At least one developer is trying to make the Nintendo Switch run on Android.
If it all works out, then it would add even more meaning to the console's "hybrid" factor.
Switch With Android OS
As first spotted by XDA-Developers, the developer who goes by the name of ByLaws is hard at work trying to load Android on the Switch.
It's no mystery that the Switch has the right form factor and such to be an Android tablet, so much so that it reportedly almost did end up with the operating system in question. In other words, it pretty much just needs the right software to be one.
From the look of things, though, it still can't get past the Android startup screen.
Not my work but worth sharing pic.twitter.com/XKctcJSZoo — natinusala_ctx_t (@natinusala) February 12, 2019
On a Reddit thread, the developer explains why it can't boot just yet.
"Hey, I'm the dev, its based on a debased 5.0 fail0verflow kernel with nouveau and aosp master. It doesn't boot yet due to a nouveau issue," they write.
As XDA-Developers points out, it's hard to say if it'll become stable even if it does boot properly, even though some of the drivers of the Switch or even the Nvidia Shield could possibly be used.
Not Farfetched
While it's likely going to take a lot of time before Android is up and running on the Switch, the idea itself isn't far-off. Back in February 2018, the hacker group fail0verflow managed to run Linux on the console, after all.
Of course, the biggest advantage of making Android run on the Switch is users won't have to lug around two devices if they want to play Switch games and get the Android tablet experience. Not to mention that things like Netflix would potentially be accessible, something that Nintendo fans might appreciate since the streaming app is available only on the 3DS and Wii U at the moment.
