Let's Brick The Nintendo Switch!
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- Опубліковано 7 вер 2017
- I wanted to run an experiment and see what would happen if the Nintendo Switch tried to start up without the internal memory on board. The results were surprising, no error message or anything. The Switch essentially plays dead and appears to be bricked, but caan be brought back. Could flash memory errors be to blame for malfunctioning Switch systems that appear to have no power?
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Thanks for watching! - Ігри
Good analysis, but just one issue. The Flash memory daugherboard wouldn't be "completing a circuit" in the traditional sense for the system to run, certainly not a power circuit. What's much more likely is that the CPU begins to start up, goes to load the OS from Flash, and immediately crashes. At this point since there's no OS running, it doesn't respond to the power button or anything at all--it's still "running", but crashed. But if you unplug the battery, that hard-resets the system, and the next time it starts up if it can find the Flash, then there's no issue and it works fine.
Sauraen same idea.
you may be right
really only nintendo can answer that question 100% ...
Sauraen : I think you are correct, but the memory board could just have a circuit loop that completes the power on circuit so if removed you get no power. Since even in "OFF Mode" it still is more in a deep sleep mode since Bluetooth is always active.
OTPulse
That sounds more like a better design.
Wow, an unpopulated expansion slot on a NINTENDO console? not like the gamecube or n64 had any of those, I'm joking but Nintendo does have a history with future-proofing and then not implementing those ideas.
Actually even the NES and SNES have those and the SNES and 64 used them for add-ons, only for Japan though.
right, but Nintendo never pushed the utilization of them, they may have minorly supported add-ons a few times in the past but they've never fully implemented them.
NES: Robot accessory
SNES: Satellaview (Japan Only)
N64: Memory expansion port (used for the 4 MB memory expansion module) Accessory port: 64DD (Japan Only)
Gamecube: Modem, Gameboy Player
Cpt_ FuzzyFace Its usually the hacking community that ends up utilizing those expansion ports down the line
+TacticalPower88 good for them
The video title nearly gave me a heart attack. 😱
Shigeru Miyamoto Nintendo wii u better than Nintendo switch
Jaime Traverzo lol you wish
Evil - Don't you have a life?
Evil - How to make an intelligent comment 101:
1. Assume someone likes his/her own comment.
2. Make a weak comeback.
Evil - *You're
Interesting! I really love this channel. Especially because of stuff like this. Great video.
Hey Bagman
This actually turned out to be an interesting video when I was afraid it was going to either be click-bate OR You were actually going to break your Switch beyond repair. However, the more you seem to experiment with the system the more it seems like they've actually designed it pretty well. For instance, being designed to fail in this way is a great way to protect the rest of the hardware from issues stemming from one failed component while also making it MUCH easier to repair than, say, a Nintendo 3DS.
I love this sort of
"Learn by Doing"
Mentality
Keep us updated on future discoveries
Thank's for the great information! I can always rely on you to make these tech videos in way that's easy to follow and understand!!
So if my Switch ever bricks in another way, could I simply unplug and plug the battery back in?
Modular for the obvious 64GB-128GB model in a few years, or just to change that part if fails, not the whole system
It’s always a pleasure to see you play like this without any ESD save mat or wrist strap . . . ESD damage can occur six month after damaging a part.
Quality video Jon(SW). I am glad your Switch wasn't bricked for good but useful information too know good stuff man :-).
Nice little video! I will be mindful of this information from now on, thanks!
Try change the internal switch 32gb to a 64gb flash card and see what happens
I did it, gotta format the flash card to what the switch reads.
Mad Max He's not referring to the SD Card. He's talking about the storage chip inside the switch which until Nintendo comes out with a larger size is all you can use. There is no 64GB model of the switch so no 64GB chips
Same as when there's no NAND chip, since there's no data on it. You could, theoreticaly dump the original 32GB chip and flash it onto the 64 one, but since it's made of many partitions which are encrypted you probably won't be able to resize them and be stuck with 32GB still.
@@InsaneCallum who?
@@prodbyfaith i know this is a old comment but it can be done
I learned quite a bit from this video. Thanks for the demonstration.
Thanks for giving me this information a few days after i get my switch replaced probably because of this issue
Very informative! Thank you!
Nice find, Sir! Thank you for sharing!
This channel keeps getting better & better
Good video. Interesting results there.
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extremeNothingness i was thinking the same thing lol smooth sponsorship placement
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I believe that flash memory houses the operating system.
Christian Young I THOUGHT IT WAS STORED IN THE RAM SILLY OLD ME 😂👌🔥👌😂😂👌😂👌🔥
Kenshiro this is the secondary storage device, the primary one is the ram and processor cache.
