I'm looking at a secondhand Switch, mostly for a kid but I'm sure I'll end up playing it a bit too. I'm not after the upcoming Switch 2 or even the OLED model necessarily. It's mostly about getting a reasonable deal without spending too much.
As such I'm looking secondhand. As you'd know there are many claiming to be 'unopened' 'new old stock etc, which of course is tempting, and always a bit of a gamble.
I'd like to also try and ensure I end up with Australian stock if possible. Is there a simple way to tell if a product is a grey import or not?? eg: by looking for a serial code on the box or something?
How to Tell if Nintendo Switch Is a Grey Import or Not
Ljadasa on 10/11/2024 - 18:17
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I'm a bit out of the loop with tech stuff, but I want to be sure it's compatible with any online store, updates, etc. It's mostly a peace of mind thing.
Fair enough. I know nothing about switch.
Not sure about serial, but create nintendo account and when come to pickup/inspect say youll need to try of the console is banned or not. How? Connect switch to your mobile (hotspot) then login to your nintendo account, then browse the nintendo shop. Best is if you buy a game as well. If you can then youll have no problem with the switch regardless grey or local.
I think banned or not is more important than grey or local.I dont believe someone keep the original switch unopened for god so long. Avoid. Probabky scam.
Unless they are the unpatched. But you don't want them for kids anyway.
I still got my modded OG Switch. I think I had more fun hacking it than I did playing games on it tbh.
Yes. Spent hours hacking but minutes playing haha
Same with my Analogue Pocket, spent more time thinking about buying it than using it.
Thankyou
Tip: Nintendo Switch boxes have no seal, so theres no way to tell if a seconds model is unopened or not.
https://www.nintendo.com/sg/support/qa/detail/37146?srsltid=…
The packaging will have the country code on the barcode but it won't be on the switch itself, check out some ebay listings of 2nd hand switches, often they will include the box photos.
Switch is region free though, and if you're getting 2nd hand the warranty won't matter. The only thing locked are the downloadable contents.
What to avoid is previously modded switches, I heard they're pretty much banned from any online connectivity. Also the joycons have drifting problems after a while, so you wanna watch out for them or you'd end up spending $100 just for the joycons alone.
cheers
heard they're pretty much banned from any online connectivity
Wrong.
"Yes. Spent hours hacking but minutes playing haha"
Mate. The hacked ones can go online if we choose to but will get banned. So we block the connection to nintendo server. Once we remove the mod we can go back online safely. So unpatched doesnt mean banned from online. It can be banned if you dont prevent it. You can still online, by booting to the clean nand.
Does it even matter if it's grey if you're shopping secondhand?
Probably no warranty either way. Unless I'm missing something about regions or similar.