can be removed by simply rebooting the Switch IIRC, also there shouldn't be much difference in speed. No need to worry about splitting games either, since the Switch is already designed to work with FAT32 so it will never try to add files larger than 4GB.
In other words you don't really lose anything by using FAT32.

 

[Greg956]

In other words you don't really lose anything by using FAT32.

So, you think that big games like Zelda etc, will work on FAT32? I am interested in this question too, I am waiting for my 128GB card soon.

 

[Deleted-355425]

So, you think that big games like Zelda etc, will work on FAT32? I am interested in this question too, I am waiting for my 128GB card soon.

I was concerned too when it comes to roms when the device is busted open for rom loading, a fair few roms are over 4gb in size.

 

[leonmagnus99]

In other words you don't really lose anything by using FAT32.

this is good to know, but the only thing worrying is like mech above me stated (roms, yes we are far from the hacking/cia loading thing like with the 3ds).

but still , i guess we would need some kind of tool to split (switch cias that are over 4gb in size) in order to be able to copy them onto our Fat32 formatted mSD's correct?

 

[The Real Jdbye]

So, you think that big games like Zelda etc, will work on FAT32? I am interested in this question too, I am waiting for my 128GB card soon.

I'm pretty sure they work just fine, as they have to ensure compatibility with 32GB cards for games that are smaller than 32GB (and Zelda is not a particularly large game by modern standards, it's only like 13GB IIRC)

I can't 100% guarantee that games larger than 32GB will work, since you're not "supposed" to use larger cards with FAT32 (the SDXC standard defines ExFAT as the file system), but I would assume that the Switch already splits up games automatically so that devs don't have to take care to split up the game data themselves to make sure it doesn't have any files larger than 4GB.

I was concerned too when it comes to roms when the device is busted open for rom loading, a fair few roms are over 4gb in size.

this is good to know, but the only thing worrying is like mech above me stated (roms, yes we are far from the hacking/cia loading thing like with the 3ds).

but still , i guess we would need some kind of tool to split (switch cias that are over 4gb in size) in order to be able to copy them onto our Fat32 formatted mSD's correct?

ROM loading isn't likely to happen on the Switch without some sort of flashcart, and if it does, it will be after it's already possible to install unsigned titles. The reason being, both would require kernel access or some major flaw in the sandbox, but patching out signature checks is much easier than patching the cartridge read functions to read from a file on SD rather than a hardware device.

We might see something similar to Loadiine on Wii U though, where it just redirects individual file reads from one file path to another, that likely wouldn't be much of a problem with FAT32 either, since it's unlikely individual files in the file system will be larger than 4GB.

 

[leonmagnus99]

I would assume that the Switch already splits up games automatically so that devs don't have to take care to split up the game data themselves to make sure it doesn't have any files larger than 4GB.

this would be really neat, if they do this then we won't have to worry about the game size as non of the files will be over 4gb.

i think i haven't had the issue with wii u games also, iirc.
from the folder "app" where the game contents are non of the files was over 4gb (even bigger games) because they always copied over without any issue on my sd card (which is fat32).

and well if they do the same thing with the switch games then we wont have to worry about the fat32 format.

but btw. you mentioned there is a way to get rid of the update nag, so if i tried to format an mSD on my switch using that patch thing , will i be able to remove the update nag through the switch recovery menu or soemthing?

and is it safe to do so, or should i just format my mSD on my laptop to fat32?

 

[The Real Jdbye]

this would be really neat, if they do this then we won't have to worry about the game size as non of the files will be over 4gb.

i think i haven't had the issue with wii u games also, iirc.
from the folder "app" where the game contents are non of the files was over 4gb (even bigger games) because they always copied over without any issue on my sd card (which is fat32).

and well if they do the same thing with the switch games then we wont have to worry about the fat32 format.

but btw. you mentioned there is a way to get rid of the update nag, so if i tried to format an mSD on my switch using that patch thing , will i be able to remove the update nag through the switch recovery menu or soemthing?

and is it safe to do so, or should i just format my mSD on my laptop to fat32?

Simply rebooting the Switch should get rid of the update nag.
The thing is, I seem to remember someone saying that to get the ExFAT update your Switch needs to be on the latest version. I might be remembering wrong though.

 

[Halvorsen]

~glitch I assume~

 

[Halvorsen]

The Switch doesn't download individual 4GB+ files for games. It splits them into multiple archives under the limit, even on exFAT formatted cards, so there is literally zero reason to be worried about using FAT32 unless you plan to use the microSD on another device.

 

[leonmagnus99]

I might be remembering wrong though.

so it is somewhat risky to try and patch/format the mSD within the switch as that may later require an update of the system itself to have the mSD working?
if so i think i will go for the safer option and just format the mSD using SDformatter on my laptop and format it as fat32.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

so it is somewhat risky to try and patch/format the mSD within the switch as that may later require an update of the system itself to have the mSD working?
if so i think i will go for the safer option and just format the mSD using SDformatter on my laptop and format it as fat32.

Basically, yes.
At least wait for someone else to confirm whether it requires you to be on the latest version or not before getting the ExFAT update, as I'm not 100% sure.