3DS/Vita/Switch PSA: Plug in Your Cartridges

[Nunab18]

https://www.timeextension.com/news/2...void-data-loss

In a post on social media by Does it Play?, it is pointed out that Switch actually uses XtraROM, which is described as "a fancy term for factory-programmed MLC NAND flash."

The screenshotted report goes on to explain that the Switch is designed to "refresh" the data on the game card periodically to ensure that it remains readable and in good order. So even though these games aren't "written to" when you save your in-game data, some low-level re-writing takes place nonetheless.

It therefore stands to reason that, if you don't plug a game into your console for a while, the data may become unreadable. The post speculates that between five and ten years is a good benchmark for this, which presents the obvious problem: if you have sealed games you're hoping will increase in value over time, these could potentially become unplayable at some point.

This has been making the rounds lately, just wanted to pass it on!