Hardware Please beware of buying used cartridges!

[Deleted User]

About a year ago, SciresM posted on Twitter that Nintendo supposedly has the ability to ban individual gamecart certs. I wonder if this is what OP's friend experienced?

https://mobile.twitter.com/SciresM/status/1009436235536871424

No. This error is exclusive to those who use XCI with cert and play it online

 

[RHOPKINS13]

Actually, I suspected this sort of thing was possible. People could buy games with the sole purpose of making a "backup" of them, either for themselves to use or perhaps even to dump for the scene, and turn around and sell them.

And when Nintendo detects that two copies of the same cartridge ID are online at once, ban hammer!

I'll admit it's probably rare, but I'm sure it does happen. And I've avoided buying any used games for my Switch for that very reason.

 

[CMDreamer]

So then, if I own two Switch consoles (with diferent user on each), and I play the same game I've payed for on both, one of them will get banned?

That sucks...

Bad business model.

Edit.
Oh, OK, got it. Same game ID at once will get the Switch banned, then I agree, I'm OK with that.

 

[osaka35]

Aye, I can see the issue. If Nintendo did it a certain way, and just ban any console using the same cert, it could cause problems. really, though, Nintendo should make allowances for buying used games.

I can't see this being a common issue, but I can definitely seeing some idiot buying a used game themselves, ripping it, then returning it for a refund. don't know why they wouldn't use a redbox or something first, but aye.

Wonder if nintendo would be willing to undue it under any circumstance, especially when given proof.

So then, if I own two Switch consoles (with diferent user on each), and I play the same game I've payed for on both, one of them will get banned?

That sucks...

Bad business model.

Physical you can't play at the same time. Digital will be tied to the same account. If it shows you're playing the exact same physical copy on two separate consoles at the same time, then I could see that getting banned.

 

[Lucifer666]

I would call Nintendo and tell them that the cart you bought secondhand was banned. I don't know what laws are like in Mexico, (or if you'd have to call American lines?) but I think for them not to unban your cart at that point would be pretty unreasonable. Worth a shot IMHO.

Edit: Sorry, this is OP's friend, not OP, but nonetheless I would advise as ^

 

[The Real Jdbye]

*resists urge to edit in "because someone may have licked it"*

Anyway going to have to wait for more reports to roll in here, or get a better understanding of what happened. Nintendo actually seem to be vaguely competent this time around so I imagine they will have planned for this sort of thing.

I also am going to need something on that 360 stuff -- those few games that did come with online passes or DLC download codes I would have expected the "this code has already been used, feel free to buy from our store though" to happen for those. Not sure what went for profile cloning (became far more viable after USB support was added) but I am mainly expecting the "? has signed in elsewhere" or normal anti hacking measures. To my knowledge we never saw bans for anything other than bad conduct, DVD modding, KK/JTAG/RGH, profile modding and knowingly joining hacked lobbies, not even sure anybody got pinged for turn small DLC into the save format trick.

Can confirm chances are relatively high (5-10% per person that has owned it) of used games being licked, I licked one of my Switch cartridges.
They don't taste as bad as people make it seem. About as bitter as a grapefruit.

First of all, I’m sorry, but I fontanero understand the switch hacking language because I have never hacked a Nintendo Switch, and I won’t until the next system shows up and Nintendo forgets about the switch. It sometimes happens and sometimes not, it is not 100% for sure that Nintendo will ban you for a used game, but there is still a chance that they will

He is saying that someone backed up/dumped the cartridge and either shared it online or played online with it getting the cartridge header blacklisted. It's likely an extremely rare thing (something like <0.01%) for your friend to end up with a used copy that has been used for piracy in the past, but it seems to be what happened here. Nintendo wouldn't randomly ban some people that are playing used games.

Even though they don't really need a good reason to ban someone from online services because it's a service they own and control and they can do whatever they want with, once people started catching on that they are actually banning people just for buying used games, they would lose a lot of Nintendo Switch Online sales and some game sales as well from people boycotting them and either pirating or buying on another platform.
It would be a terrible idea. I'm positive there's more to this story that we don't know.

Hasn't it been confirmed that Nintendo bans certs associated with modding?

If so, someone could buy a copy of a game, rip it, return it to Gamestop, and play it online with SX OS while another console is playing it. I don't think Nintendo would be able to tell which was the legit copy or not.

I know I've never been banned from playing my ripped XCI's online with SX OS for about a year now.

When people are talking about certs they mean the unique console certs and not the cartridge headers.
There haven't been many bans in the past year or so but rest assured you are most likely flagged, and the only reason you're not banned yet is because Nintendo hasn't felt like it.