Kenshiro That flash memory is the "HDD in a pc" in your analogy. The only other storage the Nintendo Switch has is a SD card slot. That flash memory was never meant to be removed (nor the Switch opened for that matter). It's more similar to if you removed the internal storage on a PS4. Even if you put in a new hard drive you still have to reinstall the operating system.
Christian Young it has the secondary backup os, thats why it wont turn on at first!
The PS4 has a much more comprehensive firmware on-board and so will start up without a HDD enough to give error messages and let you re-install a new HDD, but yes the OS is still on the HDD. Interestingly the PS3 originally had all its OS in firmware and its only in the later years where they expanded it so much they had to split it off into part in firmware and part on the HDD, like the PS4 functions now.
The Switch doesn't need that so at most it will have a bootloader in the CPU that immediately tells it to load from the eMMC.
Creepy grin in the thumbnail
Classic Gamer
He's not a sexy female, that's the best he can do
wasn't that the point?
Thanks for the Video. I am wondering if there is some kind of unique ID of the system saved in the flash memory... Will it work to physically exchange the memory chips between two switch consoles?
Hey Spawnwave, correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that empty slot for the ribbon cable that connects the card reader through the metal back?
Great video. I love how you tinker with the Switch. Please continue to experiment to see what we could modify. I know this is a huge if, but what if we could upgrade memory of the Switch internally somehow??? or the internal battery capacity?
I know that RCM wasn't known of then, but the Switch is not off. It is in recovery mode. A technician can load a recovery payload to restore the console (or someone can load a bootloader to run custom firmware)
Yeah old videos like these are kind of a bit frustrating, especially considering that they're the source of much of the misinformation in the switch scene today.
You and your switch... Your a crazy guy. If I had money to replace my switch I'd probably try taking it apart myself.
Man you are brave!
I have a question, can you activate the strange start-up loading screen? (You have to put in a button combo.)
Damn jon beasted on the gym fr. He look real different now
I believe the unpopulated header is for the MicroSD card slot, that you had to remove before the metal chassis during disassembly.
That evil grin in the thumbnail though.
the face of a man with nothing to loose
I doubt that taking it out breaks a circuit. The fact that it still doesn't turn on when you stick it back in suggest that something more is going on internally.
I'm almost 2 years late but just a pet peev, I always unplug the battery when I do anything to a device. Paranoid it could cause a short.
Would one be able to un-brick the system via this method if the brick was initially brought about by using 3rd party docks?
Bit late here, but what happens if you remove the flash chip, then disconnected the battery plug it back in, would it turn on then?
That was helpful good to know info
Chick-fil-A FTW! So cool. Though, I barely play the Switch a lot these days since I hardly have time for it.
Keep up the great work.
SD plug in that empty plug
Have you tried unplugging the battery after taking out the memory ? Then replugging the battery n then trying to start without flash memory.
It *does* turn on, but the CPU notices it can't load the bootloader so it boots into its recovery mode. Nothing shows on the screen, but it's definitely on and working. It's designed so that NVIDIA can restore the bootloader/repair whatever else is wrong with it. This exists on anything with a Tegra, not just the Switch.
I know some people who have actually removed their flash memory modules in order to more easily get into RCM mode, as well as to essentially remove the possibility of being banned from accidentally booting into sysnand cfw.
I wonder how long it will be until Nintendo or 3rd party offers memory expansion upgrades from the 32GB. Seems to me as long as one can clone that flash chip onto anything larger it should work.
It's not "bricked". When you turn it on without any NAND it will power on but into a special state where it won't display anything, kinda like on Android Phones where you have a "fastboot mode" but even before fastboot still. If you'd plug it into a PC at that point you'd most likely find a USB Device used for debugging etc., at least I assume since that's whats happening with most Android devices if you do the same.
Rcm mode used for cfw purposes
I bet the system does starts to power on, but very early in the boot process, before the screens are turned on, its reads nand, since it cant it probably is thrown into some panic loop, so the system is on, but not fully, adding the nand back wont help. only works again after the battery is pulled to completely shut it down.
It may be possible to create a replaceable module that has a standard micro SD card slot instead. An easily removable SD card as internal flash memory would make it possible to back up the system up and then replace the flash when it inevitably goes bad.
That's good to know for the future
The port below the flash memory looks like a JTAG port, which is used for stuff for communicating with the hardware (dumping ram, checking certain registers,...) and as far as i know it can't be used for memory expansion :/
did you try the batter unplug without the flash memory might work if u do that step with no flash memeory
Now I must physically restrain myself from bricking my switch
The socket is for access for technicians. Apple has those too. They are used to rewrite or erase a serial number or other kind of diagnostics.
