The Nintendo Switch doesn't currently support cloud saves, which means that your precious save data - whether you're playing on a game card or via a digital download - is tied to the console itself. We may see cloud saves in the future - Reggie seems pretty positive about it - but for the time being, if you lose or damage your system you also lose all of your progress.
An interesting story emerged recently regarding a Reddit user by the name of Patsuann, who claimed that having sent their Switch console to Nintendo for repairs, they were able to re-download their save data when the system returned. The story goes that while Patsuann's user account was still on the console, none of the save data was present when it returned from Nintendo. However, booting up The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - which displayed a cloud-shaped icon next to its name - triggered an apparent download of save data.
Exciting, right? However, NeoGAF user kudus spotted something fishy in the video - at the start of the footage it is clearly shown that the Zelda game card is not inserted, but there's a cut just halfway through which suggests that Patsuann is up to something.
If you look at the video, when he first boots up the Switch there's no cartridge for Zelda inserted. Then the video cuts, and a cartridge is inserted but now the so-called "cloud save" icon appears above the menu icon. I bet that whatever is downloaded is the patch, and not his save file.
Whatever takes place during the cut we don't currently know - perhaps Patsuann fires up another Switch with save data already on it to fool us - but what we do know is that the process detailed in the video cannot be replicated, as kudos posted their own video debunking the theory. They deleted the save data and the same cloud icon appeared next to Zelda; however, tapping the icon simply downloaded the latest patch but no save data.
Could Patsuann be telling the truth, and Nintendo somehow marked their save data for cloud backup when the console was returned for repairs? Or is this just an elaborate hoax? Sound off in the comments section to share your thoughts.
[source uk.ign.com]
Comments 42
I imagine about 6 months from now a lot of our gripes will have been fixed with patches and we will have a whole new set of complaints.
Hmm it'll be interesting to see how this one pans out...
I'm just happy you called them by what they are. Game Cards, not cartridges. Since they aren't cartridges.
I wouldn't say either of these videos prove anything. It is definitely fishy that the console came with his profile, the game, but not his saved data. At the same time though, you see the guy pull the console out of the box with no Wifi connection or game cartridge so the hard cut could just be him setting up his Wifi and other settings again. Best to assume its not coming until Nintendo confirms it.
@JHDK "You mean only 3 retail titles, a dozen indie games, and 5 VC games launched this week? Nintendoomed obviously."
I wonder if I own other gaming device in the place that has NO Clouds outside. Let's say Sahara desert. Can I still able to use Cloud save data ?
I'm filing this under "rumor" until it's proven otherwise.
If save data backup/transfer options don't end up coming it's rather shameful given their previous consoles had more options. It's as simple as that for me really.
Whether or not cloud saving, in particular, will end up being the solution is secondary to the existence of any solution.
Cloud saving's coming, Nintendo said so. The only question is when.
The video is weird, the 'new' switch boots up with preset up. I'm happy to say it's fake BUT I have no doubt that cloud or micro SD saves are on the way. Nintendo is really trying to listen to their audience after the Wii U failure. Fingers crossed
I'm sure this feature will eventually be legitimately revealed. They seem to want to spread out reveals of both games and system features across the year, in an attemp to keep up buzz about Nintendo Switch. Most people see this as a bad thing, but I'm patient. Still, cloud storage would've been nice standard.
Cloud won't save Switch. He probably won't appear on the "console" outside of the Smash Bros. Wii U port.
Oh we'll get cloud saves. 3 reasons, or pieces of evidence that point to it. For one, it was rumored before launch, and 95% of those rumors came out to be true. For two, Reggie was talking up how nice it would be, and the president of NoA isn't going to talk up a feature they're never going to implement. For three, it's the only logical solution to ensure people can transfer their progress when upgrading to a newer model down the line.
It's gonna happen, the question is when. As long as it comes by the time their online service goes live, we're good.
