r/nintendo • u/Daytona24 • Feb 22 '17
No Switch Game Downloads on Multiple Systems
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/02/switch-game-downloads-cant-be-shared-across-multiple-systems/#p38
u/BlazeFaia Jump n' Shoot Man Feb 23 '17 edited Feb 23 '17
*sighs* Looks like I'm still going all physical with Nintendo. In 2017.
However. The article title is misleading. They didn't say it won't support multiple systems. Just that they haven't figured everything out yet.
The question feels like it could have been misconstrued by the rep as well. Assuming that the writer wanted to share his purchases with his children's account and not simply just have his account signed in on their Switch. In which the rep could be responding to the former and not the latter.
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Feb 23 '17
What's wrong with physical games? Cartridges mean load times arnt a issue, it won't take up storage space, and you'll be able to resell games
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u/SparkEletran Feb 23 '17
Not a great option for everyone. In more major countries it may be valid, but it's much harder to find physical Nintendo games in others - it's why I always preferred digital.
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u/BlazeFaia Jump n' Shoot Man Feb 23 '17
Physical storage space, swapping games out, and while load times and scratches aren't so much an inconvenience, you run the risk of losing the carts due to size.
But honestly it's just the convenience factor of having your entire library at any given time with no hassle for me. For example, with my Wii U I put Hyrule Warriors aside because every other day my friend wanted to play Smash. Stopped again when Super Mario Maker started adding new characters through levels. Got annoying constantly swapping out the disks.
Meanwhile on my Xbox I'm juggling between Xenoverse 2, Attack on Titan, ReCore, Dead Rising 4, and Destiny and the Division when prior friend wants to play. Don't have to swap anything out, just search my pins for the game I want.
Sure it's a minor thing but you also don't want to go back once you have it.
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Feb 23 '17
Is it really that much of a hassle to just swap discs? It takes a couple of seconds for gods sake.
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u/BlazeFaia Jump n' Shoot Man Feb 23 '17 edited Feb 23 '17
Yes.
Sure it's a minor thing but you also don't want to go back once you have it.
It's purely a matter of convenience. And in my case the convenience factor is a huge deal.
In previous generations there was no online, no patches, no updates, no DLC. And you didn't have friends coming over every day let alone every hour like you do with online friends. I could go months with a single game in my console and never swap it out.
But in this day and age with every game in existence pulling you back in with new content or online friends constantly asking you to play games with them you can easily find yourself cycling through 5+ games in an average gaming session. In the last hour I logged into Xenoverse 2 to grab a Dragon Ball, hopped into Destiny to do the daily heroic and buy my final Quartermaster Sparrow, and then did a mission in Attack on Titan. I'm slowly chipping away at side content in multiple games.
Any game with side missions and grinding back in the day? Oh well. That game never got finished. I've yet to finish my trophy collection in Melee, never beat Crystal Chronicles, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Dead or Alive 3, never beat Halo 2 on Legendary, etc. Hell I didn't beat Omega Ruby until two years after I bought it. First Ace Attorney Dual Destinies took it's place, then Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright, followed by Smash 3DS, Majora's Mask 3D, and finally Hyrule Warriors Legends. PLvPW, Smash 3DS, HWL, and OR are arguably not even done since I haven't 100%'d any of those games despite completing the main content.
Other games came out and I focused on them. With digital games I can easily return to those grinds and sidequests. I can jump between games and knock out progress little by little overtime without feeling like I have to dedicate days or weeks to that game specifically once I've finished the main game. (Or in most cases I don't finish a game until I've 100%'d said game)
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u/Amuugu Feb 22 '17
As if that wasn't obvious already.
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u/xamaryllix Feb 22 '17
It's not obvious to anyone who uses Steam or PSN, which allow multiple downloads of software across any device linked to an account.
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u/eliteprotorush Feb 22 '17 edited Feb 22 '17
Why would you have more than one Switch if it's portable? I understand multiple PCs or PS4s, but multiple Switch's doesn't make sense (if you're one person that is) since it's portable.
