Nintendo Temporarily Bans Switch 2 Owner for Playing Pre-Owned Switch 1 Games — Decision Overturned After ‘Proving Innocence’

Whoa, okay, so here’s the scoop. Imagine getting your shiny new Nintendo Switch 2, and — bam! — it’s banned before you can even say “Mario Kart.” Crazy, right? This dude on Reddit, goes by dmanthey, somehow found himself in this pickle. Bought a few games off Facebook, like who doesn’t love a bargain, and then — snap! — can’t even get online the next day. I mean, you wake up, grab your coffee, and suddenly you’re getting a “no dice” message from Nintendo about online services. Ugh.

So, plot twist — or maybe not, if you kinda expected it — Nintendo’s like, “Hey, you’ve been messing with pirated games.” Pretty harsh. But dmanthey’s no quitter. Somehow, he manages to talk to an actual human (impressive feat these days, right?) on the Nintendo Support site. Shows them pics, listings, all that jazz to prove those games weren’t shady deals. Apparently, it wasn’t a big hassle, which makes you wonder if Microsoft or Sony are taking notes here. Seriously, points to Nintendo for actually being kinda reasonable when someone’s been duped. Although, you might not always get that lucky, so fingers crossed.

And here’s the thing, Nintendo doesn’t mess around. They’ve got this rep for, like, hardcore protecting their stuff. Banhammer in full swing for any step outta line with their intellectual property. Getting banned doesn’t turn your Switch into a useless brick, but man, it cuts off that sweet online action — which is sorta the whole point of these consoles now, isn’t it?

Now, about those second-hand games. A bit of a gamble, honestly. Imagine some sneaky seller flashing the game onto another card and keeping it — not cool. Then you’ve got this copy floating around and Nintendo’s on high alert. If your console’s caught with it? Boom. Banned. They’ve got these checks, like, everywhere, so it’s not just local bad luck.

But, here’s a nugget of hope. If you can swing the evidence that you were innocently shopping around and got snookered, Nintendo might reverse that decision. Still, the question lingers — can dmanthey even use these cartridges now? They’re maybe a ticking time bomb of bans. Who knows?

Anyway, it’s wild, and maybe don’t chance it unless you’re ready for the ride. Oh, and if you’re thirsty for more chaos or updates, Tom’s Hardware on Google News might be what you need. If you’re into that kinda thing.