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Nintendo Switch 2 users are reporting console online bans due to the use of the Mig Flash toolThe tool allows players to back up legally purchased gamesIt raises the question of console and game ownership amid the industry's shift away from physical game copiesThe build-up to the Nintendo Switch 2's launch was shrouded in controversy, due to the price of the handheld console and its $80 first-party games – and it's now gone a step further in the aftermath of its arrival.As highlighted by Tom's Hardware, Nintendo Switch 2 users are reporting cases of console online bans due to the use of the Mig Flash, a tool used to allow players to backup legally purchased games, essential for keeping multiple game copies on a single Switch cartridge.Before launch, Nintendo essentially suggested through the user agreement, it may 'brick' Switch 2 devices that have been modded. The agreement warns users: "Nintendo may render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device permanently unusable in whole or in part". Based on user reports, "in part" appears to be the case, as access to all online services for banned users is no longer accessible.This means multiplayer and access to the eShop to purchase digital games (both fundamentals to using a Switch 2) are gone, making the console an offline-only brick. It's a very similar measure to Sony exercising account bans to players caught jailbreaking or modding PlayStation systems – the only difference with the Switch 2 is that users state they aren't using pirated ROMs, but rather legal dumps of purchased games.This further adds to the controversy of gamers losing ownership of games entirely; physical copies of games are slowly fading away, and players can have their games stripped away from them at any moment, even if piracy isn't involved, as Nintendo has just shown.Analysis: Do you really own your Nintendo Switch 2 at this point?(Image credit: Blue Pixl Media)While I've berated Sony and Microsoft about this with their PlayStation and Xbox consoles, respectively, the Nintendo Switch 2 case is absurd to me.Piracy is real, and I'm aware that Nintendo is trying to stamp it out from its Switch ecosystem, but when measures also affect those using legal game backups, it begs the question: Do you really own your Switch 2 handheld console?The simple answer is no, because if you've purchased hardware at $449.99 / £395.99 / AU$699.99 or any price for that matter, and you can no longer access online services or be restricted (especially when you've done nothing illegal), then you don't have full ownership.It's almost the equivalent of buying a gaming PC and using an Asus or MSI motherboard, and having it be bricked because the vendor didn't like what you did with the system. Yes, I know you can have Steam, Epic Games, or Battle.net bans, but the chances of that happening are slim, and you can easily make a new account.With the Switch 2, the ban message states: "The use of online services on this console is currently restricted by Nintendo", which effectively means even if you create a new account, you still can't use online services on the same device. Not only does that affect owners, but it also ruins the value of reselling. It adds to the collection of Nintendo's anti-consumerism, and I'm expecting it to continue for a long while.You might also like...Here are the Nintendo Switch 2 launch games that arrived alongside the new consoleMissed out on a Nintendo Switch 2? Here's why the original Switch console might still be worth a look insteadUpcoming Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives - release schedule for confirmed Switch 2-only games

