Comments 28

Re: Rare's Local Video Game Store Is Closing Its Doors After 24 Years

Thunder_Pilot

Unfortunately, some games that do not appear to require online may not function either. For instance, Zelda BOTW checks to see if you have purchased and validated your expansion pass on game load. If your savegame includes things you have done in the add-ons, the save will not load once the store is not there to validate them after so many times.

And the Switch encryption issue may not let any of them work anyway. The Wii U did not employ this scheme.

The customers who legitimately purchase their software are always the ones who are hurt in the end by DRM.

Re: Rare's Local Video Game Store Is Closing Its Doors After 24 Years

Thunder_Pilot

@Devlind

Right! And with initial builds being the ones shipping on cartridge, then patched on release day, some games may even have bugs that block player progression or game operation entirely. This worries me when I see that happen. I do miss the days when a game HAD to work before shipping the cartridge/cd/dvd/media.

Re: Rare's Local Video Game Store Is Closing Its Doors After 24 Years

Thunder_Pilot

You also have to consider that many (more than you might think/hope) games won't run once the servers or updates that silently authenticate and patch them are gone for enough time. It doesn't matter if they are cartridge or digital. This definitely includes Nintendo games. Nintendo and other developers change the encryption keys for writing to the required cache drive partition in timed increments to thwart piracy as well employing a few other time based tricks. When this is no longer updated, even carts will not work. By accident or design, this can keep the game from ever running again, for example. After the Switch e-shop goes down, it is entirely possible digital AND cartridge games will not work anyway. The system likely has a timed self destruct for DRM authentication. So that comparison to NES carts does not really hold water in this day and age. And as you said, that is unfortunate.

Hacking the console, if it still works, might help, but, then you could just download the inevitable pirated versions. Digital vs. physical really does not matter as much anymore as you might think because of DRM practices put in place the last few years. Some games simply have an invisible self destruct built in, and will no longer work.

Re: Video: 9 Mario Games We Wish had Never Existed

Thunder_Pilot

@JLPick

The character in Super Pitfall did kind of vaguely look like Luigi, but it wasn't him. I can't find any references to Activision licensing him for the game either.

Pitfall Harry appears to be wearing a police hat and body armor.

http://videogamecritic.com/images/nes/super_pitfall.gif

The FAQ lists all of the characters:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/nes/587667-super-pitfall/faqs/6843

==============

V. MAIN CHARACTERS

==============

There are really only 3 main characters in this lonely place:

PITFALL HARRY

The Mario-clone is the hero of this quest. He's pretty agile and, according to
the manual, "is basically an optimist," so he should have no trouble finding
the girl, the lion and the diamond.

RHONDA

She is Harry's beloved niece. Usually the hero has to rescue his girlfriend or
some other damsel in distress, but this time it is his niece. RHONDA has been
kidnapped and turned to stone. Hopefully when you do find her you have already
found the FLASK OF MEDECINE, otherwise she will remain a statue.

QUICKCLAW THE LION

This is Harry's feline friend. He has also been captured and thrown in a cage
in one of the dank caves. For some reason I thought QUICKCLAW looked more like
a cross between a pig and a monkey than a lion...I didn't realize it was
QUICKCLAW until I beat the game and realized that it must have been. Who put
QUICKCLAW in that cage? By the way, try typing QUICKCLAW ten times really
fast

Re: Guide: How to Use Two or More Micro SD Cards in Your Switch for Limitless Storage

Thunder_Pilot

@BenAV

I was using the same brand and type. Sandisk. Going from 200 to 256. Nintendo support says that you should have to re-download games. The encryption is generated from the SD Card serial number.

While I did not test all of the games, Zelda, Mariokart, ARMS, Rabbids, Blaster Master and Shovel Knight did not work.