I thought so, most "leaks" are too good to be true. Though we still do need cloud saves.
I would also like to see some kind of anti-theft software at a level hidden from the user.
You could call Nintendo or login to your account in a browser to inform them it is lost or stolen. The next time the Switch with your account and / or unique serial number is booted up and scans for / connects to Wi-Fi, it logs and reports back the IP address (and from that a rough location as well). It could also log the account ID of the unauthorised user.
It would only attempt location logging and reporting once it is flagged as lost or stolen, so there isn't so much of a privacy issue.
Bonus points for the hindrance of being unable to connect to the eShop for downloads, and being unable to update / patch software on a hot Switch without giving yourself away.
Not foolproof but better than nothing for a portable device.
Neogaf lately is rife with hoaxes and liars, so I'll assume this to be fake until proven otherwise.
A cloud service sure would be nice.
@ThePoochyKid lol just lol your full of yourself lol
the cloud icon appears whenever you had something installed but then archive that software. the same applies for retail games that only had patches installed.
@Slim1999 Cool man. By the way, it's "you're", not "your".
@KIREEK the console is 2 weeks old. Xbone even launched with half its features missing or "in progress". I wouldn't discount or grumble about anything until its over a year old.
If SD card saves don't come - I fully expect cloud saves to be bundled in with the paid online account - which makes sense.
@JaxonH after a long thought - I think it will be bundled with the online paid subscription. Makes sense.. Nintendo hasn't announced any details about that yet, and they are a "for profit" company.
If not part of it, I think it will launch beside the online subscription.
It's pretty sad that could saves are nothing but hopes and dreams for Switch owners currently. I hope it is coming soon, or the ability to copy your save data to an SD card at the very least. An announcement would be nice.
I ain't having a bar of this console until this is sorted.
@Menchi187 Well, you could make an argument that cards are just the tiny evolution of cartridges, though I personally will try and stick with "cards" from now on.
As for the article itself... I think it's likely a hoax, the timing is a bit too good coming just a few days after cloud saves was a big talking point. Plus consider what was being suggested, Nintendo PHYSICALLY sent this person their console back & then make him download it ONLINE? And that's assuming that Nintendo would have kept this one persons save data at all (if you've ever sent a laptop/PC in the be repaired you'd know how rare this is).
i don't see why it would have cloud saves when their online services aren't even up yet. the only thing they have so far is the eshop. if they're serious about the egaming thing, cloud saves are going to be a must. i guess the earliest test of it would be splatoon's global testfire - which i hope is also a return to the splatfest.
@OzHuski
There's a good possibility. I'm definitely willing to pay for it. People could technically back up saves on Wii U and 3DS, but let's be honest here how many people actually did that? It's just too cumbersome and time-consuming to manually back up saves. One of those features everybody thinks they want but nobody actually uses. Cloud saves, on the other hand, with auto backup, are the only reasonable solution.
@Ichiban
Well, with past consoles it wasn't your saves, it was the games themselves! This is definitely an issue and it definitely needs to get sorted, for sure, but anyone who was willing to risk their collection of games worth thousands of dollars on Wii U or 3DS, but isn't willing to risk a little save data which they'll probably never come back to anyways (next time a person plays Zelda in 5 years time, they're probably gonna do a new run).... just doesn't seem like logical step to be ok with losing games but draw the line at saves. Especially when we have pretty strong evidence that it's going to have to be sorted soon (or who's going to upgrade to next model if it's not? I know I won't, and they know this). Not to mention, if you lost your Wii U or 3DS, you lost your saves also anyways. What is the actual real life risk and percentage of people whose system suddenly malfunctions and all save data is lost? Slim to none. Again, not to say we shouldn't get peace of mind because I have personally had cloud saves save my butt a few years ago on Vita when my mem card corrupted (stores on system on Switch so shouldn't be a risk there). But in 30 years of gaming that was the only time it's ever happened and it still has never happened on Nintendo hardware. I'm sure there's people out there it's happened to, but in life you have to assess risk and chance, and this seems like a pretty insignificant risk all things said. If it did happen it would probably be after the generation was over and the hardware was long dead. And, the likelihood of cloud saves seems almost certain.
