
One of the biggest criticisms levied against the Switch is the lack of versatility when it comes to how save data is handled. The console currently has no way of backing up data, to a cloud service or to external media, so if your Switch happens to break, it’ll take all save data with it. There’s been talk about cloud saves becoming a thing when Nintendo launches its paid online next year, and now Reggie Fils-Aime has commented on the subject.
By the sounds of it, alternatives are being looked into, but the process is perhaps more complicated than it seems. Here’s what Reggie said to Mashable:
You’re talking to someone who has completed 120 Shrines, and I think I’m at 400 Korok seeds and growing [in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild]. So I understand what it’s like putting a lot of time into content, and the thought of that content not being there.
We’re aware of the concern. Certainly, Nintendo is a consumer-oriented company [and] we want to make our consumers happy. We’re aware of the concern and it’s an area we’re going to continue working on to make sure that we can alleviate some of those consumer fears of having a content-based issue.
Because of the type of platform we have — it’s something that is on the go as well as connected in the home environment — there are some added complications. It’s not as simple as a piece of hardware that never moves and is always connected in an online environment.
Fascinating words to be sure, we’ll just have to see how this all pans out.
What do you think? Will cloud saves eventually be made available? Why do you think Nintendo is taking so long to work something like that out? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
[source mashable.com]
Comments 96
It makes me happy they at least addressed the situation and I look forward to hopefully getting a cloud or SD save option in the future.
Terrifies me that I’ll lse my saves.
I wonder if this has anything to do with the Polygon editor-in-chief having a meltdown on Twitter last week because he thought he lost his BotW save file.
Make it simple, Mr Reggie.
Just allow us to copy our Save Data from Internal storage to Micro SD Card.
Just like 3DS did.
Reggie is a good guy, but I didn't get anything out of what he said other than standard PR stuff (understandable cause NoA defers to Nintendo in Japan). It's good that they're listening though.
That said, Reggie's comments are confusing to say the least. What does the Switch's portability have to do with backing up saves? Can't they just, you know, allow you to keep save files on SD cards? Like the Wii did? Or allow cloud saves whenever the system is connected to the internet? I just don't see what the issue is between saves and Switch's portability.
Let me stick in a flash drive once a week and back up my save data Nintendo. Can't lose those precious 5gig NBA 2k saves now!
I appreciate the option they recently added to transfer saves to a new system as I need to send my launch Switch off for repairs but I'd still love to see Cloud saves become a thing in the near future. I've invested so much time into my Switch that I would be pretty devastated if I lost my saves. Especially my Splatoon save.
Acknowledging the problem is the first step. You typically can’t get Reggie to comment on topics Nintendo has no plans to improve. This is a positive sign.
Reggie full of it as usual.
Sync when connected to any internet source. Allow it to be transferred to the microSD card.
Even the 360, a 2005 console got them down the line. But we've already established that Nintendo is already pre-2002 with the Switch.
Reggie is so full of it.
It's easily doable, everyone knows it, it's just that Nintendo are so uber concerned about piracy to the point of paranoia that they want to make sure 111% that allowing simple stuff like transferring save files won't give backdoor access to hackers.
I don’t care how they do it - just do it. Syncing saves to a cloud when internet is available seems like a good option.
Surely it can't be too hard. Even if it were true, why couldn't the Wii U do it considering the 360 and PS3 could save games in the cloud
The fact he's very direct about it gives me hope.
This is a step in the right direction.
But ps vita is a portable console and it has cloud saves. So obviously the portability aspect of switch shouldn't be a problem.
What nonsense. My Vita can back up save to my PSN plus account and it is portable. just get out of the stone age and give us a backup system.
How does only being connected to the internet some of the time make a difference? My PS3 used to back up cloud saves once a day at a time of my choosing and pretty much every device just syncs when it regains a connection so it sounds like a strange excuse
Imo they can't afford not to have some form or online-based cloud backup, considering they're going to start charging for online next year, in combination with the portable nature of the Switch, which makes it more prone to being damaged or lost/stolen. Plus, it's not like these are cheap throwaway mobile apps, we're talking full-fledged AAA console games here.
