Handhelds · Nintendo

Nintendo Switch

A hardware bug in the original chip, patched on newer units, lets an unpatched Switch load a custom environment at boot, entirely in memory, with nothing written to the console's own firmware.

ModelsNintendo SwitchNintendo Switch LiteNintendo Switch OLED

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What it can become

What owners already do with it, easiest first.

Easy~10 minNo risk

Check whether your console can even run this

The exploit only works on an unpatched unit (most consoles sold before mid-2018, identifiable by serial number) and never on a Switch Lite, a Switch OLED or a Switch 2. Check before buying anything.

Built inAtmosphère, prerequisites

An evening~15 minMay void the warranty

Back up your own save files

Checkpoint, a homebrew app, copies your own save data to the SD card so a dead console or a failed update never costs hundreds of hours of progress. It manages saves you own, never game dumps.

Checkpoint

Hands-on~20 minMay void the warranty

Pair a PlayStation or Xbox controller

MissionControl, an Atmosphère module, lets your own PS4, PS5 or Xbox controller pair over Bluetooth like a native Joy-Con, rumble and gyro included.

MissionControl★ 3.6K

Hands-on~1 hMay void the warranty

Load Atmosphère for the evening

A short-circuit jig or a dongle on the right pins puts the console into recovery mode, then a payload loads Atmosphère from the SD card. Nothing is written to flash, so a normal reboot returns to stock. Going online with it can get the console banned from Nintendo's online services.

Atmosphere★ 20.2K libnx★ 1.5K

Everything built for it

27 projects from the index, most active first.

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