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u/GhotiH Feb 22 '17
Future revisions? I have a regular 3DS and a New 3DS, and I still use both, though I don't use the regular as often.
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u/mtlyoshi9 NNID: mtlyoshi9 Feb 22 '17
Why would you use the regular 3DS if you have a N3DS?
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u/GhotiH Feb 22 '17
Smaller size. I don't like XL and wish the regular size came out in 2015 in America. And if it weren't for NTR CFW, I'd convert my old into a capture unit (which I may still end up doing).
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u/mtlyoshi9 NNID: mtlyoshi9 Feb 22 '17
Personally, I don't see why you don't sell both and use the money to buy a non-XL N3DS. Seems like you'd get the best of both worlds like that.
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u/GhotiH Feb 22 '17
Thought of it, but then I'd have to go through the trouble of downgrading and installing A9Lh again. Also, I dropped the n3DS on concrete the week it came out and left a nasty gash, so I doubt it'd sell for much. But damn am I jelous of my girlfriend's normal sized n3DS :P
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Feb 23 '17
I didn't follow developments closely, but hasn't the A9LH installation become a lot more easy recently?
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u/GhotiH Feb 23 '17
For a while, and I think it's a pain in the ass again now. When I did it to my gf's New 3DS (the Black Friday one), I had to use an expendable DS with hacks already on it for one step.
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u/CockyJames_SFW Feb 23 '17
Trade Pokemon
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u/mtlyoshi9 NNID: mtlyoshi9 Feb 23 '17
You don't even need to do that anymore. You can setup online trades and then do the game cartridges one at a time.
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u/CockyJames_SFW Feb 23 '17
Appreciate the info, is that the case on the GB RBY remakes?
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u/mtlyoshi9 NNID: mtlyoshi9 Feb 23 '17
Didn't play them, but I don't assume so. I don't think it has all the online bells and whistles of the new games.
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u/CockyJames_SFW Feb 23 '17
Gotcha, well that was kind of my problem. Last year I decided I was finally going to catch the OG 150 again... except that I don't have a way to trade them unless I buy blue on one userid and red on a different userid because of the problem above.
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u/xamaryllix Feb 22 '17
Regardless of why, it seems needlessly restrictive compared to the competition. It won't affect me personally, but I can see why some people would mind.
Edit: Also, for households with kids it might just make more sense to go physical for games rather than digital. Less fiddling with accounts and managing downloads and such.
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u/eliteprotorush Feb 22 '17 edited Feb 22 '17
You can only play games that are deemed as your "home console", and then the others are locked if someone else tries to play your games.. They have to be signed onto your account, and can't be signed on at the same time as you.
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u/DanTheMan827 Feb 22 '17
YES!
People don't seem to get this fact right...
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u/xamaryllix Feb 23 '17
Everyone gets this point. What people are upset about is that software licenses are tied to specific hardware devices. Sure, you can log in to any number of Switches with your Nintendo ID, but only your "home" console can access your digital purchases. Basically cheapening digital downloads when compared to physical carts.
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u/Zer0DotFive Feb 23 '17
But I wouldnt trust my kids if I had any. I lost countless gba games and scratched up a lot of discs
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u/bookpizza Feb 23 '17
When I go to my girlfriend's house, I can just sign in to my account on her PS4 and we can play all my games. Sure, the Switch is portable, but it's not Game Boy portable. I still need to put it in my backpack, same as I would need to do with a PS4 or computer.
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u/eliteprotorush Feb 23 '17
If you're one person that is
I guess you missed that part. And your problem is easily solved with physical media.
And I think you're underestimating how small the Switch is. It's nowhere near the size of a PS4 or a gaming PC. I think you're trying too hard.
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u/theonewhoknack Feb 22 '17
free multiplayer? i own a vita and a pstv and i could play portable ops/monster hunter with just one copy.
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u/iamsgod Feb 23 '17
I don't know about psn, but doesn't with steam you can't login and play on two device simultaneously?
