The Switch Flashcart Thread (Mig Switch/UnlockSwitch etc.)

[impeeza]

Hi guys, I've read a few pages, but unfortunately I haven't found any suitable answers. Without reading all 90 pages,
can someone please help me with the following questions?

Do only certain games work with the Migswitch or all Switch games?
Does the Migswitch work with the latest firmware 19.0.1?
Can the Migswitch function be disabled with a firmware update from Nintendo?
Can the games be updated and are DLCs possible?

I appreciate any help, thank you guys!

NO
YES
YES
May be not
NO on the MIG, they must be updated as normal cartridges.

You are welcome.

 

[Blythe93]

Do only certain games work with the Migswitch or all Switch games?

You were supposed to use the full dumps of the games you physically own. The full dump consists of XCI file (your cart dump) and a couple of BIN files: initial data, certificate, card certificate and card UID. To make the game work, at the very least you'll need an XCI and a matching initial data BIN file, while the rest of the files can be taken from a donor. However, playing games this way will get you banned.

Does the Migswitch work with the latest firmware 19.0.1?

I don't have one but it should be, judging by the replies of the other users.

Can the Migswitch function be disabled with a firmware update from Nintendo?

Maybe? As far as I know, they are yet to address it.

Can the games be updated and are DLCs possible?

If you have a full dumps of the games you physically own and you followed the instructions to the letter, you'll be able to download updates straight from the eShop (provided you aren't banned or restricted). Otherwise, if your console is banned, you can match the game version locally with another Switch (preferably modded one) that has the same game with the version of the update you want to update to. Sometimes, some updates are already included on the carts along with the base game. Sometimes, you get DLC content as well. Sadly, there's no way to get DLC if your console is banned unless it was already included on the cart or you've previously purchased it from the eShop and downloaded.

 

[MethodMan2025]

Thanks for the answers guys!
@Blythe93 I saw a video about Tinfoil in Youtube. There was a section called XCI.
Is that the same XCI which you mentioned in your answer?

 

[TheStonedModder]

Thanks for the answers guys!
@Blythe93 I saw a video about Tinfoil in Youtube. There was a section called XCI.
Is that the same XCI which you mentioned in your answer?

Yes and no

Those XCIs won’t work on the mig since they don’t have the cert files

You also can’t use tinfoil without a modddd switch

Even if it had the cert files they’d get you banned since they would be very widely shared thanks to tinfoil

 

[Antares2]

There's a manual way to add a NSP or XCI update DLC file to a game to the MigSwitch into a Switch with broken module wireless connection?
Thanks.

 

[TheStonedModder]

There's a manual way to add a NSP or XCI update DLC file to a game to the MigSwitch into a Switch with broken module wireless connection?
Thanks.

No. NSPs don’t work on the MiG and you can’t use modified XCI files

 

[hippy dave]

There's a manual way to add a NSP or XCI update DLC file to a game to the MigSwitch into a Switch with broken module wireless connection?
Thanks.

No, only save way to get the update on an unhacked Switch is WiFi transfer from another Switch that has the update, so would need working WiFi.
Edit: I missed that you said DLC. No way to pirate it

 

[bluesveins]

Anyone knows how exactly those mig devices work ? I mean the real technical/software side ? It’s using some kind of exploit/bug ?

 

[Matt1984]

I have a question around the MIG Switch. I'm traveling overseas for an extended period of time, and instead of taking my large (legit, physical cartridge based) switch game collection I figured I'd load them all onto a MIG Switch.

I also read about potential bans so I purchased a cheap second hand hardware modded switch and have set up running emuMMC as per the Switch Hacks Guide tutorial. I understand that as long as I'm using my own complete cartridge dumps, I should be okay, however I'm still not taking the risk.

After getting a V2 and dumper off AliExpress I found that there were a number of games that the dumper could not dump. Every time the game was the active game on the MIG Switch, the console would error that it could not read the cartridge. Interestingly if I dump that same game using the MigDumpTool on the modded switch, it will then work. The only difference being the game dump itself is split into 4GB parts in a subfolder as opposed to the dumper which shows the game as rom.xci. I'm not wondering if there are any differences in the binary output from the dumper compared to the MigDumpTool on a modded switch? Could a dumper that dumps corrupted games cause a ban?

To get around the cumbersome button press issue, I got myself two MIG Switch V1 carts, and a Unitek Dock with build in 4 slot game changer off AliExpress. I then put half my games on MIG Switch V1 and the other half on the other. Two cartridges are required to be inserted into the Unitek dock for it's game switching feature to work.

