Switch saves still can't be backed up, but Nintendo hears you

2025-04-28 06:12:51admin

You still can't do anything to protect your Switch save data.

Nintendo's latest console celebrates its eight-month birthday on Friday. That means for the past eight months, fans have had to keep a nagging fear at bay every time they power the machine on: Will this be the day my 100-plus hours of Zeldaprogress disappears?

SEE ALSO: The coolest Nintendo Switch feature is a big reason it's been a major success

It defies reason that in 2017 we have this online-connected device equipped with a microSD expansion slot, and yet there's no way for paying customers to protect their data. There have been Reddit threads. High-profile opinion pieces. Hard questions asked of Nintendo again and again.

The latest Switch update added the ability to transfer accounts from one console to another, save data and all. That doesn't help you in cases of hardware failure, or when a loved one accidentally deletes one of your saves, but it's at least now possible to move your data around -- sort of -- without having to send your Switch back to Nintendo for service.

As Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime pointed out during an October interview, hardware failure is, thankfully, a relatively rare occurrence where Nintendo is concerned. And he does seem to understand the fear.

"You're talking to someone who has completed 120 Shrines, and I think I'm at 400 Korok seeds and growing [in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild]," he said. "So I understand what it's like putting a lot of time into content, and the thought of that content not being there."

"I understand what it's like putting a lot of time into content, and the thought of that content not being there."

At that point in our conversation, he pointed to the recent Switch update and the added account transfer feature. It's a sign that Nintendo is working in the direction of a more user-friendly approach to save data.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"We're aware of the concern," Fils-Aime said. "Certainly, Nintendo is a consumer-oriented company [and] we want to make our consumers happy. We're aware of the concern and it's an area we're going to continue working on to make sure that we can alleviate some of those consumer fears of having a content-based issue."

Unsurprisingly, Fils-Aime wasn't willing to discuss any timeframe for such a feature. Though his explanation for why that is doesn't really add up.

"Because of the type of platform we have -- it's something that is on the go as well as connected in the home environment -- there are some added complications. It's not as simple as a piece of hardware that never moves and is always connected in an online environment."

In response to that, I'd like you to look at this official Nintendo support page, describing the save back-up process for every iteration of 3DS/2DS handheld. And this official Nintendo support page, describing the same process for Wii U owners.

I told you it's not what you'd want to hear. Effectively, it's a non-answer: comments that address my question without delivering any meaningful response.

There's always that baggage when you turn on your Switch: You wonder, "Will this be the last time?"

Of course, Fils-Aime has a job to do, and part of that job involves fielding questions like this when Nintendo -- a company that traditionally plays things close until a formal announcement can be made -- isn't quite ready to provide answers.

But it's still crap.

It's crap that Switch owners -- both people I've never met and people I know -- have lost hundreds of hours of their time. It's crap that there's always that baggage when you turn on your Switch: You wonder, "Will this be the last time?"

Most of all, it's crap that we've been asking Nintendo about this directly since June -- not just Mashable, mind you, but most everyone in the media who's nabbed interview time with Fils-Aime -- and still the best that can be mustered is a verbose non-answer.

I told Fils-Aime when we spoke and I'll tell you all now: We're going to keep asking. And while we might not be the ones to bring you an answer in the end, there's no denying that you deserve one.

Featured Video For You

This robotic carpenter is perfect for people who want to start an 'Etsy' business