Gaming Does the switch authenticate licenses

[yusuo]

Basically long story short, I'm currently running a fundraiser to buy some Switches for a local childrens hospital, so far I've raised just shy of £1500 and I got hit up by a local indie developer who donated £280 and a few codes for their games to put on the switches for the kids in hospital.

My concern is as these switches will very unlikely be connected to the Internet at all when at the hospital due to the hospitals IT policy can I actually use these codes, will the switch periodically try and authenticate them and if they fail will the games stop working, or am I good to load them up at home before handing the switches over to the hospital.

 

[Tigran]

If you have a specific profile on the switch, say "Switch Room 1" and use a code on that account. That account doesn't have to reverify.

However if you then copied "Switch Room 1" profile to ANOTHER switch, it would need to verify the game every time you log on.

 

[yusuo]

If you have a specific profile on the switch, say "Switch Room 1" and use a code on that account. That account doesn't have to reverify.

However if you then copied "Switch Room 1" profile to ANOTHER switch, it would need to verify the game every time you log on.

Nope I've been given enough codes for the 7 switches I'm buying.

So just to clarify, if the switches never connect to the Internet again, the games will always work? How about if the kids create new profiles for themselves, will the game work on all profiles? when they're out of my hands I can't control what happens lol

 

[yusuo]

Anyone, anyone

 

[x65943]

Nope I've been given enough codes for the 7 switches I'm buying.

So just to clarify, if the switches never connect to the Internet again, the games will always work? How about if the kids create new profiles for themselves, will the game work on all profiles? when they're out of my hands I can't control what happens lol

It's my understanding the games should never need to be "re-verified" or anything, only hiccup I can think of is the fact that the kids can screw around in the setting and delete the games.

Make sure there is some sort of parental control set-up so they can't do that.

 

[yusuo]

It's my understanding the games should never need to be "re-verified" or anything, only hiccup I can think of is the fact that the kids can screw around in the setting and delete the games.

Make sure there is some sort of parental control set-up so they can't do that.

I did think about that, but then again that opens up its own set of issues, I would be locking off the Internet if anyone chooses to, I would be locking off the ability to delete games if the space is exceeded and I would be cutting off the ability to update these consoles.

Seeing as I would never likely see them again this is prob not the best idea.

When I was in hospital you could guest sign into the WiFi, the login itself only lasts 5 days before it changes, I'm not saying kids can't use that guest login, the older ones probably can and play fortnite and what not, what I'm saying is I will have zero control if goes wrong and any pin I create will likely be lost in the 100s of staff the hospital employs.

 

[x65943]

Maybe a better solution would be physical games then?

 

[Hayato213]

The game has to be linked to the primary console, if you link the same Nintendo account to a non primary unit the switch has to be online when the game launch.

 

[nantalos]

You need to take the switches online once to download the game using the code.
After that they can stay offline and play any game that has been downloaded or inserted as a game card. If the account on the switch owns the game (if it's the account you went to the eshop, typed in the code and then downloaded the game) it will never have to verify anything.

Like others said if you put one account on multiple switches then you run into a scenario where each secondary switch for that account will need to be online to verify game purchases. So as long as you use separate accounts for each console - like you have planned - it will be fine.

 

[shadowofdarkness]

I have specifically looked into donations of items to a children's hospital before and in the official information it says any physical items have to be new and factory sealed. To prevent introducing any possible contagions to the hospital. So I would look into that as they will not accept any system you have opened in order to set them up.