Nintendo Switch seems to support cloud saves for game files but the functionality is not being rolled out to users yet.
A hybrid console released in 2017 is supposed to be ahead of the time.
However, when the Switch was launched, Nintendo clarified that the game saves even for big titles like the Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wild will only be locally saved in the console. The company wouldn’t allow players to save or transfer those files to a micro SD card or any form of storage. The save data cannot be transferred from one console to another making it pretty much impossible to backup data in case the file gets corrupted or you switch devices.
Cloud saves are very common as almost every game makes use of this feature on PS4, Xbox One and PC platforms. Nintendo likes to stay old school or it is what people thought until now. When a Reddit user has to turn in his new console to the company’s official service center, everything in local storage was erased. The save files for Breath of the Wild went missing after the hardware was returned by the company.
The user did confirm that it was the same machine that they gave to the service center was the same one that was fixed. The center didn’t give them a completely new console but the same one with all the files erased. When he switched on the console and plugged in the game, a small cloud displayed in a corner with the text “download icon to restore Zelda: Breath of the Wild” save data.
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It obviously indicates that the company’s representatives backed up those files on the cloud and formatted the local storage device. The user will be prompted to download the back from cloud and once the download is complete, all files will be replaced in their system’s local storage. The incident confirmed that Nintendo Switch is not an outdated console as gamers assumed earlier. Being not able to save on the cloud was pretty annoying but it seems Nintendo has direct access to the feature and only their employees can restore it for you when needed.
Based on the update posted by the random Nintendo Switch user, it won’t be long before the company decides to bring the feature to all users. It will make saving games much easier and you won’t lose track of your progress especially after spending so many hours completing quests and unlocking special items. The Switch has exceeded all sales predictions and Nintendo plans to produce at least 16 million units within a year to cope up with growing demand. The console is back in stock in select stores and is yet to be launched in many regions.