Initially it worked quite well, cycling through the games, however if I start a game, and then exit, that game on that MIG Switch stays locked in and will not change. The only way to change it is to physically eject that card from the game changer and put it directly into the switch, and then ejected it quickly when the green light is on, then put it back into the game changer. This kind of defeats the purpose of the game changer with its remote. The only other way to fix the issue is to put the micro sd card into the computer and delete the index file. Is there any work around for this game locking issue?

Has anyone managed to get a couple of MIG Switch cards plus a Unitek dock and game changer working reliably?

Maybe the answer is just install the game dumps directly under emuMMC and call it a day?

I'm not interested in any piracy. I'm just looking to play my full game collection while I'm travelling where it is not practical as my game collection is physical.

 

[hippy dave]

Maybe the answer is just install the game dumps directly under emuMMC and call it a day?

Yes. At least one of the dumper or installer apps can install straight from cartridge I'm pretty sure. As you've already paid for the full convenience of a modded Switch, just install the games, then you can run them all from the menu without all the button cycling and cartridge switching nonsense.

 

[metroid maniac]

To get around the cumbersome button press issue, I got myself two MIG Switch V1 carts, and a Unitek Dock with build in 4 slot game changer off AliExpress. I then put half my games on MIG Switch V1 and the other half on the other. Two cartridges are required to be inserted into the Unitek dock for it's game switching feature to work.

Have you tried using one real cart instead of two migs?
I have this dock and one Mig v1, but I haven't used it very much. If I get time, I'll see whether I can reproduce the issue...

 

[impeeza]

Anyone knows how exactly those mig devices work ? I mean the real technical/software side ? It’s using some kind of exploit/bug ?

They use no bug, or xploit, they DO NOT MODIFY the console anyway.

They have a FPGA which can be reprogrammed to act like a exact copy of a existing cartridge, that's why you need the FULL dump of the cartridge, including certificates. For the LOTUS device (the cartridge reader) there is no way to differentiate an original cartridge from a MIG correctly emulated one.

And that's why if two people use the same set of dumps at the same time the ninjas can ban you because the only way for the ninjas tell there is a copy is if both copies are used at the same time.

 

[ghjfdtg]

Honestly, if you already bought a modded system there was no need to buy the Mig in the first place. You could have dumped and installed your games.

 

[BigOnYa]

Honestly, if you already bought a modded system there was no need to buy the Mig in the first place. You could have dumped and installed your games.

Not totally true, if a person has a bunch of carts and wants to play online without worrying about a ban, and swapping carts, MIG can be usefull. But yea for strictly offline play, just install/ dump games to the Emunand and play.

 

[ghjfdtg]

That's the only advantage but i doubt you are going to play online much if you are traveling.

 

[bluesveins]

They use no bug, or xploit, they DO NOT MODIFY the console anyway.

They have a FPGA which can be reprogrammed to act like a exact copy of a existing cartridge, that's why you need the FULL dump of the cartridge, including certificates. For the LOTUS device (the cartridge reader) there is no way to differentiate an original cartridge from a MIG correctly emulated one.

And that's why if two people use the same set of dumps at the same time the ninjas can ban you because the only way for the ninjas tell there is a copy is if both copies are used at the same time.

Cool. To this point i know everything that you explained but i would like to know what is the "secret sauce" on the device and what exactly is on those firmware files (update.s2) that you need to upload to SD card? Anyone exploited this topic furthermore?

 

[impeeza]

Cool. To this point i know everything that you explained but i would like to know what is the "secret sauce" on the device and what exactly is on those firmware files (update.s2) that you need to upload to SD card? Anyone exploited this topic furthermore?

As you tell is a «secret» not even the aparently «open mig» proyect has released it.

but basically is reprogram a FPGA to act like a Flash Chip with all the certificates of a Secure MMC one.

 

[bluesveins]

As you tell is a «secret» not even the aparently «open mig» proyect has released it.

but basically is reprogram a FPGA to act like a Flash Chip with all the certificates of a Secure MMC one.

So its not like open source thing ?:>

 

[metroid maniac]

They use no bug, or xploit, they DO NOT MODIFY the console anyway.

They have a FPGA which can be reprogrammed to act like a exact copy of a existing cartridge, that's why you need the FULL dump of the cartridge, including certificates. For the LOTUS device (the cartridge reader) there is no way to differentiate an original cartridge from a MIG correctly emulated one.

And that's why if two people use the same set of dumps at the same time the ninjas can ban you because the only way for the ninjas tell there is a copy is if both copies are used at the same time.

Is this speculation or is it known for certain that there isn't e.g. a weakness in the cart protocol that was exploited?

 

[impeeza]

So its not like open source thing ?:>

no yet