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Switch with version 5.0.0 + Unofficial third party dock might brick system

Trojita

Trojita

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Oct 25, 2017
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https://nintendoeverything.com/thir...e-bricking-switch-systems-with-version-5-0-0/

Switch gained a new update this past week. While it added some features and implemented some improvements, it unfortunately seems to be causing major issues for third-party docks.

A number of docks not made by Nintendo have been released over the past year, including from Nyko. YouTuber Spawn Wave reports that his system has been completely bricked after using the company's device with the latest Switch update. It simply won't turn on, and it currently seems that all save data will be lost as a result.

This definitely isn't an isolated incident. Nyko has fielded several complaints on Twitter, in some cases offering to replace the broken console and provide compensation for repair costs.
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Be careful those of you using a 3rd party dock.

I found the original title of the article a bit odd. It's not known that this is entirely the 3rd parties fault since they haven't had issues like this till this patch.
 

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I believe that Nyko dock was already bricking consoles

I want to say that they've been replacing consoles if you contact them
 
mute

mute

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Man I am never getting one of those off brand docks.
 
Vylder

Vylder

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Oct 25, 2017
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The more I play with my Switch the more I'm getting afraid that I might end up losing all my save files.
 
wrowa

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Oct 25, 2017
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Yeah, I was interested in buying a travel dock at first, but once first people claimed Nyko docks are killing their Switches, it became a big nope. Even if it's limited to Nyko, the risk doesn't seem to be worth it.

Stitches said:
Is it against Nintendo's warranty to use unofficial docks? Could they be liable for some of this?
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It's not against Nintendo's policies to use a 3rd party charger, but why would Nintendo be liable if a 3rd party device is bricking your console?
 
Hailinel

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This blows if true.

But also, why would you use a third-party dock in the first place?
 
Koppai

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Oct 25, 2017
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I use to have issues with my Switch freezing just after launch and I wasn't using any third party stuff.
 

BloodshotX

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Jan 25, 2018
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yea update 5.0.0 seems to do a lot of weird stuff. It almost looks like they rushed it the block the homebrew scene.

It now also does weird things in sleep mode, it stays connected 100% of the time. With wifi or with a usb ethernet adapter. And with the ethernet adapter it seems that the console is using more processor power, because it gets luke warm in sleep mode. With wifi it stays cold but with an ethernet adapter after couple of hours the fan kick in creating a very faint fan noise.

With update 4.0 it periodically checked the internet so it couldnt build up any heat so the fans stay off all the time, and now its 24/7 and the fan starts to kick in after a couple of hours with a ethernet adapter.

Most likely the cause is that its runs true the dock(usb port) so it needs to stay connected to the dock and that probably why its getting luke warm after a couple of hours. As appose to wifi which is build into the switch itself.

I would rather have nintendo to let me choose what i want in sleep mode, like they did with wiiu. On wiiu you could say that the wiiu checks for updates every hour or even every 24 hours. They have a sleep mode option in the system settings, thats a perfect place to put that.
 
Rodney McKay

Rodney McKay

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Oct 26, 2017
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I heard the Best Buy dock is pretty good, any reports of this update making that one brick consoles?

Was interested in that one since it was a pretty good price, a smaller dock, and included an Hdmi cable and power cord I think.
 
Hailinel

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Stitches said:
I suppose so, but it still seems like it should be more clearly stated that this is a risk. I would never think that a charger would put a console to its grave
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If it's a poorly-made charger, then absolutely it can damage your hardware. The official Switch dock produced by Nintendo was designed, built, and tested to work perfectly with the Switch itself. The average third-party knock-off doesn't go through nearly the amount of hardware testing that Nintendo puts their devices through.

And from what I understand, this Nyko dock isn't even a licensed Nintendo product, meaning Nintendo never even had a chance to examine the darn thing before it was released.
 
Stitches

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Hailinel said:
If it's a poorly-made charger, then absolutely it can damage your hardware. The official Switch dock produced by Nintendo was designed, built, and tested to work perfectly with the Switch itself. The average third-party knock-off doesn't go through nearly the amount of hardware testing that Nintendo puts their devices through.

And from what I understand, this Nyko dock isn't even a licensed Nintendo product, meaning Nintendo never even had a chance to examine the darn thing before it was released.
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I assumed that Nintendo had implemented some kind of protection against that sort of thing, but after looking it up, it appears that a Switch would be bricked by a USB killer. A lot of electronics will simply lose the use of the USB port.
 

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Stitches said:
I suppose so, but it still seems like it should be more clearly stated that this is a risk. I would never think that a charger would put a console to its grave
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It seems like that you want to put the blame on Nintendo's door despite the fact that it isn't and they are not obligated to warn the customers that third party product may damage the system.

The blame lies firmly with the third party product and that's a risk that the customer will have to take when they use the product.
 
Hailinel

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Stitches said:
I assumed that Nintendo had implemented some kind of protection against that sort of thing, but after looking it up, it appears that a Switch would be bricked by a USB killer. A lot of electronics will simply lose the use of the USB port.
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It's a USB-C port. Literally anything with a USB-C connector could plug into it. That doesn't mean that you should use just any USB-C charger, though.
 
thediamondage

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Oct 25, 2017
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I just turned all the wifi settings off on my switch, sounds like 5.0.0 might have some bugs and I'd rather not update for now, especially since I'm not really playing my switch much at the moment with Sea of Thieves, Yakuza 6, Far Cry 5, etc in the near future.