I hope they will allow saves backup to an external media, and now I feel quite optimistic since what he told basically means that. The thing about Switch not being necessarily connected to the internet you know. For them could probably be a risk, save data could be used to hack the system and this is the main reason why they are cautious probably. But I really hope they will give us the option to locally backuyp saves to external media like the SD card or USB pen drives at least for Skyrim. Not only I'm going to put an enormous amount of time on this one (I have already done so on pc and I haven't even played the main quest) but I also will build my own character (I'll make a perfect copy using the console command "showracemenu" on pc to make sure he'll be exactly the same on every single value), and I already keep backups of my pc saves right now (other than the ones that Steam automatically keeps on its cloud). I'd like to consider the Switch one my "main" copy of this game from now on but I won't until I will be allowed to keep a backup of my saves
@Spoony_Tech I'm pretty sure 2K sports saves your game to their cloud. That's what it seems like when I play at least
A lot of people are assuming it is easy because "these other platforms do it, so why not Nintendo?", but can anyone say for a fact how Nintendo Switch saves are designed so as to give an opinion on how easy it would be to back them up? Heck, even now, people have issues doing the drag-and-drop method with game data when moving to a larger microSD card even to the point where games have to be redownload entirely. Imagine doing something like that with saves, and it doesn't properly backup or reinsert themselves?
All I'm saying is we can't assume we know things about the Switch design to know something can be done a certain way.
Nintendo needs to make a file manager for Switch. It's not just save files, I need to move some games from my SD card to the internal storage. There's so much space in the internal storage not being used, it is faster than SD card, it should be the default storage.
What a bunch of word salad. The only way it'd be hard to implement is if Nintendo intentionally designed the firmware in a way that it wouldn't work well, it being portable is not a valid reason. Plenty of portable devices can sync to a cloud to backup, it just waits to sync until it has an internet connection - guess what, this system supports wi-fi!
He said nothing. Oh well, you got me to click the link and scroll past a whole of ads to add a comment.
@Discostew the fact remains that it SHOULD be easy, it's not a complicated procedure and if the Switch is designed in a way that it can't easily accomplish that, it's quite archaic and backwards, which is even worse.
Reggie is somewhat active in recent days, but his statements are lacking information as always. Funny guy, this Reggie.
Dear Nintendo,
Memory card is suppose to be for save datas only. Hard drive is suppose to be for everything else, not the other way around. Why I remember when we hardly had memory card that would ever reach the gigabytes. Don't ruin memory cards like this, we should be thankful that it's not proprietary anymore.
@ShadJV considering that the 3DS got hacked through multiple ways, including through save files, Nintendo may have possibly done something with Switch saves that goes beyond just keeping them in internal storage. We don't know, and they won't tell us. They don't need to. To say it should be easy is like saying it should be hackable.
Save cloud is essentiel. Make it Nintendo.
I think the biggest concern for Nintendo in regards to save data is that storing it anywhere outside of internal memory or a cloud save system means that the data can be potentially be accessed by the user and tampered with. The last thing they want is to open up the system to exploits and hacking, especially with what has been happening recently with some major 3DS titles (Pokemon Sun/Moon, Mario & Luigi).
Hopefully this will be something that they can address with their online system, or perhaps they are working on some sort of encryption solution.
Perhaps Nintendo will add cloud backup of saves with the monthly online subscription. That would make sense and would make you keep that subscription.
looks at my iphone and ipad, looks at my Switch
Hmmmm!
@MegaTen This is an extremely uninformed opinion on what cloud saves are. Guess what, that Nintendo Switch account you already have that you use to play games, access the eshop and download digital content? That would be your "cloud save account". Unless Nintendo (which, lets face it, they probably would with their incompetence when it comes to online anything) force you to make another separate one. When you save your game, it would automatically save locally and to the cloud (if connected to the internet). You don't create separate accounts on a "cloud service" to store your games. When I save a game on Xbox One, it automatically saves to my local drive and cloud. When I save a game on Steam, Origin Uplay, etc, it saves to my local PC and the cloud.
