Nintendo warns: hacking consoles could cost users their devices

Nintendo continues to demonstrate an uncompromising approach to protecting its products from interference and piracy. This time, not only emulator developers and hackers, but also ordinary users were under attack. The company made changes to the user agreement, strengthening control over the actions of the owners of its devices. If earlier Nintendo prohibited modification of both software and hardware without official permission, now it officially reserves the right to make the console completely or partially unusable if an attempt to bypass protection, reflash or otherwise interfere with the system is recorded.

The document does not specify how exactly this sanction can be implemented, but the wording sounds extremely harsh. The community received the update with alarm, noting that the potential blocking of a purchased device upsets the balance between the manufacturer’s control and the rights of the consumer.

It is noteworthy that the update to the user agreement occurred a month before the release of the new console – Nintendo Switch 2, scheduled for June 5. The company has shown in recent years that it will not tolerate attempts to circumvent its security system: the shutdown of popular emulators Yuzu and Ryujinx sent a clear signal to anyone trying to violate the established boundaries. Now, Nintendo is stepping up its measures aimed not only at programmers, but also at end users, demonstrating a willingness to protect its technology even at the cost of disabling the devices themselves.