Nintendo Nintendo Looking to Make Switch Games Run Worse by Adding Denuvo

[Keyser_Soze]

Notorious DRM Company Takes Aim At Switch Piracy

KOTAKU.COM

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Denuvo has rolled out a new product called Nintendo Switch Emulator Protection

 

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Denuvo by Irdeto, the global leader in providing security solutions for video games on desktop, console, and mobile platforms, is pleased to unveil a revolutionary technology to protect games launching on Nintendo Switch from piracy. The announcement comes as the video gaming industry is gathered for this year’s Gamescom, currently taking place in Cologne, Germany.

 

Nintendo consoles have long suffered from piracy issues and the Switch is no different. Even if a game is protected against piracy on its PC version, the released version on Switch can be emulated from day one and played on PC, therefore bypassing the strong protections offered on the PC version. This can happen with any of the numerous games available on Switch.

 

By preventing piracy on Switch while blocking unauthorized emulations on PC, studios are able to increase their revenue during the game launch window, which is the most important period in regard to monetization. The Nintendo Switch Emulator Protection will ensure that anyone wishing to play the game has to buy a legitimate copy.

 

As with all other Denuvo solutions, the technology integrates seamlessly into the build toolchain with no impact on the gaming experience. It then allows for the insertion of checks into the code, which  blocks gameplay on emulators.

 

[crispy4000]

Beyond the performance concerns, I find it pretty much pointless to add this here and now, this far into the Switch's lifespan.  There's 100+ million of these things out there already.

Pirating Switch versions of indies also makes little sense, since PC's got pretty much all of them native.  You'd do much better to play (/pirate) a native version with superior art assets and framerates.  Even 2D games like Hades illustrate this gap.

 

Perhaps Denuvo thinks Nintendo themselves will bite for their 1st party stuff?  Nothing would motivate hackers more to crack the DRM.

[Littleronin]

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“Because of NDAs, we are not allowed to disclose company names, but we can say this solution comes from strong demand from publishing partners,” the spokesperson wrote. They also claimed it would not hurt “in-game” performance. “Software publishers and Denuvo take great care to deliver the best gaming experience,” the spokesperson wrote. “The protection is designed not to affect the gamer’s experience, and it does not have any in-game performance impact. It is the same for this new solution when protection is only active in non-performance critical code parts.”

Tell that to every PC gamer that has only seen the performance of their games increase after your shit DRM was removed. 

Frankly this seems like a win win for Nintendo. They love punishing gamers in anyway they can and their loyal fanbase laps up anything they do as good for gaming.