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Switch cloud save system apparently exists, but only Nintendo can use it right now

Cerium

Member
http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/03/17/nintendo-switch-may-eventually-support-cloud-saves-after-all

Nintendo appears to have a cloud save system in place for Switch that only the company itself can access.

Reddit user Patsuann sent their Switch out to Nintendo for repairs, and upon receiving and booting up the console, they noticed that while their account was on the system, none of their game saves were stored on the system memory. However, on starting up The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Patsuann noticed there was a small cloud icon next to the game.

swtich1-1489782507668_610w.png


The user was then prompted to download an update, and after the download was complete, all of the their saves were restored on the system. Patsuann uploaded footage of the process here, screenshots of which you can find above and below.

Nintendo has yet to announce plans to add support for cloud saves. It appears only Nintendo currently has the ability to freely transfer save data, and if players are to retrieve their game data in this manner, they'll have to be granted access by Nintendo.
 

Bboy AJ

My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
As a current Switch owner, I like the soft launch. There's heartache for us early adopters but we knew that going in. It'll be smoother for the rest of consumers during the holiday season.

I'm thrilled about cloud saves. It's probably my biggest want.
 

Coda

Member
Nintendo has that silent tech. Keeping us thinking it doesn't have features we want and then BAM!
 

LewieP

Member
I wonder if they are trying to lock it down so it's difficult for anyone to substitute in modified saves via DNS redirecting or similar.
 

Compsiox

Banned
Ummmm how did the person know this would happen before even opening the box.

Very strange video. Marketing?
 

watershed

Banned
I hope it comes soon. Nintendo needs to get moving on updating the Switch with features, apps, and more games before everyone beats Zelda and have nothing else to do with their Switches.
 
IIRC this was publicly mentioned back when the new Nintendo Account system was first announced.

It was either mentioned in public press releases, or it was on an internal document I read that wasn't listed as confidential. I know for a fact that this isn't new though, because it was a major topic of discussion between many of us younger, techier employees when the Nintendo Accounts were announced... particularly in regards to the NX, at that point still an unleaked mystery system even to us.

Regardless, this was always going to happen, it's probably being saved for when the full online system launches as part of the paid suite of features.
 

kubus

Member
I saw this earlier on Reddit but as one user pointed out:

djs415 said:
Unfortunately I think what icon he's talking about is the same icon that shows up if you have a game bought on your switch but not downloaded. It shows the same or similar symbol OP is talking about which just represents downloading.

I wish it was cloudsaves... but I think there has to be a reason as to why we don't have that feature yet.

Anyone who has bought a digital game, try archiving it and see what symbol pops up beside the menu icon? If it's the same "cloud save" symbol, this could mean nothing.

The reddit user in this story also didn't write down his original serial number so it could just be the same system. And he only checked the available space of his console, NOT whether there was actual save data on the system. Another Reddit commenter:

Mista_Wong said:
[Zelda]Saves are 64MB. The storage size reported only updates every 100MB. It's perfectly possible that there was a save on the device.

edit: To clarify, I don't deny the existence of cloud saves because iirc it was already confirmed to be coming in a future update, but this video isn't solid proof that it's already there, if what these two commenters are saying is true.

This icon also pops up if you delete the newest update of your game.
Even with cartridge games
Welp

edit2:

I can trigger it too. Just archived Splatoon Global Test:
 
I saw this earlier on Reddit but as one user pointed out:



Anyone who has bought a digital game, try archiving it and see what symbol pops up beside the menu icon? If it's the same "cloud save" symbol, this could mean nothing.

The reddit user in this story also didn't write down his original serial number so it could just be the same system. And he only checked the available space of his console, NOT whether there was actual save data on the system. Another Reddit commenter:
Just tried world of goo and this is true cloud icon.
 

FyreWulff

Member
This is pretty typical. First party either silently tests/adds a feature first, or has it 'exclusive' first, and then once they're done having their fun it gets pushed down to everyone else.

For example, Halo had soft cloudsaves before other games officially got it on the platform. Halo 3 got to be the first game to increase the gamescore cap, and Halo 4 was the first Xbox game to get to use Azure. Gears 3 was the first game allowed to have permanent patches that were >4MB without having to send them out as DLC like Battlefield did (although the first game to retail with that feature was Rock Band 3, the Gears 3 beta was the first public version of it)
 

Ashler

Member
I saw this earlier on Reddit but as one user pointed out:



Anyone who has bought a digital game, try archiving it and see what symbol pops up beside the menu icon? If it's the same "cloud save" symbol, this could mean nothing.

