The constant cat and mouse between piracy distributors and companies is a relatively consistent stream of entertainment that ebbs and flows every year, two sides equally committed to vanquishing the other in their own manner with specific methodologies. Corporations attempt to engineer their hardware and software to the point that it becomes untouchable, and uses court-systems and legal proceedings to hold the offender’s feet to the metaphorical fire.
Piracy distributors attempt to dodge and weave through the legal minefield by obscuring who they are and where they reside while examining the aforementioned hardware and software for exploitable vulnerabilities that they can capitalize upon. Again; super enjoyable to watch as a mildly interested third-party member, decidedly less-so for those that are embroiled in the eternal struggle between the two parties.
One such show-down is about to happen yet again, and it stars Nintendo attempting to fight against the continued piracy that their newest (and wildly successful) console, the Nintendo Switch, has been suffering through since its launch on March 3, 2017.
The other end of the ring hosts an arguably legendary team of pirates that operate under the moniker Team-Xecuter. Xecuter has been in the console piracy game for well over two decades, cutting their teeth on the original PlayStation which released in December of 1994; this wouldn’t be their first time they lock horns with an international name.
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In modern times, Team-Xecuter has been synonymous with Nintendo Switch hacking; they offer on of the very few (if not only) purchasable custom firmware OSs for the Nintendo Switch, called SX OS. The firmware allows users to hack their Switch and load pirated applications and homebrewed software onto the Switch.
They also sell physical hardware that users can plug into the Nintendo Switch, and hack their Switch in this manner, versus the standard means of forcing the Switch into recovery mode.
Most recently, however, and likely the driving purpose behind Nintendo’s recent litigation, is that SX OS has announced that they have discovered how to hack the Switch Lite; recently developed hardware that, as of yet, remains unhacked for the masses.
If Team-Xecuter actually has figured out a way to hack the Switch Lite (and it’s difficult to discern why they would fib), Nintendo’s newest console could likely be in danger of falling into the hands of pirates. An unfortunate penchant of the Nintendo legacy, at this point. Xecuter has stated that they’ve already shipped versions of the Switch Lite hack to major reviewers.
Nintendo is requesting compensation for piracy from Xecuter, ownership of the Uberchips domain, and destruction of all materials that are readying for shipping by the piracy group. Nintendo is also chasing all online retailers that are offering the SX Core and SX Lite for purchase.
The lawsuit was filed in Washington late last week, seeking compensation not only for the hardware that circumvents Nintendo Switch protection, but also the selling of pirated games. That’s the actual bizarre event mired in all of this; third-party resellers have managed to use piracy groups to sell pirated goods to users that are paying for said pirated goods. That’s slow-clap worthy.
