Device bricking

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A device being "Bricked" means the device has been rendered entirely unusable. The act of "Device Bricking" is specifically a company-side action meant to prevent a consumer from using a device they purchased if they attempt to do anything that goes against the terms of service the company sets for their devices, seen from the release of the Switch 2 from Nintendo. The act is intended to prevent "Homebrewed" devices (devices with unofficial, third-party or user-created modifications) from being created and to try to discourage piracy and hacking.

Device bricking also occurs very commonly as a result of Planned obsolescence, where a company's goal is to force the consumer to buy and replace the old, now unusable, product with a new one

Recent cases of Device bricking

Time of incident	Company name	Reason	Effects	Details
June 2025 - Ongoing	Nintendo	EULA violation	All games not fully downloaded prior rendered unplayable, online features disabled	In a May 2025 policy update, Nintendo stated they may "render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part."