A 58-year-old Japanese man jailed for selling illegal Nintendo Switch consoles

In Japan, a man was jailed and fined for selling Nintendo Switch consoles illegally. This is the first time a jail sentence was given for selling and modifying Nintendo devices. The Kochi district court gave this verdict to a 58-year-old transportation worker, Fumihiro Otobe.

He was found soldering and selling Nintendo devices with pirated software. These were all second-hand switch consoles, and selling these kinds of consoles will spoil the legitimacy of the Nintendo brand. Otobe was arrested earlier this year after his house was searched under suspicion. 

Fumihiro was modifying Nintendo Switch consoles to run many pirated games by changing the software. The police arrested him along with four modified Nintendo consoles, which are well soldered for running pirated games. Without any police questioning, Otobe said, “I was curious if people would think I was great for selling modified machines.”

Also Read: Witcher 4 developer warns of latest scam online offering beta access

Selling Nintendo Switch at a cheap price

Modifying a Nintendo console is not easy, even with a premade modder's chip. The soldering process is also very tough, and one needs to be precise enough to make the correct soldering. So, Fumihiro was really a great talent, and he sold those for $195 with 27 pirated games. The Pirated games were worth around USD 70, which is huge.

Also Read: Gaming console Nintendo Switch 2 price revealed with Mario Kart Bundle

Even his works are illegal, this is nearly a social service for many gamers who are more interested in Nintendo games and consoles, but were not able to afford one. If people want to buy a brand new Switch console, they have to pay $ 300 and now the Switch 2 costs $ 450 without any games. So, comparing these, what Otobe is offering was a good deal, and his arrest will be a huge shock for many Nintendo fans in Japan.

Even after facing all the charges, Otobe got away with just a 3500 USD fine and his two-year prison sentence was also suspended for three years. So, in these three years, if he acts nicely and good, he doesn't need to serve any time in prison. 

Also Read: The Monster Hunter wilds developer gets special award from the Japanese government