I've lost 210 hrs of zelda to my last switch after crying for a week I started again but then mario came out.
Just addressing the problem isn't enough Reggie. Whining about the difficulty of implementing cloud saves won't get you anywhere. If you really were a consumer oriented company you'd have already come up with a solution. No cloud saves is one of the biggest reasons I hesitate to take my Switch out on.
Reggie speaking in riddles again. No excuses. Should have sorted this ages ago
I think the problem is syncing when there is internet service, what happens when the person walks out of range? Does it dispose the incomplete data and leave the old one intact? Does it corrupt your previous data?
How is it going to upload the data before then? Overwrite your old data? Upload first and then delete the old data? That seems a bit room inefficient.
You can’t continue your upload of save files when you reconnect at another since you probably played it and it requires rewriting.
SD card Is better but then it poses the question of what if some people sold their dock away already and thus, will not be able to use an SD card USB to connect to the dock.
Overall, I can see the complication BUT this shouldn’t have been an issue in the first place as they’ve dealt with it before with Wii and 3DS.
@Yasaal I don't think he means that they find it difficult to implement cloud saves, I think he mean that they find it difficult to consider cloud saves the only solution for a system that must guarantee portable functionality as well. And I am happy to hear that because I value local backup more than cloud backup and I think that they are trying to create something that include some sort of local backup too for us, but at the same time they are trying to protect their system from piracy, so they have some difficulty in that sense, I can understand that. I justy hope they will come up with something soon
Sounds like either there are going to be cloud saves in the 2018 online system, or there won't be.
Surely it can upload sava data to the cloud whenever it is connected to a WiFi connection?
Please implement cloud saves Nintendo!!
@shadow-wolf Totally, he mentioned that the Switch isn't always connected to the internet, so just like an iPhone when plugged in to charge at night can't it just back up to the cloud?
Sounds like more worthless Reggie PR. Whether cloud saving is actually being looked into or not at all, I doubt he has a clue.
It's a problem that should have never existed in the first place (as usual with Nintendo). I simply refuse to buy a Switch until they've at least sorted out the save data stuff.
Creating cloud saves or an option to back up to the SD card is not rocket science. Stop. I know at least 10 people who could do this for your Nintendo. Just let me know if you need their contact information👍
Fix the silly save issue..along with the ability to have your account on multiple devices.
I would like to own more than one switch.
I think just having the system making back-ups regularly whenever it has an online connection will suffice for the vast majority of cases, esp. if it were to do that in sleep mode as well.
For the sake of cost saving with their carts, it's us that face the risk of losing all our hours of game progression. Nintendo needs to make this their absolute priority, we should be able to backup our saves now, not later. Hurry up Nintendo. Sometimes Nintendo seems like they're new to consoles. <_<
Its perhaps due to hackers its like this, but ironic as I have to hack my Wii U now to backup saves - the very thing they are trying to stop. If that even works. I also did the same with Wii, but I have never got to the point of pirating or grabbing free games.
I don't even want cloud saves, just let me stick a thumb drive in the dock. See that $89.99 dock you are selling Reggie, the one with the 3 USB ports on it. Use that. You kniw, like you did with the Wii U. I have a HDD hooked up to my Wii U at all times and once in awhile I plug in my thumb drive to copy over my files. It's not super easy or I tuitive, but it's not too bad. And it's something that Nintendo themselves have been doing and allowing for the past five years.
They can keep their cloud, just let me keep a thumb drive in the dock. Simple.
A way to back up saves would be hugely beneficial. My friend's Switch was stolen right out of his bag. He got his account back - but those saves are long gone, and as you said too - if it breaks, you are pretty SOL right now.
