Technologies

Before You Factory Reset Your Nintendo Switch, Do This First

Wiping your Switch is a best practice before getting rid of your old device.

There are several reasons you might want to get rid of a Nintendo Switch this holiday season. You might be upgrading it because you’ve got a newer model (like the OLED-screen version); you might be regifting it to a friend or family member; or you might be trading it in or selling it. (If you’re looking to sell a device for some extra money, there are many options, but Decluttr is a good place to start.)

No matter the reason, you always want to make sure your Switch has been factory reset and all your personal info has been wiped from it.

Factory-resetting your console has many benefits, but the primary one is that returning your device to its original default settings protects any sensitive personal information that could be left on the system. Even though many people don’t store as much private information on their gaming consoles as on, say, a phone or computer, completing a factory reset is a good practice to safeguard against potential privacy issues.

More on Nintendo Switch

Before you reset…

Nintendo offers a couple of tips and suggestions that you should keep in mind before you reset. First, the company advises that resetting your Nintendo Switch should take about five minutes for consoles that are running system OS version 10.0.0 or higher.

Additionally, the company outlines what data will be lost if you initialize (Nintendo’s term for factory resetting) your Switch. This list is pretty straightforward, and includes save data, screenshots and user information that has been stored on the device.

To move your account and game saves to a new Switch, follow the detailed instructions here.

If you want to erase only specific pieces of data, you can use Nintendo’s Data Management settings to pick and choose what gets deleted while not having to fully reset your device.

It is important to note that your Switch must be connected to the internet while you are factory-resetting or initializing your device, and that your Nintendo accounts will be unlinked during the reset process.

How to reset your Switch

Resetting your Switch is a fairly simple process. All you have to do is go to System Settings on the main menu, scroll down to System and select it. Once you are in System, scroll down to the bottom of the menu and select Formatting Options. It is important to note that, if you have Parental Controls active on your Switch, you will be prompted to enter your Parental Control PIN after selecting Formatting Options.

After you’ve entered Formatting Options, you need to select Initialize Console to factory-reset your Switch. Read through the information that is presented to you on the screen and click Next. Finally, select Initialize to complete the process of factory-resetting your Nintendo Switch.

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Technologies

Apple’s New Smart Home Display Delayed Until Fall Over Siri Issues

It has been nearly a year and a half since the company announced the AI-powered product.

Your home could get smarter with Apple’s Siri, but it will have to wait a few more months. Bloomberg reported the iPad-shaped AI home hub won’t be ready until September, several months after the company was hoping to launch it this spring. Apple engineers first need to complete work on a new and improved Siri assistant for the home device, code-named J490, according to Bloomberg.

Apple was hoping to release J490 this month, along with a slew of other new devices, including the iPhone 17e, MacBook Neo, MacBook Air M5, new Pro models, and iPad Air M4. Apple first teased the smart home display in November 2024.

A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Siri is Apple’s virtual assistant that uses voice recognition and AI to fulfill a variety of tasks and commands, along with intriguing uses. You might use Siri to find your iPhone — «Hey Siri, where are you?» — or to hear the weather forecast — «Siri, what will the weather be today?» Siri is available on iPhones, MacBooks and iPads. It was launched in 2011 as a feature of the iPhone 4S.

As CNET reported last month, Apple engineers have struggled to push the upgraded Siri assistant out the door. It isn’t fast enough, gets confused by complex commands and doesn’t interact well with other Apple AI models. The company is also wrestling with how much personal data to access to inform the AI, and the new Siri is not yet able to complete in-app tasks, such as finding a photo and posting it to socials, all with one command.

It has been nearly two years since Apple announced that it would give Siri a major upgrade. In the meantime, competitors like Alexa Plus and Gemini for Home have entered the marketplace.

Tech tester Jon Rettinger, whose YouTube channel has 1.66 million subscribers, says the repeated delays in upgrading Siri can «erode» confidence in Apple’s ability to keep up in the AI race.

«Apple as a whole is still one of the strongest companies on the planet. But their AI play is clearly the weakest link in an otherwise very strong chain,» Rettinger told CNET.

Rettinger said he has had issues getting Siri to complete basic commands, such as setting two alarms at the same time, and that it’s a bit of «a mess» right now.

«Having said that, the iPhone has such massive market penetration that I’m not sure it will actually matter in the end. Which is kind of wild when you think about it,» Rettinger said.

Facial recognition for residents

The hardware for the forthcoming smart home display has already been finished. It resembles an iPad and can be either attached to a wall or rest on a half-domed-shaped base, the Bloomberg report said.

The device will be equipped with facial recognition, so when residents walk up to it, they will be shown personalized data such as music preferences, news headlines, appointments, reminders, tasks and so on.

The screen interface will include a bunch of circular app icons, similar to the display on an Apple Watch. The Bloomberg report said the smart home display will be the first of several home devices by Apple. Future products include a tabletop robotic limb with a 9-inch screen, a smart security camera and a Face ID-enabled smart doorbell.