A new open-source project called nxnative converts owned Nintendo Switch games into native apps for iPhones, iPads, and Macs without emulation, since Switch and recent Apple devices share Arm-based processors. The tool replaces Nintendo-specific components like the OS and graphics API with a host program and Apple's Metal, and its GitHub page already lists more than 60 tested games including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Tears of the Kingdom. Users must supply their own game files and console-extracted decryption keys, build the app via Xcode, and sideload it using tools like AltStore, with support limited to an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, or an M1 iPad or later running iOS/iPadOS 26.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-26
Developers completed a native port of the F-Zero X decompilation (G-Diffuser) to Nintendo 3DS hardware, releasing version 1.0.0 after a 24-day sprint that achieved 60fps 3D on New 3DS, followed by a 43-day second phase adding Old 3DS compatibility, a native renderer, and support for the 64DD Expansion Kit. The project used one human director coordinating a long-running AI session that orchestrated over 147 subagents during the first phase alone, producing three separate console builds from a single source tree.
hypnotize.works
· 2026-10-25
Crkd's new $59.99 Nitro Deck 2 accessory works with both the original Switch and Switch 2, using a twisting vice-grip mechanism to fit either console instead of the original's slide-in design. A reviewer at The Verge found the right analog stick sits too close to the ABXY face buttons, making fast inputs awkward, and says the clamp-style mount feels less secure than the original Nitro Deck's.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-25
A developer has released VBoy Color, an open-source emulator that adds limited color to Nintendo Virtual Boy games, which originally displayed only in red monochrome. The tool assigns colors from a four-color palette to 8x8-pixel tiles, using hand-painted color packs for most of the original library, and runs on Meta Quest VR, desktop, and Android, with stereoscopic 3D preserved only on Quest.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-23
Delta's 2.0 update introduces a dual-screen mode that uses foldable hinge hardware to emulate the Nintendo DS experience, splitting gameplay across two screens. The release also adds support for emulating Sega Genesis games, expanding the app's library of supported retro consoles.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-23
Retro game emulator Delta has released version 2.0, adding a Liquid Glass interface redesign and dedicated support for the foldable iPhone Duo. The update includes custom controller skins for Nintendo DS layouts that adapt to the device's various folded poses, Sega Genesis ROM compatibility, improved library navigation, and audio settings that let game sound mix with music or podcasts.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-10-22
Researcher Sammy Hajhamid cracked Switch 2 firmware version 23.0.1 using OpenAI's Codex, enabling homebrew software, access to most device peripherals, and save file backups. The software-only exploit took about two weeks to develop and doesn't require reboot persistence or hardware modification, though it must be reapplied after each restart and needs a connected computer. He demonstrated the hack with a modded Mario Kart World featuring non-Nintendo characters like Goku and Walter White.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-22
A new emulation project called VBoy Color builds on last year's Red Viper emulator by assigning distinct four-color palettes to each 8x8 tile in a Virtual Boy frame, rather than just swapping out the console's four shades of red. Using game-specific Color Packs, it can render objects like pipes, platforms, and walls in separate colors even though they share identical red tones in the original hardware output.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-22
A developer has published ns2jb, a tethered, software-only jailbreak for the Nintendo Switch 2 running the latest 23.0.1 firmware, via a public repository. The exploit reportedly allows arbitrary native code execution as a system module, enabling homebrew apps, save file backups, reverse engineering of games, and hardware access via MMIO. The developer used AI coding assistant Codex to help build the exploit and to mod Mario Kart World as a demonstration.
pepsipu.com
· 2026-10-22
A WIRED gift guide for moms recommends items including a Troubadour AirPods case, the Nintendo Switch 2 priced at $449 alongside games like Pokopia and the upcoming Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, and budget-friendly titles such as Stardew Valley and Fields of Mistria. It also mentions a Steam Machine starting at $1,049 and touches on photo-related gift ideas for preserving family memories.
wired.com
· 2026-10-21
Nintendo has launched Nintendo Switch Sports Resort on the Switch 2, a motion-controlled sports collection featuring 12 activities including tennis, bowling, skateboarding, thumb wrestling, and flying a plane. The game arrives the same week as other major Switch 2 releases, including Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave and the upcoming Ocarina of Time remake.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-20
A fan named supermochi64 used the AI model Claude Opus 5.5 alongside GPU-based font testing to decode the long-illegible 32x32 pixel plaque text in Super Mario 64's castle courtyard. The method, which tested millions of font and word combinations against the texture, scored 'Eternal star / We hope so' as a far better match than the popular fan theory 'L is real 2401.' The analysis also identified the likely font as Palatino Bold Italic from Adobe's 1990 Mac release.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-19
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