The Switch Flashcart Thread (Mig Switch etc.)

[TheStonedModder]

So this thread will be renamed with a third or fourth flash card in it's title?? Given all the lame drama, US do not deserve to have any kind of oxygen or reference. I feel sorry for any genuine MIG switch owner who has to trawl through this thread looking for advice and suggestions, only to be met with tons of unrelated tripe. Worst part is that even the negative comments keeps US front and center...

I’m happy to take suggestions on how to make the main post (post #1) more informative and relevant

Besides that the rest of this is just discussion …

 

[Deleted member 702243]

I have been using my main Switch to transfer game updates to my banned Switch. Generally, only hacked Switches get banned.

flashcart with games pirated online (shared files) is a pretty quick ban, for mig switch users with a mariko or oled the switch then can only play base version of games, since you can't connect to nintendo to download game updates anymore and installing nsp directly is not an option

a second switch that can run cfw works, but it can be expensive, and not always as available. we have full/unrestricted access to the hardware, it should be possible to reverse engineer how the update sharing functionality works, see how the hardware and the os communicates, and then maybe it could be possible to just have some kind of program on a computer that would just use a built-in wireless card and spoof it by sending the same data in the same format, and that could be much cheaper and much more accessible

considering that the local update share doesn't check in or validate with nintendo, it works purely offline locally, therefore it can't be using or requiring any kind of secret or private keys that we wouldn't be able to just extract from the console. the main hurdle would be signatures and those arent a problem because nintendo gives us signed update files anyway

the main problem I can think of is that regular wireless hardware might not necessarily be compatible, it might be physically unable to communicate in the same way the switch expects. and if that's the case then it would need some specific if not custom made hardware before it could work, at which point there's no benefit and it would be cheaper to buy a banned v1 or something

 

[AlphaBravo]

I’m happy to take suggestions on how to make the main post (post #1) more informative and relevant

Besides that the rest of this is just discussion …

My suggestion is to remove UnlockSwitch from the title of this thread. That would be a start. This might make more sense in a month or two...

 

[gbadl]

flashcart with games pirated online (shared files) is a pretty quick ban, for mig switch users with a mariko or oled the switch then can only play base version of games, since you can't connect to nintendo to download game updates anymore and installing nsp directly is not an option

a second switch that can run cfw works, but it can be expensive, and not always as available. we have full/unrestricted access to the hardware, it should be possible to reverse engineer how the update sharing functionality works, see how the hardware and the os communicates, and then maybe it could be possible to just have some kind of program on a computer that would just use a built-in wireless card and spoof it by sending the same data in the same format, and that could be much cheaper and much more accessible

the main problem I can think of is that regular wireless hardware might not necessarily be compatible, it might be physically unable to communicate in the same way the switch expects. and if that's the case then it would need some specific if not custom made hardware before it could work, at which point there's no benefit and it would be cheaper to buy a banned v1 or something

You would need something like a program that was used for old xbox original games to do Lan Gameplay over the internet.


As for the topic of this thread. If the name is changed it should include something in it for reverse engineering because I remember a while back someone cloned the hardware of the mig.

 

[ccfman2004]

Both of my Switches are the original v1 units. I don't have to worry about my main Switch getting banned using Mig Flash as I don't have any internet downloaded Switch games that would work with the Mig Switch. Plus since I only use Switch games that I have in my possession, I never have to worry about a cart ID being online more than once simultaneously.

 

[TheStonedModder]

My suggestion is to remove UnlockSwitch from the title of this thread. That would be a start. This might make more sense in a month or two...

That’s not a suggestion you’re complaining just to complain

Unlock being in the title doesn’t hurt a single person, especially since we are actively discussing it…

Here is mine from my desk (or least part of it )

 

[Deleted member 702243]

Both of my Switches are the original v1 units. I don't have to worry about my main Switch getting banned using Mig Flash as I don't have any internet downloaded Switch games that would work with the Mig Switch. Plus since I only use Switch games that I have in my possession, I never have to worry about a cart ID being online more than once simultaneously.

that's cool, so ccfman2004 on gbatemp doesn't need something like this therefore it's a useless idea

 

[ccfman2004]

It would be nice if Unlock Switch does actually get released and work at least as good as the Mig Flash.

Nintendo would likely go after them for using Switch in the title just like Mig Flash did.

 

[Deleted member 702243]

You would need something like a program that was used for old xbox original games to do Lan Gameplay over the internet.

