Switch Things to do with a hacked Switch

[Franz_Thieppel]

When I hacked mine I was surprised with how good Android was on it. The build of LineageOS they make for it is absolutely flawless when it comes to input lag. I thought lag was an unavoidable reality of Android but this proved it wrong. So much so that I started getting into some online Android games like Call of Duty because of how well it played.
Then installing parsec on it made it an excellent streaming device.

If we're talking strictly Horizon (Switch's OS) then:

1) Mods. So many mods:
-The Witcher 3 without the shitty temporal anti-aliasing
-Link's Awakening with stutter fixes.
-BOTW with higher item durability to make it less annoying to play.
-Tons of Mario Odyssey mods
and the GOAT:
-Super Smash Bros. HDR (it's to Ultimate what Project M was for Brawl).

2) Emulators:
Mainly Retroarch which handles everything up to Dreamcast pretty well (it has its own CPU overclock settings that are pretty much free) but there are other emulators too (I think DS games played well with a build of MelonDS).
I especially enjoyed the hacked NSO emulators that contained entire pre-compiled libraries of popular romhacks I would've never discovered otherwise.

3) Android:
Already mentioned above but even with its crappy touchscreen resolution it makes for a really good Android tablet (at least for games due to it's fantastic responsiveness).

So all in all I'd say if you don't NEED to play online (via the official means at least) then it's totally worth it!

 

[ThunderBoy]

 

[Morgan Katarn]

Put in a blender
set it on fire
put it under a steel press

So many things to do with Nintendo property you may have paid for but you don´t own it what so ever. If Nintentards hate you enough they will brick it for you. And you already committed a crime hacking it so watch out Nintendo might send you a cease and desist letter or an Assassin.

 

[JG5009]

Dolphin would be really cool. Its a shame nintendo locked the switch down like crazy. I wish It had as much as a scene as the PSP did back in the day. Also, the topic of hacking 3D all stars made me remember that theres an injector for the Cotton remaster to use its saturn emulator

I really doubt that it will have an explosive rise in popularity if it's going to be under the watch of the ninjas alongside the NS2, a softmod is basically impossible to think now since it's going to receive patches over patches for years, with no way to downgrade. On the other hand, I've seen that the prices of the modchips have lowered, this would make for a good install service everywhere if more shop's employees try to learn the process since this console is so common, more than the NDS at its height at this point.

I would like to try that Cotton method eventually, good portable Saturn emulation is sweet.

Post automatically merged: Dec 4, 2025

So all in all I'd say if you don't NEED to play online (via the official means at least) then it's totally worth it!

It's the only way to play SRB2 (the android port is outdated and awful, doesn't count) and Ring Racers in a small portable device, even if performance could be better that's a win in my eyes.

Post automatically merged: Dec 4, 2025

Actually, what it needs is more PC fangames, it's already a superb system for indies so it's equally perfect for these since android ports of them are a rare sight.

 

[Ikagura]

It's the only way to play SRB2 (the android port is outdated and awful, doesn't count)

I've played it a bit and I dunno, it ran finely.

 

[gastd]

I don't know, I wouldn't dare do that, I would be afraid that Nintendo would block my device!

 

[JG5009]

To be fair, the only relevant things that get blocked are access to the eShop (buying games legally) and online multiplayer (only really matters for not a lot of games), any other thing can be circumvented with homebrew which it wouldn't be a issue if the console is already "banned", and this only happens when doing something clearly stupid and careless that doesn't happen accidentally.

For all the security and spyware they've installed to the console sure their bans are lenient (all they do is give a free pass to pirate games since the eShop can't be used, and not every game has a physical cart, and NSO is barely functional anyway)

Post automatically merged: Jan 2, 2026

But for me I just give up on it, it really is easier to emulate this thing than dealing with all the limitations of the OS and every update that asfixiates and breaks the homebrew more and more (To transfer saves to and from a clean system both need the latest update, so I have to get it)

 

[Ikagura]

I don't know, I wouldn't dare do that, I would be afraid that Nintendo would block my device!

Is this even possible? Since modding the console would also make it outside of the network system.

I know that online is no longer attainable with some modded 3DS.

To be fair, the only relevant things that get blocked are access to the eShop (buying games legally) and online multiplayer (only really matters for not a lot of games), any other thing can be circumvented with homebrew which it wouldn't be a issue if the console is already "banned", and this only happens when doing something clearly stupid and careless that doesn't happen accidentally.

So basically having a console modded to cheat online? The Xbox and PS did that I think.

 

[JG5009]

Is this even possible? Since modding the console would also make it outside of the network system.

I know that online is no longer attainable with some modded 3DS.


So basically having a console modded to cheat online? The Xbox and PS did that I think.

Very obvious cheating is instant ban, but you'll have to be a fool to do that in the first place.
Some visual mods can be used with a slight risk that the server detects them, but that depends mostly on the mods themselves.

 

[Ikagura]

Very obvious cheating is instant ban, but you'll have to be a fool to do that in the first place.
Some visual mods can be used with a slight risk that the server detects them, but that depends mostly on the mods themselves.

Console modding is always done with that in mind. That's why pre-Internet (or at least without any active official servers) are safer to make.

 

[JG5009]

Console modding is always done with that in mind. That's why pre-Internet (or at least without any active official servers) are safer to make.

Yeah, just shame that there's no alternative for NSO in like private servers for use in emulation, besides some clunky lanplay tools, but that's probably for the best, the less reasons to attract the atention of the N beast the better.

 

[Ikagura]

Yeah, just shame that there's no alternative for NSO in like private servers for use in emulation, besides some clunky lanplay tools, but that's probably for the best, the less reasons to attract the atention of the N beast the better.

Like Wiimmfi/Slippy?

 

[JG5009]

Like Wiimmfi/Slippy?

Yeah, since it seems that the original Switch will be supported alongside the NS2, nothing will really change all around.

 

[Uitsualnemetia]

I mainly use my hacked Switch to overclock games and instal QOL mods. I recently beat Pokémon Violet (both expansions and Epilogue included) with a reasonable overclock, a mod that reduces the delay between text boxes in battle and a cheat that lets you move the camera faster. I wouldn't say it was a great experience (the game is still broken no matter what you do), but it was more enjoyable that it would have otherwise been.

Other things I have tried: I installed Mission Control for the heck of it, and the experience of playing Switch games on the console itself with a DualShock 4 was pretty surreal lol I also tried and succeeded in changing the ROMs of several games inside the Nintendo Classics apps. Mostly I just used fan-translated versions of the same games, and in the case of some original GB games I injected their respective color hacks.

By the way, as long as you are not being stupid, you won't get banned for having your Switch hacked. Don't install any game or app (just use the Homebrew Launcher for homebrew apps), and don't try to play multiplayer online while using cheats or mods (you can temporarily disable mods by pressing L while booting the game, that's the way I was able to catch two online event mons).