The secondhand Switch 2 market is a minefield of bricked consoles
Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Reports of bricked secondhand Switch 2 consoles are already coming in.
- Nintendo has been banning consoles that use MiG Switch carts, with no recourse.
- This has major implications for the used Switch 2 market going forward.
The Nintendo Switch 2 has only been out for a few weeks, but some lucky users have already found deals on secondhand consoles. One Reddit user reported finding such a deal, scoring a sweet $50 discount on the console, even though new consoles were sold out. Well, at least it seemed like a good deal, until an “Error Code: 2124-4508” message appeared on the screen during setup at home.
This error code prevents the console from using any online Nintendo services, effectively bricking the device. It’s Nintendo’s nuclear option in the war against piracy and ToS violations, and the company hasn’t been shy about using it.
For example, many users are reporting having their consoles bricked after attempting to use a MiG Switch cart. These carts can be used for piracy or to play backups of purchased games. Nintendo considers both use cases a violation of its ToS and doesn’t differentiate between them when permanently bricking consoles.
Odds of secondhand Switch 2 consoles being bricked are uncomfortably high.
This creates a minefield for the secondhand Switch 2 market. There are currently no options to remove a console lock, so you must turn the console on and check that it can connect to Nintendo’s servers before purchasing.
The user mentioned above managed to return the console and get a full refund, but if you buy a used Switch 2 from a private individual or, even worse, eBay, your odds of getting stuck with a bricked console are uncomfortably high. Unless you can test the console yourself, it’s better to avoid secondhand Switch 2 consoles altogether.
The Nintendo Switch 2 retails for $449 for just the console, or $499 for the console and Mario Kart World. The game is a download code rather than a cart, though, so buying the bundle secondhand will likely leave you with a useless code, even if the console isn’t bricked.
