Digital purchases *can* be recovered from a different Switch if needed.

[Austin]

Not a lot is talked about this but there still seems to be the perception that digital downloads on the Switch cannot be re-downloaded to a different system (not without jumping through hoops via Nintendo customer support anyway). Through parting with my own Switch over the weekend I discovered that you can in fact recover your games on a different system, it's just not clearly communicated to the user.

 

Switch digital purchases use the linking of a Nintendo account with an "activated console" setup to give you access to your goods. Purchases are only good on the most recently "activated" Switch that your Nintendo account resides on. If you "Deactivate" one system, log into another Switch with that same Nintendo account and "Activate" the account/system combo there, that system then becomes the the most recent "active" Switch and your purchases can then be accessed there. There's no direct system-to-system transfer required like with the 3DS and as long as you have deactivated your previous Switch, you can then recover everything on a new Switch.

 

It's probably not mind blowing for some people and I am sure most of you won't be parting with your Switch, but I feel it at least allows for a little peace of mind. One of my biggest issues with digital purchases on the Wii and Wii U was the constant fear that my system would up and die one day, or maybe I'd get to a point where I'd have to part with them for financial reasons and the money put into downloads over the years would go to waste. With the Switch, users don't have to worry about this anymore.

 

It's still not up to where Microsoft or Sony are with their platforms being able to access digital goods on multiple systems at once. However, the recovery process is there, it doesn't require the previous Switch console or any form of contact with Nintendo, so in the end I think it's still a step in the right direction. I am interested if Nintendo plans on improving on this concept as time moves on with the Switch. What are your thoughts?

[Andromeda Stardust]

It is definitely a step in the right direction. 3DS / Wii-U required contacting Nintendo support with a copy of the police report or insurance claim.

 

I would also like to see an account transfer process similar to 3DS/Wii/Wii-U where you can also transfer save data to a new console. This will become more pertinent if Nintendo ever decides to release new SKUs. It won't help if your console is lost, stolen or destroyed, but suppose for instance you damage the screen or some other component in some way that the console is damaged but not completely inoperable, you may be able to transfer save data, which afaik cannot currently be transfered to SD card, only eshop downloads, dlc, and update data.

 

So I don't lose for instance 200+ hours of Zelda gameplay if something should happen.

Edited November 27, 2017 by Kosmic Stardust

[Austin]

I would also like to see an account transfer process similar to 3DS/Wii/Wii-U where you can also transfer save data to a new console. This will become more pertinent if Nintendo ever decides to release new SKUs. It won't help if your console is lost, stolen or destroyed, but suppose for instance you damage the screen or some other component in some way that the console is damaged but not completely inoperable, you may be able to transfer save data, which afaik cannot currently be transfered to SD card, only eshop downloads, dlc, and update data. So I don't lose for instance 200+ hours of Zelda gameplay if something should happen.

 

That is a really good point that I did not think of. Hopefully they incorporate some kind of save transfer functionality, allow you to back them up to the MicroSD, or enable some sort of cloud backup linked to your account like Microsoft does.

[Atariboy]

I wish they'd take it a step further and allow remote deactivation. Then if your Switch goes up after a few years, you have the option of buying the latest model instead of paying $100 or more to go through Nintendo's repair process.

 

In today's world of internet connectivity, the risk that someone is going to upgrade and pass their old Switch on to someone else with all their digital content and then be kept permanently offline, is minimal. All they need is a system in place that deactivates all digital purchases on a Switch that the account holder has deactivated through Nintendo.com, the moment that system is again connected to the internet.

Edited November 27, 2017 by Atariboy

[Tanooki]

Oh they'll have SKUs for certain. That system is modular inside, all the parts plug in as pieces to the board much like a DIY desktop computer.

 

You say you don't need the system if it's deactivated, but I guess you would need to call NOA if someone stole your system or it got flooded and therefore wasted so you can't change it up. It's a nice move in the right direction but seriously lacking still, much like them (from looks) hiding save game backups into their NN accounts for next year when they go yearly for $20.

