Nintendo forces users to update to use paid subscription

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Nintendo forces you to keep your console on a relatively new firmware version to be able to use Nintendo Switch Online Services in-game which allows you to play with other players and access online features. Nintendo Switch Online is a paid subscription which means that Nintendo is forcing you to keep your console up-to-date to fix errors to have you be able to use the paid subscription.

Background

Nintendo introduces a security check in the Nintendo Switch with microsopic fuses in the switch's CPU named efuses. This security feature checks whether the number of burned efuses match up with the firmware version intended for the number of burned efuses the user has. If these two factors don't align the switch will panic and refuse to boot. The Nintendo Switch only has 32 efuses. So far, if the Switch is on the latest firmware, there should be 23 burned efuses. Every time the user updates, an efuse is burned. This efuse cannot be restored in any way and the "simplest" and most cost-efficient way to get back burned efuses would be to completely replace the chip. If the user modifies their console, they can bypass the fusecheck which lets them run any firmware they want.

[Incident]

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Nintendo's response

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Consumer response

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