For anyone who does have auto system update off but has that darn "an update is ready!" msg under system, you can turn off the switch, hold down vol +/- while pressing power button on, and then when you get to the menu on boot just turn it off (and on) again. Now it'll show your current firmware version under system. All this of course after wifi is disabled and you should have auto update system set to off. I last updated to 4.1.0 a few weeks ago and will keep that one until a game I want to play requires a 5.0+ update.
 

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thediamondage said:
I just turned all the wifi settings off on my switch, sounds like 5.0.0 might have some bugs and I'd rather not update for now, especially since I'm not really playing my switch much at the moment with Sea of Thieves, Yakuza 6, Far Cry 5, etc in the near future.

For anyone who does have auto system update off but has that darn "an update is ready!" msg under system, you can turn off the switch, hold down vol +/- while pressing power button on, and then when you get to the menu on boot just turn it off (and on) again. Now it'll show your current firmware version under system. All this of course after wifi is disabled and you should have auto update system set to off. I last updated to 4.1.0 a few weeks ago and will keep that one until a game I want to play requires a 5.0+ update.
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I think as long as you aren't buying cheap usb c products you'll be fine
 
MrBenchmark

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not that i would trust most aftermarket stuff but in the US i think using aftermarket is covered by the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and Nintendo can not deny your warranty based on the use of an aftermarket part.
 
Nelo Ice

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Whew almost freaked out for a second. I use a dock extension cable with the official dock. Haven't had any issues. Just checked my switch after not using it for a few days and it's still there charging normally.
 
Justin Iacobellis

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This is the main reason why I've avoided using any third party accessories whenever I can. When I was growing up I used a Nyko memory card on my GameCube, and it was always prone to data corruption.

But as expensive as the official Dock Set is, it can be found at enough of a discount to make the cost easier to manage. GameStop is currently selling it for $67, whereas Target and Walmart have it discounted slightly lower to $60.
 
MattB

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Oct 25, 2017
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Only get the 3d printed ones that use the existing guts of the dock. 3rd party ones have been bricking switch's for a while.
 
number8888

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Oct 27, 2017
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Nyko docks have problems even before the update no? Maybe it's just bad timing.

I would only get officially licensed docks after hearing about the horror stories, but Nintendo's official one is bulky and expensive.

Nonetheless we need a way to backup saves ASAP.
 

NiteJohn

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Oct 25, 2017
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This is someone assuming shit. Nyko's dock has been bricking Switches since it launched. It has nothing to do with 5.0.0.
 
Mgs2master2

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I think my Nyko actually is good. I still use it post update. However that is granted as I had issues with it at launch and Nyko replaced the unit. I will just go to the official dock or handheld for the time being.
 
JuicyPlayer

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Feb 8, 2018
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What exactly caused these third party docks to brick switches? They are just glorified charger/HDMI out pass throughs. Or does these docks have a little bit more in them?
 
Epilexia

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Jan 27, 2018
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This thread's title should be updated.

The problems with the Nyko docks bricking some Switch units has been since the same release of this dock. You only need to read testimonials in Reddit back in the day, or some reviews in Amazon.

It's not like Nintendo has changed nothing in this firmware that will suddenly brick your Switch, nor they are an evil corporation boycotting third party products.

The problem is in Nyko's part, from the first day.
 
D.Lo

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JuicyPlayer said:
What exactly caused these third party docks to brick switches? They are just glorified charger/HDMI out pass throughs. Or does these docks have a little bit more in them?
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Third party products like this are reverse engineered. So they work with say one power mode the Switch runs at, which is fine when they release it.
But say Nintendo changed to a power spec (maybe a higher draw for longer) that their own dock was tested for but just hadn't been used yet, but because it didn't exist when the third party reverse engineered it their docks can't handle it and do something wrong.
 
ShinobiBk

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Anybody bricking their console with the Nyko dock is at fault themselves
It's been known to brick consoles since day one of release and the issue is well known. All you need to do is read the Amazon reviews, which is something I expect from an average consumer in 2018
 
ArcaneFreeze

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Stitches said:
?
You're not "jamming" anything into it. It's a USB-C port. I just didn't realize that the Switch was some delicacy that 3rd party devices would taint it. All of my life I've been buying and modifying things after I purchase them with aftermarket products.
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If you've been buying and modifying things all your life then you should understand the dangers of unlicensed products. Its always an "at your own risk" scenario. You cant go from saying "i didnt know this stuff could happen" to "I work with these things all the time" and not know that its possible.
 
Stitches

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ArcaneFreeze said:
If you've been buying and modifying things all your life then you should understand the dangers of unlicensed products. Its always an "at your own risk" scenario. You cant go from saying "i didnt know this stuff could happen" to "I work with these things all the time" and not know that its possible.
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It's a pass through. You're right, I didn't think it was possible.
As far as videogames go the only "danger" I've ever experienced was a ps1 memory card that lost its saves after a while.
 
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