[Mord]

It is definitely a step in the right direction. 3DS / Wii-U required contacting Nintendo support with a copy of the police report or insurance claim.

 

I would also like to see an account transfer process similar to 3DS/Wii/Wii-U where you can also transfer save data to a new console. This will become more pertinent if Nintendo ever decides to release new SKUs. It won't help if your console is lost, stolen or destroyed, but suppose for instance you damage the screen or some other component in some way that the console is damaged but not completely inoperable, you may be able to transfer save data, which afaik cannot currently be transfered to SD card, only eshop downloads, dlc, and update data.

 

So I don't lose for instance 200+ hours of Zelda gameplay if something should happen.

 

I assume you mean you want a save backup/copy function rather than just a transfer from system to system? As the latter is technically possible already although you have to download the tool from the eshop. (The tool available is just for transferring saves between two functioning Switches, as it deletes the original copy.)

[Atariboy]

It appears that digital purchases can be made from Nintendo.com with a Nintendo account. Out of a probably over abundance of caution since I see no reason why this should present an issue if Nintendo.com lets me proceed with a purchase, any reason to avoid this route if one doesn't yet own a Switch and thus has no Switch hardware paired with their account?

 

There's a lot of stuff higher up on my want list than a Switch, but it would be nice to know that I can use my Nintendo account in the interim if something I really want is in imminent danger of being delisted. Some of these Data East arcade classics that are just starting to appear are a good example. Those that G1M2 released as PSP Minis a few years ago didn't stick around very long.

 

In case this latest publisher's license with G-Mode is equally short, I'd like to buy anything that they release that I'd consider a must-have before they just disappear with no warning a few months later. I'm mainly thinking of Bump 'n' Jump and Lock 'n' Chase, which both had audio issues on the Data East collection for the Wii, and are favorites that I wouldn't want to miss if they resurface with hopefully superior emulation on the Switch.

Edited February 19, 2018 by Atariboy

[Tanooki]

Anything you buy having the hardware or not will be honored and bound to that account until they feel a need to just kill them for you or everyone doesn't matter if you have the hardware or not. If I decided I wanted to suffer through a WiiU again I could go buy a new one, and call them with some story my other was gone, and with the right NNID bound they could easily re-activate such things to that hardware. In your case never having the hardware, it would be listed internally as bought/unactivated, so when you did get a system it would then get loaded.

[Austin]

Figured it would be appropriate to bump this. It's been about 10 months and I have since gotten another Switch. Since I deactivated my account on my previous system, I was able to log into it with my new system and all of my previously purchased games appeared in the re-download section of the e-shop.

 

One interesting thing is that the new system would not take the MicroSD card from the previous system without being formatted. I ended up having to download everything again, but that was a minor inconvenience. Any other save data was wiped as well. If you're looking to part with a Switch but think you may get back into it at a later time, that's something to keep in mind--you will lose your data even if you keep the SD card. You can do a system transfer to keep the data, but that's not going to apply if you plan on selling your system with the intention of re-buying one later.

Edited September 3, 2018 by Austin

[Flojomojo]

So, one download per system at a time?

[Austin]

So, one download per system at a time?

It seems that way.

[Atariboy]

With cloud saving coming with the Nintendo Online Service, even saves will soon be transferable.

[eightbit]

So, one download per system at a time?

 

 

That is correct. When I purchased my switch initially I purchased a few budget digital titles (and one not so budget...Sonic Mania) and found about two weeks into owning that switch that it had an issue with the left joycon not charging via the console. May have been a bad joycon or connection issue on the switch, but I was still inside of the exchange period so I deactivated my account from it, wiped it clean and swapped it with the Target I purchased from. I activated the new exchange switch (thankfully no joycon issues with it) and redownloaded my purchased titles.

 

And as stated earlier, the formatting of the microSD is unique to each switch. Format on one and that card can only be used on that one unless reformatted in another....thus losing everything that was on it originally. It must write a unique signature to the card when formatting on each console.

Edited September 4, 2018 by eightbit