My Switch bricked yesterday, but removing the SD card, and game card, fixed the problem. Perhaps more too this than appears?
very interesting just tuned my nintendo switch on and there seems to be no power. i wonder if i remove the battery and put it back in and remove the power maybe it might work. My console warrenty has ended so i might as well give it a go.
Yo, he finally left the toy barn.
I would love to see what would happen if you'd just kinda put in a replacement memory chip in the empty socket below?
It's really risky for the system and a lot of work, and Switches are still not easy to get, but _if_ the system would just accept the 64GB storage, it would probably break the internet. No idea how small the chance actually is, but the devkit has already 64GB of storage...
if my switch is broken - can i put the internal memory in a new switch and it works? Or is there a Memory to system lock?
Does it replace Storage flash memory. Like Back up another new switch console.
"Typical friday night here obviously the switch is apart"
still wondering what that socket is for
Hey Spawnwave, please buy one of the clear shells they sell for the switch and put it on!!! I'm dying for a tutorial on that and seeing how it looks (reminds me of the retro N64 and GBA with clear plastic shells)
Hey man, Matpat wants to have back his catchphrase.
If you remove the flash memory, replace it & unplug the battery could you get higher internal memory?
Can you put a higher flash memory in there?
The empty slots that you are pointing at is for the SD card reader which you obviously removed to get the shield off
What is on the flash chip? Surely you could pop it into something else, rewrite it, and boom modded switch
Its very smart u can remove that so fast if your switch dies you can put it in a new one and u got all your save data back on a brand new switch
So this raises a question, can we read that modular chip, transfer it to another modular chip that has a larger filesystem size, and insert it into the switch, then do the power cycling, will it work?
I believe the system is on but there isn't an OS to boot so its basically soft locked, try Turning it on with the chip out, then put it it back in like you did in the video but don't unplug the battery, and then hold the power button for about 15-20 seconds, then try turning it on again, also great video!
Great video!
Have you found any website that sells replacement micro sd card ports
What happens if you take out the storage then take the battery out and put it back in
i wounder if ony thrid parties are trying to make larger flash storage for on that board becasue i'd actually buy that and install it. like say 256gb would be nice esp internally. i wounder if there is anything stopping an internal memory upgrade right now from third party.
I am not sure if you have access to another switch but I would be interested to see if you could swap the flash chip with another system. I could see the use case maybe a year down the road you get a new system and give your old beat up one to your kids but you want to keep your save and games and what not
We have casual gamers, hardcore gamers, scalpers and now we have the spawn wave...
Could u add memory to it then???
That explains a lot for people who got their system so fucked up to not power.
I doubt the additional memory slot is for future revisions. Most likely it’s populated for dev kits, and not for retail units.
The look of Spawns face in the thumbnail says "Bring dat ass here boi"
This may have been figured out already, but the “unpopulated” slot is for the trasflash card reader. When you put it back together you’ll see. Unless I’m missing something.
So you're telling me this whole entire time of me trying to fix my Nintendo this happened
Can the memory be transferred to another switch or is it locked to the hardware?
Every time he said interesting I took a bong hit
I think it works the same way as a RAM in a comouter, without the RAM I believe the operating system and other startup files can't be accessed, I think I saw the backlighting of the screen come on so there is a power flowing through.
can you install a bigger inner memory?
I was hoping you plugged the flash RAM into the unpopulated socket.
ooohhh... so the flash chip is modular huh? interesting... wonder if we can exploit that?
your best thumbnail 👏
What if you tried more stuff with the buttons while its bricked? Android phones have a hard reset while holding the power button for a long time and sometimes a combination of power and volume buttons to hard reset it. Maybe it will reset with one of those.
could a person buy a eMMC chip with higher amount of internal flash storage? or is it locked to that console?
turning on without the nand or with the nand corrupted the switch will go to RCM (recovery mode) of the nvidia tegra. (its a black screen and appears to be off but it isnt). You dont need to unplug your battery, all you need to do is hold the power button for 10 ou 15 seconds.
Seems like the switch is on without the flash memory installed, it just doesn't show anything because the loading Nintendo screen is stored in the operating system (flash memory) and the BIOS or boot loader of the switch doesn't display anything to the portable screen when turned on.
Really cool video
Nooo, why did you remove the thermal paste? ;-;
useful, nice video =D
1 reason for the memory being modular is because the shortage of them. SOO im guessing they produced a bunch of motherboards( maybe even whole systems) then just plop the mem chip in and its ready to go.
Try and take the battery plug out first then remove the flash memory and
Try to turn it on
+Chris Cautillo Same results, but good thinking.
Spawn Wave also I think the extra port near the memory is to debug the console
Or maybe be able to turn it on without the memory
Soo...what if you put a second flash memory in the empty socket
You should try removing the memory while the switch is turned ON lol
Lol that typo in desc.