Nintendo Switch games will be able to accommodate a feature as controversial as it is hated on PC. Here’s what to take away from this announcement.
To say that Denuvo DRM is highly controversial would be an understatement. Much hated by many PC gamers, the hacking protection system will now make its home on Nintendo Switch.
Denuvo DRM is coming to Nintendo Switch
It’s official, Denuvo DRM is attacking Nintendo Switch games. Irdeto, the company publishing the anti-piracy solution has announced that it will arrive on Big N’s hybrid console. Nintendo consoles have suffered from piracy issues for a long time, and the Switch is no exception. Even if a game is protected in its PC version, the one published on Switch can be emulated as soon as it is released and played on PC. This bypasses the strong protections offered on the PC version “Explains the firm in its press release. So the goal is to further protect Nintendo Switch games from PC emulation.
The problem is that emulation is not prohibited as long as the user has legally purchased the base game. Many modders and streamers indeed use the emulation of titles released on Nintendo Switch for their activities. What further chills the community, however, is the reputation of Denuvo DRM. This protection solution has indeed had a negative impact on the performance of certain games, with bugs and sometimes even crashes. This was the case, for example, with Tomb Raider titles or even Resident Evil, which worked better when the mechanism was removed.
As always, the company nevertheless promises that its DRM will have no impact on the performance of Nintendo Switch games. Small glimmer of hope, Irdeto has not announced an official partnership with Big N. It is therefore up to third-party publishers to decide whether or not to opt for Denuvo. Nothing seems planned on Nintendo’s side.