Nintendo Switch save games can't be transferred

The Nintendo Switch is finally out and the past few days have been a roller coaster of emotions and reactions from both fans and critics alike. There is no denying the fact that Nintendo has stumbled on a profitable idea. But ideas are cheap and execution is everything, which is where the Switch seems to miss a few marks. Take for example the simple case of game saves, which apparently can't be transferred from one Switch to another, or even copied to a microSD card.Nintendo's FAQ makes it painfully clear. Save data is stored in the 32 GB internal memory and can't be moved elsewhere. It can't be backed up, it isn't synced, it's all there, inside the Switch. This is in stark contrast to Nintendo's previous gaming devices, which allowed for some sort of external backup, convoluted as the process may be. Nay, it's in stark contrast to all other gaming devices of the last 10 yrs or so.

So game saves will be fighting for space in the 32 GB internal memory, a fraction of which is already taken up by the OS. If that memory gets full, you'll have to delete stuff in order to prevent your save data from going bye-bye. The microSD card slot? that can be used for screenshots and software data, like downloaded games, software updates, and even DLCs. In short, everything but save games.

Never mind the fact that you won't be able to move around your game saves from one Switch to another or store a backup of your precious saves for safe keeping. When your Nintendo Switch accidentally (or forcibly) goes away, so will your hours of gameplay.

A Nintendo representative leaves the door open for a possible change in course in the future. It still boggles the mind that Nintendo would ship the Switch with such a critical feature missing. Then again, it does seem that the Switch shipped with a few other perplexing design decisions as well.

VIA: Kotaku