Summary
A Japanese man has been arrested for moddingNintendo Switchconsoles. It’s the latest in cracking down on those who modify consoles like theNintendo Switchand/or games and then try to sell them on the open market.
Modding consoles is a popular hobby and has been for nearly as long as consoles have existed. Whether using something as simple ascheat device like the GameSharkon an original PlayStation, or jailbreaking a console so that illicitly downloaded games can be played, gamers and tinkerers have been coming up with ways to alter their hardware to do things they weren’t programmed to for years. Japan has previously shown that it doesn’t take these things lightly, and now another gaming modder is finding themselves behind bars as a result.
According to Japanese publicationNTV News, a 58-year-old man named Fumihiro Otobe has been arrested in Japan for the crime of violating the Trademark Act by altering and sellingmodified Nintendo Switch systems. The report claims the man was modding the devices by altering their circuit boards. By welding modified parts to them, he was able to make it so that any pirated game could be played on the device, and was also including 27 pirated games with each sale. He was using second-hand Switch consoles for this, and was selling them for roughly $180 USD. The news outlet says this is the first time an arrest of this nature involving the Switch has been made.
Game Pirating is Taken Seriously in Japan
While most system modders can get away with it if they’re limiting their modifications to their own systems, trying to sell said systems is another matter. News stories have previously broken of individuals beingarrested for modifyingPokemongames, adding critters to the titles that players hadn’t actually captured themselves. It’s nothing new, either, as a 44-year-old was arrested in Japan back in 2020 for modifying a PS3 that would copy games inserted into it so that the disc could then be returned or resold.
At the moment, the case against theSwitch modderis still being investigated. However, he’s already admitted to the crime, stating that he thought others would find him “amazing” for doing such a thing. It remains to be seen what kind of punishment he receives, as it will likely be based upon how many systems he modified and distributed. Aside from any that he had already sold, four units were found in his home, which have now been seized.