I guess you got the spirit of it, but this is local wireless communications, it doesn't have anything to do with lan

it might be more like wifime for the ds which you could use a specific kind of wifi adapter with a server program on your computer to spoof a ds download play broadcast that real dses could see and connect to. except in the case of wifime they needed some kind of exploit to get past the signature checks, but for local update sharing on the switch we don't really need any exploits, because the update content is signed by nintendo. we just need to be able to broadcast a signal that the switch can understand

 

[ccfman2004]

Too bad we couldn't use Yuzu or Ryujinx to do this. LOL.

 

[csab6482]

My suggestion is to remove UnlockSwitch from the title of this thread.

I'm kind of on this guy's side, there is only one working Switch flashcart and it is the MIG Switch. Any "working" UnlockSwitch products had MIG ICs on them or used video editing for the "showcase".

I have no reservations when I say that this team is running a scam. Even if they intended on making a working clone, they have yet to crack the software but more importantly to admit that the encrypted software is the reason they cannot make the clone. There's nothing wrong with project setbacks, but they should be upfront and honest about it. Instead, these guys lie about release dates, make fake dev teams to try and split their nonexistent work, and berate people online that try and point out the inconsistencies or problems.

It's always something new with them, the latest thing being that their "open source" project has a "firmware [that] is not open for modification or external contributions. It remains controlled and managed internally by the our teams". Crazily enough I'm sure that there are more problematic surprises to come from the team.

Now, granted this thread has a lot of discussion about UnlockSwitch so I could see the flip side of why they're in the title, but maybe a note in the first post about the other flashcarts would be useful. For example, the MIG X and MIG DIY which have been shown to work but are only available in Asia could be pointed out, as well as the fact that UnlockSwitch is presently a vaporware product with multiple problematic and contradictory announcements surrounding it.

I understand that words like "scam" and "vaporware" should not be used lightly, but everything I have seen from that team points to that, and I think it is fair to point that out in post #1.

 

[TheStonedModder]

I'm kind of on this guy's side, there is only one working Switch flashcart and it is the MIG Switch. Any "working" UnlockSwitch products had MIG ICs on them or used video editing for the "showcase".

I have no reservations when I say that this team is running a scam. Even if they intended on making a working clone, they have yet to crack the software but more importantly to admit that the encrypted software is the reason they cannot make the clone. There's nothing wrong with project setbacks, but they should be upfront and honest about it. Instead, these guys lie about release dates, make fake dev teams to try and split their nonexistent work, and berate people online that try and point out the inconsistencies or problems.

It's always something new with them, the latest thing being that their "open source" project has a "firmware [that] is not open for modification or external contributions. It remains controlled and managed internally by the our teams". Crazily enough I'm sure that there are more problematic surprises to come from the team.

Now, granted this thread has a lot of discussion about UnlockSwitch so I could see the flip side of why they're in the title, but maybe a note in the first post about the other flashcarts would be useful. For example, the MIG X and MIG DIY which have been shown to work but are only available in Asia could be pointed out, as well as the fact that UnlockSwitch is presently a vaporware product with multiple problematic and contradictory announcements surrounding it.

I understand that words like "scam" and "vaporware" should not be used lightly, but everything I have seen from that team points to that, and I think it is fair to point that out in post #1.

Fun fact MiG X is just relabeled MiG

I can make a MIGbatemp edition for $300ish

 

[gbadl]

I guess you got the spirit of it, but this is local wireless communications, it doesn't have anything to do with lan

it might be more like wifime for the ds which you could use a specific kind of wifi adapter with a server program on your computer to spoof a ds download play broadcast that real dses could see and connect to. except in the case of wifime they needed some kind of exploit to get past the signature checks, but for local update sharing on the switch we don't really need any exploits, because the update content is signed by nintendo. we just need to be able to broadcast a signal that the switch can understand

Oh wait. I think you are right. You mean to say there really is no local lan connection over wifi. I was thinking the wifi to wifi connection between the 2 devices was kind of like a lan. I was thinking to connect to a wifi router that would tunnel the connection over something like a VPN to another switch that has the updates. If the local wifi connection doesn't go over a wifi router it won't work to create a tunnel.

Post automatically merged: Mar 1, 2025

I'm kind of on this guy's side, there is only one working Switch flashcart and it is the MIG Switch. Any "working" UnlockSwitch products had MIG ICs on them or used video editing for the "showcase".

