Nintendo officially confirms it had released a new version of the Switch to counter hacking
Nintendo has gone on the record and confirmed that it previously released a new version of the Switch to counter hacking.
Nintendo of America filed a lawsuit against Team Xecuter hacker Gary Bowser last year, which resulted in a 40-month prison sentence. New details about the case have since come to light as court documents have been published.
It’s thanks to these documents that we get to hear what Nintendo said regarding the impact Bowser had on its Switch hardware. While many had assumed that an updated model was released in 2018 in hopes of preventing piracy, this is the first time the Big N has acknowledged it officially.
As was stated during the trial:
Nintendo has had to release a new version of our hardware in response to one of these hacking tools, and this modification entailed countless hours of engineering and adjustments to our global manufacturing and distribution chains and, of course, corresponding resources. To be clear, these effects are a direct result of the defendant and Team Xecutor attacking our technological protection measures.
Bowser’s lawyer would also say during the trial that much of the time he already served while awaiting sentencing was spent in de facto solitary confinement due to the pandemic as well as other health issues. It seems this is why Bowser ended up with a 40-month sentence as opposed to 60, which was requested by the government. Although Nintendo disagreed, the judge felt Bowser wouldn’t reoffend, but also wanted to send a message about piracy harms.