It's baffling that this still isn't solved. I fail to understand why we can't just transfer save backups to the SD card. The 3DS even does it for crying out loud.
Not good enough I'm afraid. It's too late for those who have lost or had their Switches stolen already.
I know of someone who's been playing BotW since day one who had his Seitch stolen recently. You can replace a console but Nintendo have basically ruined the whole game for him with the lack of a crucial feature that should have been the first thing to fix.
@Anti-Matter Yes, because that would make a great exploit for the scumbag pirates to take advantage of. You want to see the Switch die off quickly, make it easier for people to run roms on their systems. If it wasn't for every and their brother "stealing" Nintendo's games on other systems, maybe Nintendo would't have to go to such great lengths trying to prevent it.
Why not save on the game card just like it always was (gameboy, Nintendo 3DS)
@Amsterdamsters
Hey, watch your profanity !
I didn't mean for piracy.
Hopefully, Nintendo will update the Switch so you can use a external Hard drives with the dock for game save and full game downloads and also retail games that require you download part of the games since it won't all fit of a single cart, that would be great for me since I don't plan on really taking my switch on the go. I hate that games like Doom and LA Noire require you to purchase a over Priced Micro SD card just to play them on the Switch when the dock has 3 usb ports on it.
"Welcome to Nintendo Save Data Bank."
"Pick a Save File to upload."
"Upload The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, last modified Today, 12:04 AM?"
"(Yes/No)"
"Uploading..."
"Thank you, your save data is uploaded. You can download your backup tomorrow."
"Pick a Save File to upload."
"Would you like to quit the app?"
"(Yes/No)"
There, that's how easy it sounds on paper.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Damn right, nice to agree at times with you. No cloud = paranoia over hacking. It's not though just based upon the saves, but also hacking in through a cloud network. They're thinking bigger and paranoia grows bigger. Look no further than the apple cloud fappening stuff that still continues. The last thing Nintendo wants is people backdooring a Switch through the cloud to steal personal info, private pictures, data, including save data that could hack an entry into booting warezed games. All of it they'd be held liable for.
My my my, cloud saves aren't rocket science Reggie. Nintendo desperates me sometimes.
Typical PR speak, but this might be a positive sign since it was brought up. I honestly think cloud saving might be the way to go here (maybe set up the system to manually or automatically do backups whenever you're online?), but I'm confused as to why a good old-fashioned SD card backup can't work.
no current console allows you to just copy save games.
Cloud save would be my guess as to how they would handle it. Nintendo is too paranoid about hackers that SD save function would probably be out of the question. PS3 games used to allow USB and cloud saves. One day makers decided to start using cloud saves rather than USB saves. Modders have a tougher time exploiting cloud saves vs USB or even SD card saves.
I don't want to sound rude Reggie but...
Same on Xbox 360 and One.
Dear Nintendo, it seems you "magically" forgot how to do stuff on the Switch which even the 3ds, Wii U AND THE WII could do (kuch build in chat function kuch)
Fix it, because since the GameCube my love for your home consoles is bigger than ever.
This has got to be the award winner for "Most Reggie Response of All Time."
How are there complexities of the Switch being portable as it relates to backing up saves, when the 3DS is NEVER docked at home and already allows us to back up our saves locally??
We're not asking for Nintendo to do what Sony or Microsoft does. We're asking Nintendo to do what Nintendo ALREADY does on its 6 year old console....
"Because of the type of platform we have — it’s something that is on the go as well as connected in the home environment — there are some added complications. It’s not as simple as a piece of hardware that never moves and is always connected in an online environment."
What complete PR BULL S**T!!! And a complete LIE from a technical standpoint too. Lol yeah because having a "portable system" some how matters when uploading a saved game to the cloud.....Or holy cow, allowing us to pop in a micro sd card save them to, then back them up on are own computer!!!
