One of the worst possible things you can experience as a gamer is waking up and realizing your console won't start up. A recent Nintendo firmware update, Switch version 20.0.0, wreaked havoc on a ton of Nintendo Switches, with many users complaining that their device wasn't booting and was displaying an Error Code: 2206-1015: An error has occurred screen. Thankfully, the company was quick to acknowledge the issue and rolled out another firmware update, 20.0.1, that addressed it.
Nintendo also updated its Nintendo Account User Agreement terms, and one particular clause in it states that your Switch might become permanently unusable. And while it’s not because of a bug on Nintendo’s end this time, you might still end up with a bricked Switch if you’re not careful.
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Nintendo is offering both Switch 2 Editions and Free Updates for Switch 1 games, but what does this mean. Worry not, XDA has you covered.
Your switch might get bricked if you use pirated games or mods
As first reported by GameFile, Nintendo has started sending out emails to users titled “Updates to Nintendo Account User Agreement and Nintendo Privacy Policy.” Nintendo's updated agreement modifies and expands on a paragraph aimed at gamers who mod their Switch or play pirated games.
It mentions that if users violate any of the restrictions below, “Nintendo may render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part”:
- Distribute, offer for sale, or create derivative works of any portion of the Nintendo Account Services
- Bypass any of the functions or protections of the Nintendo Account Services
- Modify any part of the Nintendo Account Services
- Decrypt any of its content or functionality
- Defeat any protective mechanisms in place
- Tamper with the system or services in any way
- Obtain, install or use any unauthorized copies of Nintendo Account Services
- Exploit the Nintendo Account Services in any manner other than to use them in accordance with the applicable documentation and intended use
Violating even a single one of these clauses could result in Nintendo banning your account, and potentially banning your console from accessing Nintendo Account Services entirely.
The above seems to apply only in the United States, though. The updated UK agreement refers instead to Digital Products registered to a Nintendo Account, and states that if a digital game is used in an unauthorized way, such as being used commercially, Nintendo has the right to revoke your license for the game, rendering the digital game essentially useless. The UK version, however, does not mention permanently bricking your Switch.