I have no reservations when I say that this team is running a scam. Even if they intended on making a working clone, they have yet to crack the software but more importantly to admit that the encrypted software is the reason they cannot make the clone. There's nothing wrong with project setbacks, but they should be upfront and honest about it. Instead, these guys lie about release dates, make fake dev teams to try and split their nonexistent work, and berate people online that try and point out the inconsistencies or problems.

It's always something new with them, the latest thing being that their "open source" project has a "firmware [that] is not open for modification or external contributions. It remains controlled and managed internally by the our teams". Crazily enough I'm sure that there are more problematic surprises to come from the team.

Now, granted this thread has a lot of discussion about UnlockSwitch so I could see the flip side of why they're in the title, but maybe a note in the first post about the other flashcarts would be useful. For example, the MIG X and MIG DIY which have been shown to work but are only available in Asia could be pointed out, as well as the fact that UnlockSwitch is presently a vaporware product with multiple problematic and contradictory announcements surrounding it.

I understand that words like "scam" and "vaporware" should not be used lightly, but everything I have seen from that team points to that, and I think it is fair to point that out in post #1.

I think you were the one earlier that reverse engineered the mig hardware. Would you not want something in the title for reverse engineering efforts.

 

[csab6482]

Fun fact MiG X is just relabeled MiG

I can make a MIGbatemp edition for $300ish

You're right, but interestingly enough it is a slightly different PCB as seen in the photos in this blogpost. I have a Taiwanese shipping forwarder that I may use to get my hands on a MIG DIY.

But my point is that these cloners have at least gotten a product out that some people can buy and use as advertised, and Unlock has not. Whether or not they rip the chips from MIG, have some pre-programmed ones that fell off a truck, or something else I don't know, but there are a few people that have reported purchasing a MIG X or MIG DIY and showing that it works.

With that in mind, I do think it is appropriate to have post #1 and the title reflect that MIG is the only flashcart as of now, and there are a few teams looking to clone it to varying degrees of success.

I think you were the one earlier that reverse engineered the mig hardware. Would you not want something in the title for reverse engineering efforts.

That's me! Given that the first post has some replacement parts linked, I think my PCBs could qualify as a replacement part (e.g. you spilled a drink on your MIG Dumper but the chip is still good). They are also a good educational resource to understand the electronics behind the devices, but I don't think that should be in the title.

Side note: There are some purported schematics and gerbers for the Dumper I found here, and these are way wrong. The schematic is for an entirely different device dated 2022 and the PCB has many things wrong with it, but let's just keep it simple and note that the USB connector doesn't have its VBUS or GND nets routed anywhere, so this board isn't even capable of turning on. Whoever commissioned this unfortunately got scammed.

 

[rayida]

It would be nice if Unlock Switch does actually get released and work at least as good as the Mig Flash.

Nintendo would likely go after them for using Switch in the title just like Mig Flash did.

The fact that Nintendo haven't gone after them is probably as good an indication as any that it's vaporware. They're probably content to let them scam unwitting pirates out of their money, when they inevitably get to that stage..

 

[Blythe93]

But my point is that these cloners have at least gotten a product out that some people can buy and use as advertised, and Unlock has not.

Remember these?

That's how it all started. Sadly, if I remember correctly, they were just MIG Switch carts with a bit different PCB and their own branding on it put inside the regular aftermarket Switch game case. But yeah, you couldn't buy them as they were giving them away only to a few people on Twitter/X or something like that. And that was the only thing that they've released that at the very least worked as intended.

 

[ScrambledEgg]

Remember these?

View attachment 488509

That's how it all started. Sadly, if I remember correctly, they were just MIG Switch carts with a bit different PCB and their own branding on it put inside the regular aftermarket Switch game case. But yeah, you couldn't buy them as they were giving them away only to a few people on Twitter/X or something like that. And that was the only thing that they've released that at the very least worked as intended.

These cards worked because the chipset was swapped from a Mig pcb.

They sended out a special firmware, that write the serial to a file on the sd. MIG checked that file and confirmed this that they using their chips.

 

[Deleted member 702243]

so the listings on aliexpress that seem legit don't ship to so many countries, and the ones that do ship to those countries look like scams (weeks old accounts with 0 reviews stealing the pictures and descriptions from other sellers)

that's a shame

 

[ccfman2004]

so the listings on aliexpress that seem legit don't ship to so many countries, and the ones that do ship to those countries look like scams (weeks old accounts with 0 reviews stealing the pictures and descriptions from other sellers)

that's a shame

On the Mig Flash website they list their authorized resellers. That's where I got mine.

https://migflash.com/#/where-to-buy

 

[TheStonedModder]