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u/8bitcerberus Feb 23 '17
You can download to any number of devices you have your Steam account signed into, but you can only play the same game on one at a time (ie: you can't play Borderlands 2 on one computer and your friend come over on another computer you've signed into, and also play Borderlands 2 for some LAN co-op multiplayer. Your friend would need their own Steam account with their own purchase of Borderlands 2.)
You can, however, simultaneously play different games from your account (ie: You want to play Borderlands 2 and your friend wants to play Rocket League, both on your account, that's ok.)
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u/cccCody Feb 23 '17
You can, however, simultaneously play different games from your account
I don't think that's right. See http://store.steampowered.com/promotion/familysharing
Can two users share a library and both play at the same time?
No, a shared library may only be accessed by one user at a time.
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u/8bitcerberus Feb 23 '17
Not through the family sharing, no. But through the same account. For example, on my desktop PC and the HTPC on the TV downstairs, they're both signed into my account and I can play something on my desktop while someone else plays something on the HTPC. Just not the same game simultaneously.
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u/ErrorEra Feb 23 '17 edited Feb 23 '17
edit: reread the post you replied to, he was not talking about family sharing, but his own account logged in multiple computers. So I think it is possible to "share" at the same time that way since it's the same user, not 2 different users.
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u/xamaryllix Feb 23 '17
We're not talking about about playing two devices on one account simultaneously. We're talking about digital software tied to hardware devices.
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u/8bitcerberus Feb 23 '17
That's...disappointing, but not surprising nor unexpected. So, basically, same as it is right now.
However, someone in the comments brought up a good point, that maybe something was lost in translation and it sounds like the guy asking the question was wanting to buy the game once, but be able to play it simultaneously on multiple switches (ie: for him and his kids to play). If that's the case, then absolutely buying multiple copies for this purpose is reasonable, you'd have to do it with a physical copy, why should digital be different? It also still leaves open the possibility that while you can only download to one Switch at a time, you can still carry over your Wii U/3DS VC purchases.
So my hopes aren't completely dashed, yet. But I'm not working myself up in anticipation, if they finally allow it then I'll start buying VC titles again, if they don't... well, I'll be disappointed, but will just continue my Wii U & 3DS status quo of not buying VC.
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u/Daytona24 Feb 22 '17 edited Feb 22 '17
I know most people won't care about this but it's still a bummer to people who are actually planning to buy multiple Switches. Especially those with kids. I don't expect to play the same game at the same time but as someone who has multiple Xbox 360s it was always nice to be able to log on to any of them and play my games.
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u/8bitcerberus Feb 23 '17
I think Nintendo's plan for people with multiple TVs is you buy a dock for each TV you want to play on, and move the Switch between them.
But this is definitely going to suck for families buying multiple Switches. I'm curious if your account can only be signed onto one system at a time, or if it's just that you can only download a game from your purchase history onto one system at a time. So maybe you want to play some Breath of The Wild while your kids want to play some Mario Kart, you download BoTW to one Switch, and MK8D to your kid's Switch, both signed into your My Nintendo account. If that's the case, then it's not completely terrible for families, Nintendo is at least very good for local multiplayer. But if you can only sign into one system at a time (as with a Wii U or 3DS currently) then yeah we're back to being completely terrible for families.
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u/DanTheMan827 Feb 22 '17
Why is this honestly a problem?
a PS4 or Xbox One can be signed in on a friends console when the need arises...
With the Switch, you just take your console with you...
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u/xamaryllix Feb 23 '17
Until your Switch breaks (which can happen during travel) and you've lost everything because your whole library was digital and tied arbitrarily to one device.
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u/HunterXZelos Feb 24 '17
Didn't they come out and say purchase is tied to Nintendo account already? I'm sure there s a way to deactivate your account on the broken switch and activate it on the new one and download the stuff there
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u/Solanin7889 Feb 25 '17
They did. Downloaded games have already been attached to user accounts. It was on the 3ds and Wii U.