The reddit user in this story also didn't write down his original serial number so it could just be the same system. And he only checked the available space of his console, NOT whether there was actual save data on the system. Another Reddit commenter:


edit: To clarify, I don't deny the existence of cloud saves because iirc it was already confirmed to be coming in a future update, but this video isn't solid proof that it's already there, if what these two commenters are saying is true.


Welp

edit2:

I can trigger it too. Just archived Splatoon Global Test:


This was the first thing I thought about when the video cuts from the download prompt, instead of letting us see the time it takes to get the save game data back.
 

Compsiox

Banned
Didn't Reggie say something along the lines of stay tuned? I highly doubt they'd make us wait until Fall for paid online before we get to use this feature.
 

Forkball

Member
They're going to have to do something to let saves move around since there will almost certainly be Switch revisions down the line. Nintendo is going to want you to buy a Switch with Pikachu slapped on it.
 

kubus

Member
This was the first thing I thought about when the video cuts from the download prompt, instead of letting us see the time it takes to get the save game data back.

Yeah if you look at the video, when he first boots up the Switch there's no cartridge for Zelda inserted. Then the video cuts, and a cartridge is inserted but now the so-called "cloud save" icon appears above the menu icon. I bet that whatever is downloaded is the patch, and not his save file.

But I guess nobody cares and this story will spread like wild fire.

edit: I went ahead and deleted everything from my system and I was able to reproduce everything in the original video:

Video proof

Case closed!
 

wanders

Member
Yeah if you look at the video, when he first boots up the Switch there's no cartridge for Zelda inserted. Then the video cuts, and a cartridge is inserted but now the so-called "cloud save" icon appears above the menu icon. I bet that whatever is downloaded is the patch, and not his save file.

But I guess nobody cares and this story will spread like wild fire.

edit: I went ahead and deleted everything from my system and I was able to reproduce everything in the original video:

Video proof

Case closed!

Welp!
 

Atheerios

Member
Those are not cloud saves. That symbol appears when a game is deleted. That's it. The saves were never deleted from the system.

Pointless thread/article and plain wrong headline.
 

D_prOdigy

Member
It was obviously coming since Reggie gave that cheeky cock-tease when he was asked directly about it...

EDIT: ... regardless of whether the content of the OP substantiates it or not
 

jts

...hate me...
Nintendo Switch has this rather nifty feature of "archiving" games where the game content is deleted but it keeps a shortcut on the main screen for faster downloading (as opposed to outright deleting the game in which you'll need to delve into eShop to get it back again).

That's it.
 

Ninferno

Member
Not surprised at all. I've always felt that Nintendo rushed the hell out of the Switch to get it out by the end of the their fiscal year. More stuffs will come afterwards, as they were not ready for launch.
 

Shiggy

Member
IIRC this was publicly mentioned back when the new Nintendo Account system was first announced.

It was either mentioned in public press releases, or it was on an internal document I read that wasn't listed as confidential. I know for a fact that this isn't new though, because it was a major topic of discussion between many of us younger, techier employees when the Nintendo Accounts were announced... particularly in regards to the NX, at that point still an unleaked mystery system even to us.

Regardless, this was always going to happen, it's probably being saved for when the full online system launches as part of the paid suite of features.

You worked at Nintendo? Mind sharing more about what you read there as no information about such a system has been publicly announced or leaked.

They had announced a cloud system for data such as character data, which can then be accessed from within different games and even platforms. This was implemented with Miitomo already, and thus you can use the Mii you created on your 3DS. But a general system for storing your in-game save files has yet to be announced, confirmed or leaked.
 

Cerium

Member
IIRC this was publicly mentioned back when the new Nintendo Account system was first announced.

It was either mentioned in public press releases, or it was on an internal document I read that wasn't listed as confidential. I know for a fact that this isn't new though, because it was a major topic of discussion between many of us younger, techier employees when the Nintendo Accounts were announced... particularly in regards to the NX, at that point still an unleaked mystery system even to us.

Regardless, this was always going to happen, it's probably being saved for when the full online system launches as part of the paid suite of features.


These posts are the reason I have not requested a lock. Regardless of whether the article is legit, the main point appears to be true.
 

SmokedMeat

Gamer™
Withholding features from its users until they're ready to make you pay for them. I wonder how much cloud storage they'll give users? 250mb?
 
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