Hacking Can somebody explain to me what triggers a ban while using SX OS, if any.

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I asked this on reddit, and I want to ask this here


I would like somebody to explain how you can get banned when you load an XCI with SX OS.

So when you place a real cart in your system, and then remove it, it leaves a game in one of the blocks on the main menu ( for the sake of this context, lets call it a ghosted game), now regardless if you have game inserted or not, you can update the legit game by pressing start, and checking for updates.

Okay, so if you run something like SX OS, go in to custom FW mode while offline mode, and load a bunch of XCI's (Ghosted games) to the menu, then reboot the system to OFW, you still see the games as if you once placed a cart in, basically the same thing you would if you loaded a cart in and removed it.

How does by going online in OFW, and updating the "Not inserted/Ghost carts" games as you would a legit cart, trigger a ban?

I've seen people here post ban reports, and the only people that have been reported banned, are people using NSP files with SXOS, or have played pirated games while connected to the internet.

How would Nintendo see a non inserted card as something they can ban for? What's the difference if a friend gives me 10 real game carts and I keep swapping them to make a bunch of "ghosted" games.

I understand that if you played a pirated game online, Nintendo can see that the game card is using a shared /invalid key, but if you never connect to an online game, how would they know?

So TL; DR, how can Nintendo ban somebody for using SX OS loading XCI files, while only being online in OFW doing normal cart updates
 
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Draxzelex

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Or maybe SX OS doesn't properly emulate loading a retail cartridge (which would be more detectable if you played the game online hence why some users are banned for playing games they own as .XCI files online). There is also the part that SX OS is patching the firmware to load .XCI files from the SD card rather than the GC slot. That in of itself is abnormal and probably detectable.
 
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When you switch back to the OFW, the games are no longer loaded into the switch. Am I not wrong?

@DraX, putting in a game cart while an XCI is loaded in SX OS while in firmware mode, unloads the game and properly loads up the game cart, the same graphic effect for switching retail carts.
 
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OrGoN3

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Can one say that using XCI in SX OS is safer than NSPs? Does OP's method work 100% without ban? Updating ghosted XCI loading carts?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

When you switch back to the OFW, the games are no longer loaded into the switch. Am I not wrong?

@DraX, putting in a game cart while an XCI is loaded in SX OS while in firmware mode, unloads the game and properly loads up the game cart, the same graphic effect for switching retail carts.
Just because the graphic is the same, doesn't mean the way they are emulating it is perfectly similar.
 

Draxzelex

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Can one say that using XCI in SX OS is safer than NSPs? Does OP's method work 100% without ban? Updating ghosted XCI loading carts?
Its not 100% safe as users were already banned for .XCI files long before .NSP support came around and people are still getting banned for only using .XCI files
 
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OrGoN3

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Its not 100% safe as users were already banned for .XCI files long before .NSP support came around and people are still getting banned for only using .XCI files
In the reports, did they only connect online to update and not while in SX OS? Or did they get banned for attempting to play the game online? lol. I'm still trying to decide which route to go.
 

Draxzelex

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In the reports, did they only connect online to update and not while in SX OS? Or did they get banned for attempting to play the game online? lol. I'm still trying to decide which route to go.
Some were banned for only updating the game in OFW and others were banned for playing the games online because they legally owned and dumped them. Basically, there is no "safe" way to use .XCI or .NSP files.
 
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The reason why I made this, is because I did exactly that and I'm not banned.

I downloaded 10 XCI games, Loaded them all up while in CFW, I selected them one at a time, once they were all loaded into my switch menu, I turned off the system completely, loaded into stock FW, turned internet on, updated one at a time from the Start Menu.

You cant even load XCI games while in OFW because, like I stated before, they're not "loaded" in the game slot.
 

OrGoN3

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The reason why I made this, is because I did exactly that and I'm not banned.

I downloaded 10 XCI games, Loaded them all up while in CFW, I selected them one at a time, once they were all loaded into my switch menu, I turned off the system completely, loaded into stock FW, turned internet on, updated one at a time from the Start Menu.

You cant even load XCI games while in OFW because, like I stated before, they're not "loaded" in the game slot.
We know how SX OS works. No need to explain it. So you haven't been banned, YET, is the key here.
 
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Some were banned for only updating the game in OFW and others were banned for playing the games online because they legally owned and dumped them. Basically, there is no "safe" way to use .XCI or .NSP files.


You've said that, And I'm not saying you're wrong, but every person in that banlist thread that got banned with SXOS, used an NSP file, or updated the games while using SX OS's CFW mode, or left wifi on while going into dev menu.

I went through like 15 pages of ban reports and I've all noticed that same thing, same trend.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

In the reports, did they only connect online to update and not while in SX OS? Or did they get banned for attempting to play the game online? lol. I'm still trying to decide which route to go.

