Nintendo Switch owners, beware: Broken game cards may cause permanent damage

By Aaron Mamiit June 9, 2019

Nintendo Switch owners are advised to check their game cards before inserting them to play, as broken ones may result in permanent damage to the hybrid console.

A Japanese repair store issued the warning after investigating the issue, when some Nintendo Switch owners in Japan reported that their consoles stopped loading game cards after inserting a second-hand or borrowed one.

The repair store discovered that the problem occurs due to broken game cards with bent and broken strips at the back, as seen in the photo provided by the Esuteru blog.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If a broken game card is inserted into the Nintendo Switch, it will bend the contact pin inside the game card slot. Unfortunately, this appears to be permanent damage, as the repair shop claims that even after it is fixed, the console will no longer be able to read the cartridges.

The repair store recommends all Nintendo Switch owners check their game cards before they insert them, as sparing a second to look may save the console from irreversible damage. This is especially true in the case of second-hand purchases. If a game card has a bent or broken strip, the repair store said that it would be better to remove the damaged strip entirely to prevent bent contact pins. Fortunately, it takes severe carelessness and a lot of abuse before a game card suffers such damage, so players should not worry about providing extra protection to the cartridges.

It remains unclear why the Nintendo Switch will not be able to read game cards after repairs. While owners of consoles that are permanently damaged by this issue may still play games by purchasing their digital versions, it will be a shame to have part of a $300 device not functioning just because of negligence in checking the integrity of game cards.

The warning on broken game cards comes just before the E3 2019 Nintendo Direct, which will air on June 11 at 9 a.m. PT. Among the games that Nintendo Switch owners may expect in the presentation are The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Pokémon Sword and Shield, a new Animal Crossing, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Super Mario Maker 2, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and many more.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Contributor

Aaron received a NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was 4 years old, and he has been fascinated with…

Gaming

Play these 3DS and Wii U games before Nintendo shutters their online features

Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

In April 2024, Nintendo will discontinue online services across its Wii U and 3DS consoles. While the eShops for both systems were shut down in March 2023, this will remove the online functionality of many apps and games, making gaming on either of these platforms an almost entirely offline experience. As a result, many games on those systems will lose important features and never be quite the same to play afterward. So, you'll need to get some gaming time in by next April if you want to refresh and preserve the memories of playing online on these two underdog Nintendo platforms.
While the aforementioned eShop closures make it impossible to buy new games digitally, plenty of games that you likely already own physical copies of or already had downloaded have online features that won't work properly come April 2024. As such, we recommend you play the following games online before the discontinuation of those services next year.
Kid Icarus Uprising

Kid Icarus Uprising is mostly remembered for its entertaining story, charismatic characters, and odd controls, but it also features a surprisingly fun multiplayer experience in Together Mode. In multiplayer, up to six players can use powerful weapons and abilities from the main adventure in one of two modes. Free-for-all lets players loose on a map, tasking them with racking up the most kills within a set time limit. Light vs. Dark is more complex, as two teams of three face off until enough players are defeated that one respawns as an angel; when that powered-up angel is killed, the match is over.
While far from balanced, Kid Icarus Uprising's Together Mode is one of the most entertaining competitive multiplayer experiences exclusive to 3DS. It can be played locally, using bots to fill in empty spots, so thankfully it won't stop working entirely. Still, it's not easy in 2023 to come across multiple people near you who have copies of Kid Icarus Uprising and want to play. As such, check out this cult classic 3DS game's hidden gem of a mode before praying that the rumors of a remaster eventually become true.
Nintendo Badge Arcade

Gaming

The best games on Nintendo Switch Online

Ness from Earthbound.

Each major gaming platform has its own subscription service, giving players added bonuses such as access to certain games and other perks for a monthly fee. Xbox has Game Pass, PlayStation has PlayStation Plus, and Nintendo Switch offers the Nintendo Switch Online program.

While Nintendo's service isn't on the same level as the other two across PlayStation and Xbox, it does give subscribers access to some of the best retro games of all time -- and even more if you have the Expansion Pack upgrade, which includes N64, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy Advance games, along with DLC packs for certain Switch titles. Included with the basic version of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription is the ability to play online, plus access to NES and SNES games.

Gaming

What games will Nintendo Switch 2 launch with? We have some ideas

Mario and friends zip through a race course in Mario Kart 8.

We’re officially on “new console watch.” Reports from credible publications like Eurogamer say that Nintendo secretly showed developers its next system behind closed doors at this year’s Gamescom. While it’s only a rumor, it’s a realistic one. We’re six years into the Nintendo Switch’s lifespan and even the longest-running consoles turn over at eight. If Nintendo’s next system is one or two years away, it’s time to start lining up support from third-party developers.

We’ve speculated on features we’d want in a new system before, but the reality of a new platform has me asking another question: What games would you launch with something like this? The Nintendo Switch’s launch day was crucial to its long-term success thanks to a bonafide classic in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While the rest of its launch lineup wasn’t as impressive, Nintendo capitalized fairly quickly with titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Splatoon 2. If Nintendo’s going to push Switch owners over to a new system, it’ll have to roll out the big guns.