Hacking Question Switch "update" for SDXC / exfat?

[JerryShaw]

Currently not possible, like what was said earlier in this thread. Format to fat32 or don't use.

Yep, may be the only way now. Thanks.

 

[reminon]

Yep, may be the only way now. Thanks.

Yessir.

Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk

 

[the_randomizer]

I think the point is that people want to be able to use a properly formatted high capacity card in the meantime.

Trying to format as FAT32 using guiformat first sounds like a good idea, though.

And being on FAT32 will also prevent you from installing games >4 GB big, so yeah, gotta pick your poison I guess.

 

[sj33]

And being on FAT32 will also prevent you from installing games >4 GB big, so yeah, gotta pick your poison I guess.

Hypothetically. That can be dealt with when the time comes.

External drives on the PS3 have the same issue. People just use file splitting.

 

[TheCyberQuake]

And being on FAT32 will also prevent you from installing games >4 GB big, so yeah, gotta pick your poison I guess.

Fat32 only prevents single files from being larger than 4gb. Most of the time when a game installed it basically unpacks to multiple files, and I have yet to see a game have a single file larger than 4gb, even when the total game size is 16+gb. So even fat32 should be able to install any game. And for piracy that would require cfw or running like loadiine, the former being able to download the sdxc update and the latter using decompressed games. So really its all around a non-issue, which I stated at the beginning

 

[JerryShaw]

And being on FAT32 will also prevent you from installing games >4 GB big, so yeah, gotta pick your poison I guess.

Fat32 only prevents single files from being larger than 4gb. Most of the time when a game installed it basically unpacks to multiple files, and I have yet to see a game have a single file larger than 4gb, even when the total game size is 16+gb. So even fat32 should be able to install any game. And for piracy that would require cfw or running like loadiine, the former being able to download the sdxc update and the latter using decompressed games. So really its all around a non-issue, which I stated at the beginning

But in 3DS, the main game file in the largest one file after intalled on SD card from CIA, the file size is almost the same or little less than the CIA file. Few files are extracted from the CIA, usually, 3 or 4 files.

 

[TheCyberQuake]

But in 3DS, the main game file in the largest one file after intalled on SD card from CIA, the file size is almost the same or little less than the CIA file. Few files are extracted from the CIA, usually, 3 or 4 files.

If it had files larger than 4gb on a system that supports sdhc, then all hell would break loose. The system is designed to by default support fat32. If you install a 12gb game on a 32gb fat32 card it will install just fine. They have to make the file structure support fat32 entirely, so the game files will not be larger than 4gb. Its also why 3ds games will always download larger games, and on that system you are forced to format fat32

 

[the_randomizer]

Fat32 only prevents single files from being larger than 4gb. Most of the time when a game installed it basically unpacks to multiple files, and I have yet to see a game have a single file larger than 4gb, even when the total game size is 16+gb. So even fat32 should be able to install any game. And for piracy that would require cfw or running like loadiine, the former being able to download the sdxc update and the latter using decompressed games. So really its all around a non-issue, which I stated at the beginning

I wasn't aware of how the file structure worked when downloading Switch games to an SD card. My apologies.

But in 3DS, the main game file in the largest one file after intalled on SD card from CIA, the file size is almost the same or little less than the CIA file. Few files are extracted from the CIA, usually, 3 or 4 files.

A thousand pardons for my assumption.

 

[TheCyberQuake]

I wasn't aware of how the file structure worked when downloading Switch games to an SD card. My apologies.



A thousand pardons for my assumption.

Don't worry about it. I only know because I have to as an IT major.

 

[JerryShaw]

If it had files larger than 4gb on a system that supports sdhc, then all hell would break loose. The system is designed to by default support fat32. If you install a 12gb game on a 32gb fat32 card it will install just fine. They have to make the file structure support fat32 entirely, so the game files will not be larger than 4gb. Its also why 3ds games will always download larger games, and on that system you are forced to format fat32

That makes sense. Thanks for the answer, though it is still unknown for NS.