It's not been a great week for calm beachside bathing: on Monday I was writing about all four Jaws movies coming to a streaming device near you, and now Netflix's new critical hit The Survivors will make you wary of what might wash up.The six-part series has become one of the best Netflix shows with its 100% critical Rotten Tomatoes score. It's based on the book by Jane Harper and takes us to Evelyn Bay in Tasmania, where the body of a young woman from out of town washes up on the beach. What begins as a tragedy becomes an increasingly dark and complex drama about grief, guilt and resentment.There aren't many laughs, as you've probably guessed, but according to The Guardian it's worth watching from behind your fingers: "The Survivors is a study in how raw grief and festering resentment warp everything – and how surviving a tragedy rarely means getting away unscathed." The portrayal of three mothers in particular "marks The Survivors indelibly out from the murder mystery herd."What are critics saying about The Survivors?Digital Mafia Talkies compared its power to that of Adolescence, the drama focusing on the misogyny that leads to a teen murder. "The Survivors covers a very wide array of topics, ranging from bad parenting to fragile masculinity. It delves into the concept of “nature versus nurture” and tries to answer if we become what our parents want us to be or if it all depends on the genes that we inherit and pass down... The results of these analyses are flawed but pointed enough to start some important conversations."Screenhub Australia gave the show four out of five stars, partly because the opening episode appears to be going in a different direction from where the series ends up and partly because the reviewer couldn't find any of the characters remotely likeable. The show "does a solid job of setting up an intriguing premise. There’s plenty of suspects, and a few obvious red herrings that’ll no doubt end up having a skeleton or two in the closet. Taken as a pure whodunnit, it ticks all the boxes". Just not the likeable-lead one.The New York Times (paywall) wasn't gripped immediately either, but became very involved as the episodes progressed. "Though it covers a lot of familiar angles, The Survivors outshines most of its brethren. The relationships here are knotty, the characters multidimensional in intriguing, moving ways. People can be both wonderful and cruel, loving but maybe not loving enough, loyal but also dishonest... The show picks up as it goes, and its plot lines nest like Russian dolls, giving the story a real sense of heft and potency."The Survivors is streaming now on Netflix.You may also likeBest Netflix movies: 46 amazing films to stream in June 2025I was nervous about Netflix’s OceanGate documentary but here’s why I recommend everyone should watch it Stephen Graham's powerful drama Adolescence has performed so well for Netflix that it's beaten Stranger Things' streaming record

Wyze, the Seattle-based tech company that specializes in smart home products and wireless cameras, has released a major security update that it hopes will rebuild some lost trust. The company has been plagued by numerous security failures over the past few years, most notably when an AWS outage led to thousands of users gaining access to recorded videos from other people’s homes. That incident, paired with the company’s history of lackluster responses to security flaws, even led The New York Times to explicitly stop recommending Wyze products more than a year ago.

Now, in a YouTube video announcement that cheekily mentions the AWS outage, Wyze is introducing a new layer of security that the company is calling Wyze VerifiedView. The added layer of security works by embedding a unique user ID into the firmware of a Wyze camera upon setup. The camera in turn stamps that ID onto every photo, video and livestream. Before any device can access that footage, the Wyze software will check that the embedded ID matches the one for the user before it allows the footage or images to be seen.

Wyze is adamant that this new layer is simply building upon its already robust security structure, which the company somewhat meaninglessly says is akin to “barbed wire fencing, booby traps, security guards, acid sharks, laser scanners, and AI robot guard dogs.” While it’s not mentioned in the press release, the announcement video clarified that VerifiedView may never come to older models like the Wyze Cam Pan V1 and V2 due to hardware limitations.

Wyze says it has been pushing this update to its most popular models since the beginning of April, and that users of those models just need to update their firmware and app to receive the update. Which models exactly remains unclear, as Wyze also mentioned that some other models will receive the updates over the coming weeks and months, but again did not specify which models they were referring to.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/smart-home/wyze-adds-major-security-update-to-its-security-cameras-after-numerous-security-lapses-181735619.html?src=rss

Meta is finally adding passkey support for Facebook and Messenger on mobile devices. This should make for more seamless logins, as a passkey lets people sign in by using the same data they already use to verify their identities on a smartphone. This includes stuff like a PIN code, a fingerprint or a quick face scan.

This is not only convenient, but more secure than traditional passwords. Passkeys are resistant to many types of malicious attacks, as they can’t be easily guessed or stolen. This will vary depending on the type of passkey you use, as a four-digit PIN is easier to fake than a full face scan or a fingerprint.

Meta says this feature will be rolling out soon for Facebook on iOS and Android devices, but Messenger users will have to wait a bit longer. The company says that's headed our way "in the coming months." However, the same passkey will work with both Facebook and Messenger.

Meta

Facebook has been slow to adopt this login method. Google has offered this feature for years, and X jumped on board last year. Microsoft uses passkeys, as does Amazon, eBay, PayPal and many others. Even Meta's other chat platform Whatsapp has started allowing passkey logins. Instagram is still a holdout.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/meta-is-finally-adding-passkey-support-for-facebook-and-messenger-182549616.html?src=rss