- Nintendo has updated its user agreement in both the US and the UK
- In the US, it is now stated that Nintendo could murder your console due to unauthorized use
- In the UK, your digital software could be disabled
Nintendo has updated his user agreement, and hardened his attitude towards those who pire gambling, trying to emulate titles, or otherwise change their consoles.
The changes were advertised in an E email that was distributed to users in the United States and applies to all existing and new Nintendo accounts. Game File reports that the agreement received just over 100 edits.
Some of the most interesting edits include a massive expansion of a part used to state that players are “not allowed to rent, subliced, publish, copy, change, customize, translate, reverse engineer, decompile or separate all or any part of the Nintendo Account Services without Nintendo’s written consent, or unless otherwise allowed by an approved law.”
Now it says: “Without limitation, you agree that you may not (a) publish, copy, change, reverse engineer, lease, rent, decompilate, disassemble, distribute, offer for sale or create derivatives of any part of the Nintendo account services; Nintendo account to work other than in accordance with its documentation and intentional use;
Nintendo spells effectively now exactly what you are not allowed to do. Being forbidden to “bypass, change, decrypt, defeat, manipulate” with parts of the system completely excludes activities such as installing your own home brewing apps. The fact that you are unable to “get, install or use unauthorized copies of Nintendo Account Services” also stronger emphasizes that any kind of software -piracy is not allowed.
As for what could happen if you break these rules, the agreement now says that: “You acknowledge that if you do not comply with the previous restrictions, Nintendo can do Nintendo accounts and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently useless in all or part.”
This outlines Nintendo’s ability to mason your device (make it “permanently useless as a whole”) if you do not comply with the deal. The company can also potentially disable certain features (make it useless “partially”), which can, for example, mean to prevent cheating from being able to access online services in play.
The agreement has also been updated in England, although the new wording is less drastic. Players in the region now accept that: “Any digital products registered in your Nintendo account and any updates of such digital products are only licensed for personal and non-commercial use on a user device.”
“Digital products may not be used for any other purpose. Especially without NOE’s written consent, you must not rent or rent digital products or subliced, publish, copy, change, customize, translate, reverse engineer, decompilate or separate any part of digital products other than expressly permitted by applicable law,” it continues. “Such an unauthorized use of a digital product can result in the digital product becoming useless.”
These agreements are currently valid for Nintendo Switch, but unless it changes before launching, it would also probably rule your use of the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2. With this in mind, it would be wise to read the new terms carefully and ensure that you do not end up
