Hmm, though what about games that refuse to run on anything less than the current firmware and come packed with a forced-update for the firmware when ran?
I know that was a thing with the Xbox 360, and apparently for the PS4 too.
But yeah man, I really don't want the Switch to go the way of the PirateStationPortable. System was basically cut short in the west because the industry collectively decided to stop localizing PSP games because of piracy.
That's true, that is one way to circumvent it.
Maybe I'm just being overly cautious about it, the PSP was an entirely different beast compared to the Switch (or any current handheld for that matter). Sony did a piss poor job of combating piracy on the PSP, where it eventually turned into a game of cat and mouse between them and those of the hacking scene whenever there was a new firmware update. The system launched with very little security on 1.0, and getting unsigned code to run on 1.5 proved to be not that much more difficult. Nintendo has shown a higher level of competency in protecting the 3DS and Wii U from exploits.
Plus, handhelds are way more online-focused than they were in 2005. Not being able to play Splatoon 2 multiplayer might sway a substantial number of owners to keep their systems updated.