An enthusiast has created a way to bring Nintendo Switch capabilities to the Linux OS by patching the Arm64 Linux kernel to run the console's games natively. Although not an attempt to recreate the Horizon OS on Nintendo, the project hopes to make Switch games playable on any Arm64 hardware.
Enthusiast Finds a Way to Run Nintendo Switch Games on Linux OS
According to the story by Tom's Hardware, an enthusiast of the Linux OS and Nintendo Switch created the project. The person went by the name Kent J Hall on Reddit and showed how he was able to run Nintendo Switch games natively on the Arm64 Linux kernel.
Despite not being able to get the project up and running during the first go, Hall decided that he would spend a huge portion of his free time on the Horizon Linux project. He found out that patching an Arm64 Linux seemed like the most likely way he would be able to achieve his goal.
Redditor Used Linux-Supported Arm64 Hardware on Lower-End Hardware
Hall explained that since Linux's hardware driver support is available for free, users will not only be able to run bare-metal on any particular Linux-supported Arm64 hardware. He also noted that the project should be able to work even on lower-end hardware without the need for the CPU emulation.
The project is also very flexible and was really helped by using an existing open-source Switch emulator known as Yuzu for help. The project involved snipping up unneeded code from the emulator like kernel and CPU emulation to leave the system service, GPU emulation, and app loader.
'Puyo Puyo Tetris' was Playable on the Horizon Linux Device
Hall also noted that he spent a lot of time trying to get every single system service to run persistently in its very own thread. The Redditor, however, noted that the project was still far from complete.
He did, however, go public and acknowledge that it has still been able to reach a significant milestone. Hall announced that the very first commercial game called "Puyo Puyo Tetris" can be played on Horizon Linux.
Read Also: Nintendo President Confirmed No Price Hike for Nintendo Switch Models
Project Used the GPU Emulation Coming from the YuZu Emulator
The Redditor also published other videos which show the M1 MacBook Pro and the Nvidia Jetson Nano running the "Puyo Puyo Tetris" game as well. The videos, however, are not available at the time of writing as per Tom's Hardware.
It was also noted that the Arm CPUs of the systems were responsible for running the game natively but it still relied on GPU emulation coming from YuZu. The article also noted that a lot of Raspberry Pi computers are equipped with Arm64 CPUs like the Raspberry Pi 3 and Raspberry Pi 4.
So far, the Horizon Linux has yet to be tested on a Raspberry Pi.
Related Article: Unannounced Xbox Elite 2 Controller Appears on YouTube Unboxing Video! Here's What It Looks Like
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