Here is yet another thread saying the same:

https://www.reddit.com/r/NintendoSwitch/comments/5yp98l/upgrading_to_a_larger_sd_card/

Re: Guide: How to Use Two or More Micro SD Cards in Your Switch for Limitless Storage

Thunder_Pilot

@BenAV

Did you have digital or cartridge based games? After trying once again this weekend, just to see if anything has changed, it does NOT work. I called and confirmed with Nintendo support that digital games will not transfer that way, and have to be re-downloaded. And it does say so on the support page as well. Which is why this article says to re-download. Just copying the files like on 3DS does NOT work.

Here is another thread on the issue:
https://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/189706-nintendo-switch/75105371

Re: Guide: How to Use Two or More Micro SD Cards in Your Switch for Limitless Storage

Thunder_Pilot

@Anti-Matter

Yes and no. You can copy the files but they will be useless on anything other than the first sd card you saved them to. (Which can come in handy for avoiding re-downloading them, but it won't save you if the card goes bad). The encryption is apparently generated from the sd card serial number. The Switch may also mark them as deleted if you use archive or delete on the Switch system OS, so you would have to re-download anyway. I have not tested the last scenario. So, unless you have slow internet, it's probably not worth it for the games, but might be for screenshots, and we really, really, really need a way to backup and transfer saves!

Re: Guide: How to Use Two or More Micro SD Cards in Your Switch for Limitless Storage

Thunder_Pilot

@link3710

This does not seem to work for me, or several others that have tried. I had the same issue detailed in this thread:

https://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/189706-nintendo-switch/75105371

Did it work for you?

Edit:
Ah! I just noticed in the Nintendo support article, this line at the very end:
"Any software that cannot be read on the system using the new microSD card can simply be redownloaded from the Nintendo eShop."
Which kind of negates the whole act of copying anything. Except screenshots, ETC.

Re: Guide: How to Use Two or More Micro SD Cards in Your Switch for Limitless Storage

Thunder_Pilot

@shani

Correct. The Wii U encrypts the volume. You can use utilities to see the files, but they are useless. The 3DS can be manipulated thanks to its Windows networking support though. If you figure out the file structure you can even copy individual saves, as long as they are keyed to your account.

You can see and copy the files on the Switch cards, but they are useless. The Switch will not use the files even if your system has the correct encryption key. It probably generates a new key based on volume serial number. So, it does not work to copy them, as you said. You have to re-download.

Re: Switch Firmware Update 3.0.1 Is Live, Fixes Battery Charge Indicator Issue

Thunder_Pilot

@SanderEvers

That is correct, IPS (LCD) does not suffer from burn in. I just wanted to point out Switch is supposed to have an IPS screen. Some people have reported getting TN with their Switch, but there is nothing to verify the claims, and I've never seen a TN Switch. But it is possible that another region, or batch may exist. But Nintendo lists IPS screen as a Switch feature.

Re: Editorial: Nintendo, Somehow, Has Gone Backwards With Voice Chat on the Switch

Thunder_Pilot

I think we are seeing DeNA at work here. The companies are polar opposites when it comes to quality, and I will never understand why Nintendo chose to partner with them. DeNA makes money, but because of a "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" business model, and by unethical (imho) "gatcha" mobile games that are promptly shut down if the are not the profit machine that Puzzles and Dragons was, leaving customers with nothing for their money.

Nintendo has never been proficient on the networking side of things, and they needed to outsource it, but for the amount of time DeNA has had in getting things going, many other companies have built infrastructure and services that rival or surpass PSN and XBL in a much, much shorter period of time.

With the Switch network service now postponed until next year, you have to wonder what is taking so long for setting up a multiplayer/social/storefront service? Even if they had to port everything over to the new system, it shouldn't take this long. They started in March of 2015. It's been 2 1/2 years. Both PSN, XBL and even STEAM had shorter development times.

Re: Dolphin Emulator Now Allows Wii Shop Access and Purchases

Thunder_Pilot

While this is pretty awesome, and I believe the author(s) of Dolphin are 100% legit, keep in mind it might not be safe to use a credit card to make purchases this way. A 3rd party could attach a wrapper to capture data or input from the emulator. Dolphin is open source. At least make sure you download from a reputable source and keep that in mind.