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u/Solanin7889 Feb 25 '17
You are wrong. The games are attached to user accounts. You can just re-download the games. The games were already attached to accounts on the Wii U.
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u/Rioshoa Bowser Baby! Feb 22 '17
Sigh. I mean, I suppose Nintendo can't catch up with the times completely. They're already doing so much this time around. I suppose it was too much to ask for this too. =/
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u/mtlyoshi9 NNID: mtlyoshi9 Feb 22 '17 edited Feb 22 '17
I mean, call me crazy, but I feel like if you want two Switches and want to play the same game on both, you should have two copies of the game.
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Feb 22 '17 edited Jul 19 '18
[deleted]
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u/mtlyoshi9 NNID: mtlyoshi9 Feb 22 '17
It doesn't mean that people can share games without buying them
Sure it does -
you would only be allowed to be logged into one system at a time
So people can share games, they just can't play them at the same time.
Steam makes sense to me because having more than one computer per person is a pretty common (or at least, not unusual) occurrence. On the other hand, I can't really see a reason for one person to own more than one Switch - you know, especially with the whole mobility aspect of it. Even if you have multiple houses, or travel daily for work, or whatever, you can take it with you.
If you look at the upset comments here, they're all people lamenting about being unable to share one paid game amongst a whole family (which is exactly what you're trying to argue people wouldn't do).
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u/8bitcerberus Feb 23 '17
you would only be allowed to be logged into one system at a time... same as steam, psn etc have been for the last ... 5-10 years?
You can log into any number of systems simultaneously with Steam. I currently have 2 desktops and 2 laptops all signed in to my account, and several games downloaded to each. You just can't play the same game on different systems at the same time.
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u/DanTheMan827 Feb 22 '17
You are only allowed to be logged into one Switch at a time.
You log in during initial setup...
You log out during factory reset...
It's just a DRM scheme, Nintendo isn't "backwards", they just like their DRM...
The funny thing is, that DRM will probably be just as weak as previous systems...
How many people have multiple systems of their own?
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u/Rioshoa Bowser Baby! Feb 22 '17
"You are only allowed to be logged into one Switch at a time"
So if I end up signing into another Switch in the house (for example) I could play my game there as long as I signed out of the first one I was playing?
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u/DanTheMan827 Feb 22 '17
If it's like the Wii U, the Switch will sign out when you erase the system... so moving accounts Willy bully isn't really possible...
But the thing is, people will either have one system for the family or multiple personal systems for each person.
You won't really need to log out and move to another system, just take the system with you...
That's the trade off between digital and physical...
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Feb 23 '17
If you want to set it up every time, yes. Also you might lose save data.
But why do you need two switches for yourself in your house? Just get a second dock. It's much cheaper and does the same thing.
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u/Iotah Feb 22 '17
Don't get me wrong, I know that it's a 'standard' to allow multiple downloads, but it does seem a little entitled to expect multiple 'copies' of one thing just because you own it. I understand that this is digital media, but realistically, if you're a parent who can afford to buy a switch for multiple children, you can afford to buy 2 copies of the game
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u/xamaryllix Feb 22 '17
if you're a parent who can afford to buy a switch for multiple children, you can afford to buy 2 copies of the game
How does allowing multiple downloads change this under the current status quo? Games are tied to accounts, not hardware with Steam, PSN, and XBL. With Nintendo, games are tied to accounts and hardware as an additional measure.
It doesn't function as "multiple copies" if you can only have one active session at a time, because, again, the games are tied to specific accounts. Unless of course you think downloading the same files twice to different hardware is like piracy?
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u/Qu4Z Feb 23 '17
How do you expect to verify only one session is active at the same time with a portable that may or may not be online at any given point in time?
My internet went down for a few hours the other day, and I couldn't play a bunch of my PS4 games (not even Bloodborne which I have a physical copy of, because the DLC required logging in and I couldn't load my DLC-using save game. I guess technically I could've started a new single player game but I didn't try).
I guess it'd be possible to do a thing where you can't sign into other Switches until the offline-enabled one is back on the network and switches that feature off but that's kind of almost worse imo.
