A hacker has proven that the Nintendo Switch is capable of running Nintendo 64, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance titles, showing that the hybrid console has a future for homebrew apps.
Nintendo previously confirmed that there will be no Nintendo Switch Virtual Console. Will its owners be forced to hack the Nintendo Switch to play games from older Nintendo consoles?
Nintendo Switch Hacked To Run Emulators
Game modder @_Mizumi uploaded videos on his Twitter account, showing proof of the Nintendo Switch running emulators for three previous-generation Nintendo consoles.
The first game was Pokémon Snap from the Nintendo 64, which was shown to be working smoothly and complete with Joy-Con controls.
Pokémon Snap works well. pic.twitter.com/vjnukULOD7 — BillyCTcon (@_Mizumi) July 5, 2018
The second game was Super Smash Bros. Melee from the GameCube, which has a sluggish frame rate and missing sound.
Super Smash Bros Melee running on the Switch! pic.twitter.com/SpNexBNZYx — BillyCTcon (@_Mizumi) July 5, 2018
The third game was Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney from the Game Boy Advance, which runs better than Super Smash Bros. Melee but still with no sound.
Ace Attorney on Switch! Phoenix Wright for Smash? pic.twitter.com/ezU9J5c5dK — BillyCTcon (@_Mizumi) July 6, 2018
As hackers further expand the Nintendo Switch homebrew community and create tools that are easier to install, the hybrid console may one day be viewed as the ultimate Virtual Console, with the ability to run games from all Nintendo consoles ever released.
Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America president, declared Nintendo Switch Online, the online gaming service for the hybrid console that will launch in September, as the Virtual Console successor. The service will likely offer access to older Nintendo games, but having full control over the retro games that may be played on the Nintendo Switch may be an attractive idea for owners of the hybrid console.
Nintendo Switch Piracy
The rise of the Nintendo Switch homebrew community, however, comes with the risk of Nintendo Switch piracy. If it is opened up to heavy piracy, developers will be discouraged to make games for the Nintendo Switch, which will be bad in the long run.
A few months ago, a Nintendo Switch hack exploited a vulnerability on the Nvidia Tegra X1 chip, which meant that the issue could not be patched as the problem was in the hardware itself.
In response, Nintendo has recently started banning Nintendo Switch hackers from accessing online services if the copy of the game that they are playing is determined to be a pirated one. The move declared the start of the piracy war on the hybrid console.
Will Nintendo allow emulators on the Nintendo Switch, will Nintendo Switch Online serve as a decent replacement for the Virtual Console, or will piracy overrun the Nintendo Switch community? These questions will likely be answered very soon.
