Handheld game consoles are devices that will play a massive part in the future of technology. Over the years, handheld consoles have saved us time and money while also helping us enjoy our games while out on the road. Yet, there is one thing that these consoles are immune to. That is being lost.
These consoles would fall from the side of your bed and never be found again because they’re so small in size. Luckily, the console that we’re going to talk about today is easy to lose, but it is also not that difficult to find. We are going to be talking about a Nintendo Switch and how you can find one if it is lost.
How to Find Lost Nintendo Switch
Locate Serial Number
If you’ve lost your Nintendo Switch in your house, then you cannot track the Switch by yourself because it doesn’t have a feature like an iPhone known as Find Your Phone. That doesn’t mean the entire process is impossible. It is just going to take longer.
The first thing you need to do is locate the serial number of your Nintendo Switch since you’re the owner of one. If you have your Switch on you, you can find its serial number at the bottom next to the USB Type-C port. This code is different for all the Nintendo Switch devices manufactured up until now.
You can also check the serial number of your Nintendo Switch in its System Settings, or the box which your console came in also contains the serial number. If your Switch is stolen and you don’t have the box to check its serial number, then you can also go back to the store where you bought it from, and they’ll tell you the number.
They will cross-check the purchase from your credit card details to verify that the device is yours. If you’ve lost your Switch, then you need to do all that you can to locate its serial number. Especially if your Switch has been stolen, Whoever’s bank account is being used, make sure to get them to come along with you to the store.
After Locating Serial Number
Each Switch user has a different serial number, and after you locate it, you will then proceed to contact Nintendo’s customer support. They might not be able to track your device, but they will be able to notify you that someone has connected the Switch to the Internet after tracking it with an IP address.
The IP address will tell them the city where the device is present. Once you have this information, you can inform the police of your Switch being lost and file a report. Don’t miss out on this step because it is essential.
Furthermore, if you think there’s a chance for the police to find your Switch if it looks different, then make sure to tell them how your Switch looks if there are any special kinds of marking or initials embossed onto it.
Another tip you need to remember is to make sure to deactivate the device right away because you don’t want the person who stole your Switch charging games on your account. They already have your Switch, and so you should deactivate your account at the earliest.
Can You Track a Nintendo Switch?
If you feel like going to some internet tracker and telling them to “find my Nintendo Switch” or “Find my Switch,” then make sure not to ask them this because they might think you aren’t in your senses!
The Switch doesn’t have features for tracking it right now, and things can get quite messy if your Switch ends up getting stolen. So to be on the safe side, you can buy a tracking device that you can attach to your Switch. There are many Bluetooth trackers that you can use that are available for a low price.
To use it, you can download its app on your phone and use it with any assistant that applies, such as Alexa, Siri, or even Google Assistant. If your Switch is nearby, you can manage to locate it and then play a sound for it to help you identify where it is.
How to Make Sure Your Switch Isn’t Stolen
If you buy a Nintendo Switch online at your home, make sure that it isn’t stolen. This is quite common on the Internet, where people sell stolen stuff to others without the buyer knowing anything about it.
If not the Switch, you could also be buying a controller or a joy-con for your Switch, which could be stolen as well.
Gladly, you can avoid this situation if you’re buying a Switch on the Internet. You will need the serial number on your hands to find this out, which you can locate with the methods we’ve mentioned in the “Locate Serial Number” section.
One good tip for offers online is looking for deals that sell items in a bundle, including a case or joy-con. On e-shops, these kinds of sellers have more credibility. After locating the serial number, make sure it matches the number on the packing of your Switch because having two different serial numbers is highly suspicious.
Another thing that you need to keep in mind is to make sure that the Switch you bought doesn’t have anyone else’s account logged in to it. Please ask the seller to deactivate the report which is logged in so that you don’t come across any problems when you use it.
A stolen Switch will only benefit the seller, and if you’re the buyer, well, then we got some bad news for you. This is because they will want to get rid of the device, and you’ll be waiting to buy it, which is a natural buyer’s reflex. You’ll be offered a price reduction, and that will be the only thing that intrigues you. Whereas what you’ll need to remember is that a Switch at a reduced price could be very fishy as soon as you begin to use it. There might be problems in it that you won’t know upon purchasing it, but when you start using it, many issues could show up, so there’s that.
Conclusion
There could be several reasons why your Nintendo Switch might be lost. You could’ve lost it at home, or it might’ve been stolen, which is why the steps that we’ve mentioned above need to be followed. Retrieving a Switch isn’t that difficult, but a little effort certainly is required. Once you manage to find it after you’ve lost it, make sure to keep it close and take care while using it.
As we mentioned at the start that it is challenging to keep handheld consoles in your sight all the time, which is why whenever you use your Switch, always keep it where you picked it up from or, better yet, get a case for it and put it in that.
Getting a handheld console isn’t that difficult but making sure that it is around when you want to play it certainly is. Thankfully with the tips told above, you can do that easily. We’d ask you to switch to a full-fledged gaming console, but we don’t want to make things too easy now, would we?