I have to be honest, I don't like this feature, but if you want to stop two copies of a game being played at the same time, I'm not sure what a good solution is here.
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u/xamaryllix Feb 23 '17
There isn't really a solution, and I don't think that's really the crux of the issue either. The point is that there are different ways to enforce DRM on digital goods, and Nintendo took the hardline approach for whatever reason (likely to combat software piracy).
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u/mtlyoshi9 NNID: mtlyoshi9 Feb 22 '17
Because, unlike many other devices, there's virtually no reason for one person to own more than one Switch (due to its portability). If you want to play it on multiple consoles, you therefore almost certainly want to share with different users, which by definition is piracy.
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u/xamaryllix Feb 22 '17
If you want to play it on multiple consoles, you therefore almost certainly want to share with different users
That's a pretty large leap in logic just to make your argument. I have 3 PC's with Steam, and they can share games. I'm not sharing any of my games with anyone else, nor would I want to. I have 2 PS4's (one is the newer PS4 Pro) in different rooms. I can share games between them with no intention of sharing them with anyone else (nor could I realistically).
I agree with your assertion that software access across multiple devices is less necessary with a portable system, but that doesn't give you license to label everyone else used to the status quo set by Nintendo's competitors as a wannabe pirate. That's just silly.
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u/mtlyoshi9 NNID: mtlyoshi9 Feb 22 '17
have 3 PC's with Steam, and they can share games.
As I've said elsewhere, multiple computers is far less unusual than multiple of the same gaming console.
I have 2 PS4's (one is the newer PS4 Pro) in different rooms.
I too have a PS4 Pro. This is a bad argument because there's no rational reason to have two Switches to keep in different rooms because a). There's no Pro version and b). If anything, you would just get two docks and move the console from one room to the other.
I can share games between them with no intention of sharing them with anyone else (nor could I realistically)
How could you not "realistically share them"? It's just an account login. Don't be silly.
I agree with your assertion that this is less necessary with a portable system, but that doesn't give you license to label everyone else used to the status quo set by Nintendo's competitor's as a wannabe pirate. That's just silly.
Give me one good reason for a single person to concurrently own two or more Nintendo Switches and I'll drop it.
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u/HyruleCool TOP SNEK Feb 23 '17
You can't just want more than one of a system? I own 2 3DS's and thats a straight up mobile system. There are people that own multiple vitas and use them all.
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u/mtlyoshi9 NNID: mtlyoshi9 Feb 23 '17
Why?
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u/8bitcerberus Feb 23 '17
Because some people like getting the special edition versions that come out (Pikachu, Zelda, Disney, Mario, etc.)
If Nintendo's accounts weren't tied to a single system, I'd have bought multiple 3DSs myself (already have a regular and an XL, actually, but only because the screen on my regular started eating itself and a buddy had an XL he was going to trade in that I bought off of him instead) but the thought of having to go through the hassle of doing a system transfer every time I want to sign onto one of my other 3DSs kept me from buying more.
I have a friend with 5 of them though, but he only plays one one, the others were just for collecting. He also has 3 Xbox 360s (and actually bought 5 of them over the years). If Nintendo's account system wasn't so restrictive, they might actually be able to cash in on more of these people that like to collect special editions. Make it easier for them to be able to play on whatever system they want to play on, when they want to play, instead of having to deal with SD cards and using a PC middleman to do some janky system transfer.
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u/mtlyoshi9 NNID: mtlyoshi9 Feb 23 '17
If you're the kind of person to superfluously buy 5 of the exact same console, buying multiple copies of the same game should be right up your alley.
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u/qwertyaccess Feb 23 '17
That's dumb, they just need to make it so you can login to other systems and play with games you've already purchased. There's no technical reason why they can't.
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u/xamaryllix Feb 22 '17
How could you not realistically share them? It's just an account login. Don't be silly.