Once we start paying for online this fall, Nintendo will have no excuse for a lack of cloud saves.
@CB85 I am curious how many people would trust cloud saves on a paid service, while I think a backup/transfer feature would be good... the idea of not being able to access a stored save if your subscription runs out or the server fails is always going to be a worry. I never store any pokémon on Pokémon Bank that I don't mind losing.
This needs to happen soon, don't want to lose a save file that I've been playing for weeks if my Switch died for example. :s
@DanteSolablood Oh right, I agree, but I wasn't talking about limiting cloud saves to people who pay for online. Just that once people do start paying for online, Nintendo will have a ton of money dedicated to online services that they could use to improve said services, including cloud saves. Kimishima said they plan to charge between 20-30 dollars a year (roughly), so that'll likely easily be tens of millions of dollars we're talking about here.
My conspiracy theory is that they are intentionally leaving out cloud saves and any form of transferable save in order to keep people from returning their Switch.
I know, thats crazy talk. But think about it.
If someone spent $5-600 ONLY to play Zelda and feel that there isn't another game they want on the schedule, then it isn't so crazy for someone to say "Hey. I'm almost done. Maybe I should get $500 back and return this and just buy again when the hardware gets revised or Holoday Bundles are released".
I don't condone people returning game systems like this. But if you know it's going to end up in a drawer or if your system is defective (like mine) then it does sink to have your save file burned in to a single system.
@JHDK I know, right? We're living in an age of technological marvels, stuff that if you told me would be possible when I was a kid I'd have called you a friggin' witch... and yet still people moan and complain. Bizarre.
@JHDK This is nintendo were talking about here not Microsoft. The xbox had like 50 things enhanced or fixed. Even the Ps4 took over 3 years juat to get external hd support. Meanwhile the WiiU was basiaclly the same thing 3 years after release. I wouldnt hold you breath.
Don't tag this as "News." Please tag as "Rumor" Or "Clickbait". Thank you.
Even as a Steam user, I have never got on board with cloud saving, I guess I'm just old-school and pretty much game specifically on those platforms using those specific devices.
I have yet to come across a situation where I've needed cloud saves, so it's probably just a matter of what sort of gamer would find them convenient and who finds them unnecessary.
I still have my old PS1 and Gamecube memory cards too...so those cloud saves would have been deleted, but I still have my Final Fantasy Tactics and Fire Emblem Path of Radiance save data from back in the day!
@Action51 but the problem is t lack of cloud save. It's lack of ANY save transportability. Saves are locked to a system so you can't tranfer it to another Switch or even back up your 100 Zelda hours out of paranoia. And if the system breaks or gets stolen then it's bye bye everything.
Going to be tied to paid services - pretty common, and makes it another incentive for purchase.
I don't know if this is real but it seems away to move save data: https://www.indabaa.com/transfer-nintendo-switch-games-to-micro-sd-card/
Hey all, I actually created an account specifically to comment on this. I can personally confirm that that little cloud logo is 100% legit. Why? Because I got it myself yesterday. I ejected my Zelda disk without closing the game and replaced it with the Binding of Isaac. When I put Isaac in I received an error message letting me know that data had been corrupted, the cloud image popped up and it gave me the option to redownload something. I'm not sure what I redownloaded, but I assume it was the update for Isaac.
@KittyKatta - Yeah I do get that.
I guess that's just not ever been a problem I've ever dealt with in decades of gaming going back to the 80s.
Once it does happen to me, I may change my mind, lol.
What do you think of trying to put some pressure on Nintendo with this: https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-nintendo-must-add-cloud-save-feature-to-the-nintendo-switch
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