I love how his responses are always like they are inventing something for the very first time, breaking new ground with their new "magic voodoo box" so stuff like this just isn't easy to do! Give me a break, your 6 year old Nintendo DS allows for the backing up of saved data and its ALWAYS mobile.....So sick of the standard Nintendo bs on BASIC features that should have been there at launch.
@NEStalgia I think they want to go with a cloud solution, allowing us to copy saves to SD could cause many vulnerabilities that they are unaware of in game save files. It is a risk they likely don't want to take this early on. However cloud saving seems simple enough of a solution to bypass that.
@Jokerwolf
You do realize they already allow you to back up saved games to a sd card on 3ds right? It has NOTHING to do with that, they just released a product that was no where near done. It's amazing and I completely love the damn thing, but this is a simple simple simple simple feature from both a tech standpoint and a software standpoint to add. No excuses or free passes here!
@Jokerwolf There's a shred of truth to that in that, rooted in the predictable Nintendo inside-out way of doing things sometimes. I.E. the "save scumming" that plagued Splatoon 1 due to the local backups is probably what they're trying to avoid by not allowing local backups (which people defended in Splatoon 1 saying "I'm just using the features the system itself offers!")
However, the 3DS and WiiU already supported it, and the solution for Splatoon saves is to store SPLATOON player data in the cloud the way most online games have been saving player data since the 1990's and Battle.net. Online game player accounts should be online, to prevent cheating. But local game data doesn't need to be.
Note that Playstation and XBox allow local backups of save data and have not had any hacking/vulnerabilities/scumming issues in their online play (because the online games that matter (which are not Sony or Microsoft published games right now) save player data in the cloud.
So in Nintendo speak that means since they refuse to store Splatoon data in the cloud, they can't let you back up your Zelda saves until they set up to save THOSE in the cloud....
Ok, so a solution could be an external HDD connectable to the dock only (obviously) with an option to manually or automatically backup all save data internal on the switch or on its micro SD card. Otherwise, cloud storage. So, there's "something" that can be done imo. The only challenge would be for people that don't use the dock/don't have a dock/only play portable mode, to which cloud storage would likely be a must. Yeah... keep working at it, Nintendo-- This issue will likely only get louder and louder over time...
Why do I get the bad feeling we're going to have to buy game logo Amiibos to save our game data to?
@NEStalgia Save game exploit is how I softmodded my 3DS though and was the first of many save games that created backdoors for people to hack the system. There is also no way for Nintendo to track every game that might have theae backdoors in them because some have very specific sequences for the door to open. I know there may be ways around it I just feel like they did not want to chance it so early in the lifecycle because that was the downfall of systems like the PSP and then the Vita.
@LuckyLand Hard to believe MS and Sony have already gone way ahead despite these problems while Nintendo sits back worrying about cloud saves. Anyway, I'm also hoping (to death) that a good solution comes out of this. I wanna be able to take out my Switch with me without worry of it being damaged and losing my hard work...
@Jokerwolf PSP's issue was the removable battery, oddly, though it was still an overall success. Vita.....it didn't need to be hacked. It was a disaster all on its own
I see what you mean, and it all makes perfect sense, but I can't help but think that if PS and XB aren't having issues from local saves, It's just the typcical Nintendo control-freak showing.
Nintendo - you're not a brand new start-up company. This is a requirement, especially for a portable system. Just do it. "It's hard" isn't a valid answer. Do it and invest in it. This is how you lose customers during years of your success.
Just let me move my saves to a microSD card. You know like how they let me save to the N64 controller pack 20 years ago. That way I can use an old 16gb for my important save files.
One of the very first things Nintendo brought up when they unveiled My Nintendo and their new Nintendo Account system, was cloud saves. So we know the feature is coming. It's just a matter of when. An update that lets us back up save data to a microSD card would also be handy.
I'm hoping the save solution is not cloud based not everyone has access to a stable internet connection like in rural areas for example. Backing up on a PC would be great!
'Fascinating words' eh? That's one way of putting it. Another is that he's strung a load of meaningful words together skilfully to say absolutely nothing. As per usual.