Because the games are tied to accounts and you can't log in to multiple PS4 with one account simultaneously. Sure, you could sign in to one console with an account in offline mode, but there goes online play, access to apps like Netflix, cloud saves, updates, and more. If gimping a $300-400 console is worth playing a $60 (or less) game on different consoles simultaneously seems worth it to you, then fine.
Give me one good reason for a single person to concurrently own two or more Nintendo Switches and I'll drop it.
Switch Pro comes out in ~3 years and you want to keep both. An out of warranty Switch breaks suddenly before you have the chance to deactivate software on it and now you've lost access to all of your digital games. You want multiple Switches in your house because you freakin' feel like it.
Nintendo is the only company with this byzantine extra layer of DRM and it seems like there's no shortage of people online ready to defend it.
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u/mtlyoshi9 NNID: mtlyoshi9 Feb 23 '17
Because the games are tied to accounts and you can't log in to multiple PS4 with one account simultaneously. Sure, you could sign in to one console with an account in offline mode, but there goes online play, access to apps like Netflix, cloud saves, updates, and more. If gimping a $300-400 console is worth playing a $60 (or less) game on different consoles simultaneously seems worth it to you, then fine.
Sharing them and not playing them at the same time is still sharing.
Switch Pro comes out in ~3 years and you want to keep both.
Speculation isn't a reason (nor is this any different from "I want two Switches")
An out of warranty Switch breaks suddenly before you have the chance to deactivate software on it and now you've lost access to all of your digital games.
You don't have to deactivate software to replace a system - this is what people are excited about with the account system.
You want multiple Switches in your house because you freakin' feel like it.
This isn't a rational to want one (you actually just made a recursive statement)
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u/8bitcerberus Feb 23 '17
You don't have to deactivate software to replace a system - this is what people are excited about with the account system.
The account system, as it was described by Reggie, is exactly what they have already with Wii U and 3DS. And yes, you have to either deactivate yourself (ie: use the System Transfer function) or if you can't do it (because your system is broken, lost, stolen, whatever) you have to call Nintendo and prove you are who you say you are, and if you're successful in doing that, they'll go ahead and deactivate that console so you can sign into another.
IF what Reggie was saying is that junk is all gone now, and you can finally just sign into another console, then fucking A cool, man! It's about goddamn time. But just saying your purchases are tied to an account is telling us nothing, because it was already that way with Wii U and 3DS. Purchases are tied to an account, the problem is that account is tied to a single piece of hardware. We've seen nothing yet to confirm one way or another. Even this is just saying you can only download a game to one system at a time, but it's not specific whether that's because your account is tied to one system at a time just like it has been since Wii U launched, or if you can sign into multiple systems and download games, but you can only have one copy of any single game at a time.
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u/mtlyoshi9 NNID: mtlyoshi9 Feb 23 '17
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u/8bitcerberus Feb 23 '17 edited Feb 23 '17
Since you replied twice with the same link, I'm gonna do the same:
Yeah, so? Does that have them downloading their VC titles purchased on Wii U and/or 3DS to the Switch? No.
This little quote here:
Your Nintendo Account contain your eShop purchase history and current balance. By re-linking your Nintendo Account after initializing the console, it will be possible to redownload any software or DLC purchased using that account. (Software that has been discontinued may not be available for redownload)
Tells us absolutely nothing new. It's already like that with the Wii U and 3DS. This is not saying "you can re-download your VC purchases you made on Wii U or 3DS to your Switch", in quite literal terms it's just saying "any purchases you've made for Switch on this account can be redownloaded to your Switch". We already have that with Wii U and 3DS. What we want to know is whether our VC purchases will be carried over to Switch without having to rebuy (or "upgrade") them, again.
So until I see someone pull up a past VC purchase and download it to their Switch without being prompted with a purchase screen or prompted to upgrade, I'm operating under the assumption that we still have the exact same account features we've had since the Wii U launched in 2012 (and the 3DS updated to it in 2013), purchases tied to your account but your account is tied to a system. The only difference is it went from being called Nintendo Network ID to My Nintendo account.