 

[the_randomizer]

Don't worry about it. I only know because I have to as an IT major.

I...fair enough. Though if people can use exFAT, that works too.

 

[TheCyberQuake]

I...fair enough. Though if people can use exFAT, that works too.

Yeah, but if the files are smaller than 4gb it won't matter anyway, as both will be supported. Imo the only reason switch supports exfat is because you'll want a large SD and by default those come with exfat. Better add the support rather than force users to download software of their pc to format to fat32.

 

[the_randomizer]

Yeah, but if the files are smaller than 4gb it won't matter anyway, as both will be supported. Imo the only reason switch supports exfat is because you'll want a large SD and by default those come with exfat. Better add the support rather than force users to download software of their pc to format to fat32.

Fortunately, you can force SDXC cards to use FAT32 using the right software AFAIK.

 

[TheCyberQuake]

Fortunately, you can force SDXC cards to use FAT32 using the right software AFAIK.

Yeah, but nintendo wouldn't want to force that on the basic users who likely wouldn't be able to figure it out. They want it as plug and play as they can, though it does require the update for that. Iirc sdxc is required a licensing fee, so they probably reduce costs by only downloading it on systems that need it rather than on every system

 

[JerryShaw]

Curious, what happens if you insert the card without an internet connection (thus, no update to download)? Does it still force an update?

It presumably at least has to add system files to the card like the 3DS does.

Tried, forced to update but failed, asked me to connect to Internet first. Haha, using fat32 now.

 

[sj33]

If you can use FAT32 anyway, I’m not sure I understand what the big issue is.

 

[JerryShaw]

If you can use FAT32 anyway, I’m not sure I understand what the big issue is.

All is good up till now.

 

[DocKlokMan]

If you have access to piracy, you'll likely have access to cfw with emunand or coldboot, so you'll be able to have an updated firmware. Meaning it would be a non-issue because at that point you can just download the update and maintain access to homebrew/piracy.

This is actually not true unless Cold Boot does happen (in which case you don't need emuNAND). While the emuNAND would have the exFAT update to support exFAT formatted cards, the stock OS would not. Since you would likely need to load an exploit from the SD card to boot into the emuNAND in the first place, then the SD card would need to be formatted in FAT32 for the Switch to read it and use the exploit. Since the emuNAND is on the SD card and you cannot switch SD cards without rebooting the Switch, you would not be able to swap the SD card to an exFAT one after booting the emuNAND. So this still ends up being an issue.

However, while we cannot downgrade, we may still be able to manually upgrade to a SDXC update through homebrew and solve the issue that way.

 

[torrent_get]

One year later.

I am glad to see Nintendo is still paying the microsoft sdxc license fee on a per unit basis and not a blanket fee.

 

[reminon]

This is actually not true unless Cold Boot does happen (in which case you don't need emuNAND). While the emuNAND would have the exFAT update to support exFAT formatted cards, the stock OS would not. Since you would likely need to load an exploit from the SD card to boot into the emuNAND in the first place, then the SD card would need to be formatted in FAT32 for the Switch to read it and use the exploit. Since the emuNAND is on the SD card and you cannot switch SD cards without rebooting the Switch, you would not be able to swap the SD card to an exFAT one after booting the emuNAND. So this still ends up being an issue.

However, while we cannot downgrade, we may still be able to manually upgrade to a SDXC update through homebrew and solve the issue that way.

Capturing the update on the emunand, and then installing it through homebrew on sysnand would be nice.

 

[Ryccardo]

Iirc sdxc is required a licensing fee, so they probably reduce costs by only downloading it on systems that need it rather than on every system

Indirectly: Exfat is patented, and the SDXC standard mandates a single partition formatted as Exfat

No technical reason they couldn't just format everything as fat32, but then they wouldn't be able to honestly advertise "SDXC compatible", just as it already happens with DSi/3DS/Wii/U (which don't have the software to reformat cards in the first place)