No excuses Nintendo, this is silly. Get it sorted.
Though it's funny to see people say Nintendo should allow saves to Memory card because the 360/3DS/PSP/Vita/Wii allowed it.
What have all them systems got in common? Hacked to bits.
@GoatWrench13
The N64 used proprietary cards and couldn't connect to the internet. Not an entirely fair comparison.
@shadow-wolf He is comparing the Switch to tje Xbox One and PS4. Those consoles automatically backup your saves to the cloud constantly.
Id be happy with manual save backup to the cloud, or a once a week automation.
I really hate Reggie's relentless corporate speak, it drives me nuts. Either tell us a solution is on the way or not, not this word vomit he so famously uses all the time...
Our cell phones update when connected to the charger so why not have a backup work in the same way, Switch will always need a recharge.
@Snow-Dust It should do it just like Steam does. There is always a risk your internet stops while uploading your save data to the cloud.
Whenever you're done playing, the save data saved on your computer is being uploaded to the cloud. If the internet stops, you still have the data on your Switch. When your PC has wifi / internet again, the data is being uploaded to the cloud.
I've got a memory stick and I can't seem be able to send anything to it, it's not like the Wii setup had. Strange....
"Nintendo is a consumer-oriented company" - [removed]
"Because of the type of platform we have — it’s something that is on the go as well as connected in the home environment — there are some added complications" - [removed]
Reggie can jump off a cliff with his lies and BS. Vita was a wholly portable console and has a very simple cloud saving system. They clearly do not care about customers if they are not willing to add simple fixes
But... you ALWAYS have access to the cloud. Sure, you can't access it 'on the go' but you can always get wifi somewhere else. Cloud could work and so would a portable hdd.
The Vita has cloud saves. It is a secondary space to save data. Saves are on the memory card but get uploaded automatically after being plugged in to charge for like 30 minutes or so if you have PS Plus.
Lame excuse.
I can backup my files with any smartphone/tablet. And when they are not online, the cloud backup gets schedules for when the device is connected again.
Yeah, I can see how the portable nature of the Switch makes cloud saves difficult if not impossible. However, there's no excuse for not allowing you to back up your save data on your SD card. The 3DS already has that feature (albeit with too small of a limit of available slots), and the Wii U allows you to make backup copies of your data on external media (although for some insane reason can't dissociate the game data from the save data with digital purchases), so why not the Switch?
@Yorumi No, the point of cloud saves is to be able to have an outside backup source that doesn't rely on your own more fallible hardware or external media. Portability makes it more difficult to use, since you can't always be somewhere with an accessible Internet connection. True, it can be worked around by having the backup done automatically once you are back in range, but it's still more complicated than when the system just sits in one place that is almost always online.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE
You have to be right because there is zero complication to giving us microSD backup. I don't get the issue though because save game files on consoles have been encrypted for a longtime.
Still N is the worst of the big 3 at locking down their systems so they are probably paranoid that putting a save on SD will give hackers a way to analise it.
@ballistic90 Oh that makes sense. Perhaps they could do a queue system, in which once the system is connected to Wifi it immediately begins the cloud save?
@Archius9 Yeah your analogy is spot-on. Perhaps the fact that many people (like you and me) can think of solutions means that this is actually not the real reason Nintendo is holding off on this ...
@NEStalgia I still have my Pandoras battery .
A backup feature on the Wii would have been extremely handy for me last year, when lightning struck my house and fried several electronics, including my original model Wii.
As a result, all the save data was lost, and now the only way to play Wii games at my house is on my Wii U, which is in my bedroom. The Wii was located in our playroom, which both my brother and I share.
I hope such a feature comes to the Switch soon, because I would hate for my Switch to suffer a similar fate (although I make sure to unplug all my electronics in the event of a thunderstorm these days).
I barely use my switch anymore as i need to RMA it for a loose fan, but can't RMA as i can't backup my saves. So either i will have to wait a year for the save backup function, or buy another switch to back up to.
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