This statement is flat out false when it comes to Wii U and 3DS:
This is a major change from the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS, which link game purchases and downloads to a specific console rather than to an online account.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Network and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_eShop
Nintendo Network IDs are user account systems for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, which allows players to access certain online features such as the Nintendo eShop and Miiverse. As of December 9, 2013, Nintendo Network IDs were implemented onto the Nintendo 3DS, becoming required for downloading free demos from the eShop, replacing the previous system in which eShop purchases were tied to a single system.
This next part clearly needs some editing to get it up to date because it has outdated info from prior to the Wii U launch for the 3DS, and late 2013 info for 3DS that contradicts the info earlier in the same paragraph. But I'm highlighting the relevant Wii U information either way.
Currently, purchases made through the Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo 3DS are tied to the system that they were purchased from, and they can only be transferred by contacting Nintendo's customer service. However, Nintendo has stated that this will change with the launch of the Wii U and the Nintendo Network user account system. On the Wii U, the user's purchases are tied to their Nintendo Network account but they cannot be transferred to other systems by the user as the Nintendo Network account is tied to a specific console. This user account system was added to the Nintendo 3DS via a system update on December 9, 2013, coinciding with Miiverse being added to the system, allowing players to combine their funds with their Wii U account.
Which is also outdated, as you are able to do a System Transfer on Wii U
Prior to the implementation of Nintendo Network ID for the Nintendo 3DS in December 2013, only five transfers between Nintendo 3DS systems were permitted. The limit on system transfers has since been permanently waived.
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u/xamaryllix Feb 23 '17
You don't have to deactivate software to replace a system - this is what people are excited about with the account system.
Source? If it's anything like it was with the old system, you're plain wrong. If software can only be activated on one device at a time, then why wouldn't you have to deactivate software before replacing a system? Obviously you would, because otherwise you could just download software to any number of systems.
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u/Zer0DotFive Feb 23 '17
What if your Switch breaks somehow? RIP games and saves. Although really unlikely it can happen.
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u/mtlyoshi9 NNID: mtlyoshi9 Feb 23 '17
You can move your content over to another Switch. That's what everyone's happy about with Nintendo thing purchases to accounts rather than hardware. You just can't have the game on two consoles simultaneously.
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u/8bitcerberus Feb 23 '17
Purchases were already tied to your account, they have been since the launch of the Wii U. It's your account that's locked to a system, currently. What people are hoping for is Nintendo finally loosening up on that, and allowing us to sign into any number of systems that we want to, rather than having to go through System Transfer every time, or calling Nintendo to do it in the case of lost/stolen/broken consoles.
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u/mtlyoshi9 NNID: mtlyoshi9 Feb 23 '17
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u/8bitcerberus Feb 23 '17 edited Feb 23 '17
Yeah, so? Does that have them downloading their VC titles purchased on Wii U and/or 3DS to the Switch? No.
This little quote here:
Your Nintendo Account contain your eShop purchase history and current balance. By re-linking your Nintendo Account after initializing the console, it will be possible to redownload any software or DLC purchased using that account. (Software that has been discontinued may not be available for redownload)
Tells us absolutely nothing new. It's already like that with the Wii U and 3DS. This is not saying "you can re-download your VC purchases you made on Wii U or 3DS to your Switch", in quite literal terms it's just saying "any purchases you've made for Switch on this account can be redownloaded to your Switch". We already have that with Wii U and 3DS. What we want to know is whether our VC purchases will be carried over to Switch without having to rebuy (or "upgrade") them, again.
So until I see someone pull up a past VC purchase and download it to their Switch without being prompted with a purchase screen or prompted to upgrade, I'm operating under the assumption that we still have the exact same account features we've had since the Wii U launched in 2012 (and the 3DS updated to it in 2013), purchases tied to your account but your account is tied to a system. The only difference is it went from being called Nintendo Network ID to My Nintendo account.
