Skip to main content

Denuvo introduces anti-emulation tech for Nintendo Switch

Irdeto unveiled Denuvo emulator protection for Nintendo Switch, a new piece of anti-emulation technology designed to make pirating Switch games on PC more difficult.

Irdeto, the company behind the controversial digital rights management (DRM) program, said in a press release that it created Nintendo Switch Emulator Protection to ensure that developers could increase their revenue during a game’s launch window. It pointed out that most Nintendo Switch games become emulatable on PC on day one, and it hopes that the new anti-emulation tech will help address that issue and ensure developers don’t lose pivotal launch sales to piracy.

Mario, Rabbid Peach, and more characters pose in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope key art.
Ubisoft

“We at Denuvo understand that piracy negatively affects the gaming industry and are working with the industry parties to ensure they have the latest protection technologies available for them,” said Denuvo managing director Reinhard Blaukovitsch. “Our team is excited to provide a solution that helps the developers and publishers to help fight the issue of Nintendo Switch piracy.”

Recommended Videos

Denuvo said that the Nintendo Switch Emulation Protection tech integrates seamlessly into a game build’s toolchain without affecting gameplay and inserts checks into the code to block gameplay on emulators. Gamers, however, have expressed utter dissatisfaction with Denuvo for years — even if they acquire games legally. They complained that Denuvo has caused issues in PC games, from long loading times to slow performance.

They deem the program a double-edged sword — Denuvo protects games from being tampered with for emulation, but it throttles the game’s speed in the process. Some game companies are generous enough to patch Denuvo out of their games long after their release on PC, and others don’t even use it at all.

In this case, it’s clear that rampant Nintendo Switch piracy is a big concern for Nintendo and Irdeto, and they’re looking for a comprehensive solution to stop it. It remains to be seen if this will negatively impact the performance of Nintendo Switch games, though.

Cristina Alexander
Cristina Alexander is a gaming and mobile writer at Digital Trends. She blends fair coverage of games industry topics that…
Switch 2 launch game Deltarune is getting surprise mouse support
deltarune heroes in old portraits

Deltarune is one of the most-anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 launch games, and now its creator Toby Fox says it's getting exclusive, mouse-mode-only content. This content was hinted at in the trailer, but only briefly. If you aren't familiar with Deltarune, it's the follow-up to the cult classic Undertale. Fox assures fans that the content will also be in other versions of the game, but it will play slightly differently due to different control schemes.

"As an effort to make the most of being a launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, I really wanted to try do something special," he writes. He says the difference in content lies in being able to use mouse controllers on both of the Joy-Cons at once. All non-Switch 2 versions of the game will have the exact same content. Before the FOMO kicks in, though, Fox goes on to say, "There is no meaningful difference in content amount, dialogue, setting, music etc between any version, so you will have a full package of fun no matter which you get! No one gets left out!"

Read more
One week later, this is what still surprises me most about Nintendo Switch 2
Mario Kart World appears on a Nintendo Switch 2 screen.

Last week, Nintendo gave us a whole wealth of Nintendo Switch 2 details. We learned about its games, its mysterious C-button, and got more details on how its mouse controllers worked. It was a presentation filled with surprises too, from a shocking Kirby Air Riders reveal to the announcement that GameCube games are coming to Nintendo Switch Online. I experienced some real shockers of my own when I went hands-on with the Switch 2 and found myself enamored with its new control scheme.

I've had a lot of time to process all the news since then, and even changed my tune on things I was initially critical of, like GameChat. Sitting down to reflect, there's one thing that still surprises me more than anything: just how next-gen the system actually feels.

Read more
Switch 2 woes cross the border as Nintendo delays preorders in Canada
The Nintendo Switch 2 is being held in a pair of hands.

Nintendo Switch 2 troubles have been extended to our neighbors north of the border. Pre-orders for the highly-anticipated hybrid console have been delayed in Canada just before they were slated to begin.

Jonathan Ore, senior writer for CBC Radio Online, shared a statement from Nintendo of Canada on Bluesky on Tuesday saying pre-orders for the Switch 2 have been delayed in the country to "align with the timing of pre-orders" in the United States. The statement reads as follows:

Read more