Emulation/Nintendo Switch

Emulating
Nintendo Switch

About the Nintendo Switch

While the Switch uses a great deal of custom hardware, its computer is very well understood. This is because it is based on a SOC which was also used in other products, making its technical details much better known and accessible than the computer hardware of most consoles.

Nintendo Switch Emulators

Yuzu

Yuzu running homebrew.

Yuzu is an open source emulator for Nintendo Switch software that can run under Windows and Linux. It has some compatibility with homebrew and commercial titles.

Ryujinx

Ryujinx is an open source Nintendo Switch emulator.^[1]

Ryujinx on Windows.

Skyline

Mobile specific emulator for Android with limited compatibility.^[2] HLE open source emulator.^[3]

Strato Emulator

Strato Emulator^[4] is an open-source compatibility layer for the Nintendo Switch that runs on Android. It is a fork of Skyline Emulator that focuses on the continuation of the original project as Skyline Emulator's development has been put on halt due to copyright reasons.

Hardware considerations

Many major Nintendo Switch games used the touchscreen sparingly, if at all. Thus touch input hardware on the host system is somewhat less important than for other handhelds.

JoyCons, and other switch controllers typically connect over Bluetooth, with some controllers supporting wired USB communication. Both are common standards.

Software considerations

As with any emulator, the primary use of a Switch emulator is to maintain backups of games you own. They can also be used to run and develop homebrew.

The open source Mesosphere firmware is capable of booting some commercial games.

References

↑ "GitHub - Ryujinx/Ryujinx: Experimental Nintendo Switch Emulator written in C#". GitHub. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
↑ "Skyline is an in-development Nintendo Switch emulator that actually works". XDA. 1 May 2022. https://www.xda-developers.com/skyline-is-an-in-development-nintendo-switch-emulator-that-actually-works/.
↑ "skyline-emu/skyline". Skyline. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
↑ "Strato Emulator - Best Nintendo Switch emulator for Android". 2023-06-30. Retrieved 2023-07-28.

[1] "GitHub - Ryujinx/Ryujinx: Experimental Nintendo Switch Emulator written in C#". GitHub. Retrieved 29 July 2021.

[2] "Skyline is an in-development Nintendo Switch emulator that actually works". XDA. 1 May 2022. https://www.xda-developers.com/skyline-is-an-in-development-nintendo-switch-emulator-that-actually-works/.

[3] "skyline-emu/skyline". Skyline. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.

[4] "Strato Emulator - Best Nintendo Switch emulator for Android". 2023-06-30. Retrieved 2023-07-28.

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