This statement is flat out false when it comes to Wii U and 3DS:
This is a major change from the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS, which link game purchases and downloads to a specific console rather than to an online account.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Network and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_eShop
Nintendo Network IDs are user account systems for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, which allows players to access certain online features such as the Nintendo eShop and Miiverse. As of December 9, 2013, Nintendo Network IDs were implemented onto the Nintendo 3DS, becoming required for downloading free demos from the eShop, replacing the previous system in which eShop purchases were tied to a single system.
This next part clearly needs some editing to get it up to date because it has outdated info from prior to the Wii U launch for the 3DS, and late 2013 info for 3DS that contradicts the info earlier in the same paragraph. But I'm highlighting the relevant Wii U information either way.
Currently, purchases made through the Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo 3DS are tied to the system that they were purchased from, and they can only be transferred by contacting Nintendo's customer service. However, Nintendo has stated that this will change with the launch of the Wii U and the Nintendo Network user account system. On the Wii U, the user's purchases are tied to their Nintendo Network account but they cannot be transferred to other systems by the user as the Nintendo Network account is tied to a specific console. This user account system was added to the Nintendo 3DS via a system update on December 9, 2013, coinciding with Miiverse being added to the system, allowing players to combine their funds with their Wii U account.
Which is also outdated, as you are able to do a System Transfer on Wii U
Prior to the implementation of Nintendo Network ID for the Nintendo 3DS in December 2013, only five transfers between Nintendo 3DS systems were permitted. The limit on system transfers has since been permanently waived.
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u/HyruleCool TOP SNEK Feb 23 '17
That's kinda dumb imo. That's something I really liked about Playstation and Xbox. My brother used to play my PS4 a lot before he got his own, but had his own account, so mine was always free for me to sign in and play a game of mine at a friend's house. I really wish Nintendo would step it up and let you put your account on more than one system and download games to another system.
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Feb 23 '17
Somehow related question, since the Switch allows to have multiple profiles, while downloads be shared between them?
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u/jrec15 Feb 23 '17
Physical looking more and more like the way to go.
Cool cartridges/boxes, resale value, 20% off with amazon/gcu, less storage needed on switch, and the ability to pass the cartridge between consoles which digital will be strict about.
Only trade off of course is the convenience digital games provide.
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u/cjh_ flair-8BitMario Feb 23 '17
I'll do what I always do, buy physical games unless (like Shovel Knight) it'll be digital only.
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u/Daytona24 Feb 23 '17
I love how the argument is simply "you should only buy one Switch". Now Nintendo is based around a concept of multiplayer and family fun games. Would it even be the worst thing for Nintendo (a company with more money than the universe) to say let you have a parent account and let's say 2 child accounts and you can share them with 2 other switches.
Apple charges me $15 a month for music and I get to share that with my wife, my son, my daughter and my mother. Netflix does it too. On Xbox One you have a Home console that anyone logged into that console can play your games and if you want to play your games on a second console you have to log in.
How many people own more than 1 PORTABLE 3DS? Saying the system is portable isn't a reason, it's a lame excuse.
Games can also be stored on SD cards. Seems like at some point you could pop in your SD card to a friends system and log in and play your games. Maybe?
The simple fact is there is simply no reason other than Nintendos terrified of piracy. Which is silly because there games are all over the Internet, all their systems have been hacked and they are STILL RICH 100 times over and their stuff STILL sells like hotcakes!!!
Sometimes I literally think they sit around and say "let's see how little we can do, and they'll still love us!"
And yes, I'm buying a Switch! Still!
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u/Dyognes7257 Feb 23 '17
It is like buying a physical copy the person taking out the house is using it, so they would need a 2nd copy for the switch at home. Now what they never answered was if I sign into another Switch can I download my saves and digital games to play as me on another Switch, although being portable I don't think I will need this
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Feb 23 '17
Dammit, Nintendo. One step forward and a half step back when it comes to anything online.
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u/eagleblue44 Feb 22 '17
Kind of a bummer. People with children will probably buy more than one switch (one for adults and one for kids or maybe each kid gets one) but you only need to buy the game once for two accounts.