If you want to back up your saves on the PlayStation 4, all you need is a USB stick. On the Xbox, you can just use online storage without paying extra. But if you’re a Switch owner who just wants some comfort over the 200 hours you’ve spent saving Hyrule, you only have one option—wait for September, then pay for it.
The Switch’s inability to let owners back up their saves has been controversial since the system launched in March of last year, but Nintendo triggered a new conversation this week by announcing that it will finally add cloud saves to the system, allowing players to upload their files to digital storage. The problem: You’ll have to pay $20/year for the privilege.
Nintendo has not said anything about offering any other way to let Switch owners back up their files, so fans are calling upon the company to do something. One user on the message board Resetera, “Redhead On Moped,” has started a social media campaign—#SaveTheSaves—calling on Nintendo to start supporting some sort of local backup save feature, be it through USB or microSD or free cloud saves for all (unlikely, given how much it costs for storage). The user makes a compelling case:
PC games? Copy paste to anywhere, with anything.
Sega CD? Buy multiple RAM carts.
PlayStation? Duplicate your memory card.
Saturn? Backup memory cart.
Dreamcast? Use extra VMUs or memory cards!
PS2? See PS1
GCN? Memory cards baby!
Xbox? Memory card it!
Wii? Grab an SD Card!
Xbox 360? Use a flash stick, memory card, or hard disk.
PS3: Use a USB flash stick.
Even The Wii U: Use a USB 2.0 Mass Storage Device.
PS4: Use a flash drive.
Xbox One: FREELY USE THE CLOUD
Nintendo Switch: NOPE!
I asked Nintendo on Monday if it plans to offer local backup saves to people who don’t subscribe to the online service, and followed up again today, but the company has not commented.