Do what I did, and look at the posts from the banlist, look at every person who's used SX OS, and is banned, and they all say something about Devmenus or NSP updating/getting pirated DLC, or lastly playing online by mistake
 

JiveTheTurkey

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They watch us. In the hall. On the toilet. In the shower... Reggie is looking. A one way mirror and he stares directly at you. No expression. No movement... then BAM!
YouBanned.png
 
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They watch us. In the hall. On the toilet. In the shower... Reggie is looking. A one way mirror and he stares directly at you. No expression. No movement... then BAM!
View attachment 146942

In all seriousness, Reggie has a serial killer face.

Imagine sitting at your desk, all the lights go out, and this face stares into your window

PvnyEAG.png


Please understand, there is no escape.
 
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Draxzelex

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You've said that, And I'm not saying you're wrong, but every person in that banlist thread that got banned with SXOS, used an NSP file, or updated the games while using SX OS's CFW mode, or left wifi on while going into dev menu.

I went through like 15 pages of ban reports and I've all noticed that same thing, same trend.
Firstly, I applaud the research you conducted. Second, because of your dedication, I decided to recomb through the data and I found something quite interesting. While you are right that everyone who updated .XCI files in OFW had not deleted their Wi-Fi settings, there are 3 users who were banned for deleting their Wi-Fi settings but never touched a .NSP file nor updated them in OFW. Now 2 of them used AutoRCM but I'd sooner blame .XCI files over AutoRCM leading to a ban since its installed in a place the NAND doesn't even capture.

Thirdly, while you insist on what you're doing is "safe", then let me pose you a question: How come everyone with .NSP files have not been banned yet? These are more "detectable" and thus "unsafe" as compared to .XCI files but look around and you can find plenty of people not banned for solely using .NSP files. Give up? The answer is bans are completely random! So while you haven't been banned yet, that doesn't automatically mean what you are doing is safe. Think about it: its only been, what, 5 months since bans started being handed out? Nintendo conducted banwaves on the 3DS for years and there was never a cause pinpointed for those. I commend you on your luck so far but I'm not biting and saying its safe; I'll only agree that a certain number of circumstances have caused you to not be banned yet.

Anyways, if you want a real answer to your question, we may never get one since SX OS is closed-source after all meaning we have no idea how it truly works. Maybe if another CFW or homebrew could implement .XCI loading, we could get more data on how "safe" it really is, but right now, there are too many variables to say one or the other.
 
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I'm legitimately curious to know what happens, or what would be the most likely cause. I didn't mean to come off as If I'm trying to debate you.

The big question I want to know, is when you unhook a game from the switch, and it remains as an icon on the dashboard, is what data is left behind when you go to update, that's basically the question.

When you put a game card and, and remove it, and the icon shows on the dashboard, and you update it, does Nintendo scan the ID ( Does an ID even stay when the cart is removed), or does it just try and pull and update file from the game without checking anything.
 
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fadx

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Been using XCI since SX OS 1.2 (all offline), updated XCI in OFW. Loaded SXOS and other CFW whilst not in airplane mode (no homebrew loaded though). Loaded NSP (whilst using 90DNS so I can still use network for homebrew). Updated NSP in OFW. Updated console to the same FW multiple times through OFW, whilst having fuses that shouldn't allow me to be on the FW I'm updating from. Cleared logs probably 50+ times.

Am I some miracle case or what? I've never used LayeredFS. I've never used XCI or NSP whilst online without 90dns and I never will.

How have I not been banned when I've been doing many different things that are "guarenteed bans" for so many months.

Edit: Also used SXOS emuNAND.

Edit 2: inb4 Nintendo collecting hundreds of thousands of people to ban for when they drop the new rumored Switch revision(s)
 
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Draxzelex

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I'm legitimately curious to know what happens, or what would be the most likely cause. I didn't mean to come off as If I'm trying to debate you.

The big question I want to know, is when you unhook a game from the switch, and it remains as an icon on the dashboard, is what data is left behind when you go to update, that's basically the question.

When you put a game card and, and remove it, and the icon shows on the dashboard, and you update it, does Nintendo scan the ID ( Does an ID even stay when the cart is removed), or does it just try and pull and update file from the game without checking anything.
Its fine, gave me a chance to comb over the data since its been a long time since I looked at the spreadsheet so closely so it was a refreshing exercise for me.

There is the save file that is stored on the console as one piece of evidence. There are also possibly error codes generated by trying to mount a split .XCI file or a .XCI file on a fake SD card that might tip off Nintendo. Lastly, there is an option under System Settings to automatically check for game updates named "Auto-Update Software" which I archived because although it checks for game updates, it doesn't prevent the console from going online to download a system update.
 

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