uLaunch - custom, open source Nintendo Switch HOME menu reimplementation

Hey all!

It's been a while since I started working and playing around with homebrew replacing HOME menu in February. After several months of RE, new approaches and a lot of work, I'm glad to present the result of all my work related to HOME menu + homebrew:

uLaunch is a custom, open-source replacement/reimplementation for Nintendo Switch's HOME menu (qlaunch), extending it with amazing, homebrew-orienteed functionality!

s1.png s2.png s3.png s4.png s5.png s6.png


uLaunch is a very ambitious project, consisting on two custom library applets, a custom system application and a custom system applet, in order to replace the console's HOME menu with a custom, homebrew-orienteed one.

Are you looking for help with themes? Check this documentation for everything you need!

Having trouble with uLaunch? Check the FAQ section for support!


Features

List of HOME menu features uLaunch has:
  • Proper launching and foreground management: launch, suspend and close titles and applets

  • Proper general channel handling (some of it might be not implemented): sleep, shutdown, reboot, HOME menu press detection...

  • Settings:
    • Show connected WiFi network's name

    • Open connection applet in case user wants to change network settings

    • Change console's language and show active one

    • Change console's nickname and show current one
  • User features:
    • Allow creating user on the startup menu

    • Show user's page (in order to edit nickname, icon, friends...)
List of not (yet) implemented HOME menu features:
  • Controller managing

  • Album

  • Periodical play report sending (so long, telemetry!)
This is the amount of features uLaunch contains, compared to the original HOME menu:
  • Homebrew support
    • Launching as applets (no need of Album!)

    • Launching as applications (no need of any titles to do so!)

    • Custom basic homebrew menu

    • Option to add custom NRO accessors to main menu (homebrew or custom items easily accessible, no more need of forwarders!)
  • UI
    • Themes (different to official HOME menu themes/NXThemes)
      • Custom icons, menu assets and graphics (custom images, colors, sizes, positions...), background...

      • Custom background music and sound effects!
    • Folders in order to keep your main menu organized!
  • Users
    • PC-like login on startup (select user and use it for everything, log off, register/change/remove password...)

    • User password support! (up to 15 characters)
  • Miscellaneous extras
    • Web browsing (via web-applet) directly from the main menu!

    • Foreground capturing from PC itself (Windows-only) via USB-C cable and QForegroundViewer!
Disclaimer

Homebrew-as-application 'flog' takeover

uLaunch allows you to launch homebrew as an application, taking advantage of the system's 'flog' built-in application title, which was stubbed but not removed, thus it's content can be overriden via LayeredFS and launched.

Since launching this title should be impossible, it might involve ban risk. uLaunch has this option disabled by default, so enable and use it use it at your own risk. Always make youre you're safe from bans (by using tools like 90DNS) before using uLaunch to avoid any possible risks.

For more detailed information (too much to be put here), check GitHub's README: https://github.com/XorTroll/uLaunch

IMPORTANT!
Note that this is the first release of the project, and while it was made to be as stable and complete as possible, it is far from being fully ready, so expect some unimplemented functionality or sudden bugs or small issues.

Themes

You can check my Discord (https://discord.gg/3KpFyaH) for an active theme submissions channel.

Download it from here: https://github.com/XorTroll/uLaunch/releases

This project has taken me a lot of work, hope you enjoy a custom, brand-new HOME menu!
 

Phenj

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How does Qforegroundviewer work? I've eneabled it in the ulaunch settings, but it always says: "Unable to connect" when i try to run it.
 
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Link3784

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This looks so good especially with some of the custom themes people are putting on your Discord. Got a Majora's Mask themed one with music and everything. Awesome job and thank you!
 

Chrisssj2

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SX OS works.
Why do you say SX OS works? that's not true.. well it boots.. but it doesn't really work.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Yep, gotta keep all those shit games installed.
Yes. Because metacritic isn't always right. Sometimes "shit" games are still enjoyable. It is an indication at best.
 

gbAlfei

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I'm not sure what I might have done wrong, but I copied the titles folder and nothing has changed. I don't have a theme active, but I'm using Kosmos 14.2 on 9.0.1.
 

jammybudga777

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I'm not sure what I might have done wrong, but I copied the titles folder and nothing has changed. I don't have a theme active, but I'm using Kosmos 14.2 on 9.0.1.
Doesn't kosmos give loads of sysmodules. Maybe you have to many and that's why it's not starting. I use atmosphere and have it running on 9.0
 

Superbronx

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How do I go about installing this, I currently use atmosphere?
Not sure if this is the OFFICIAL way to install it but I'm using atmosphere too (through Kosmos).

All I did was download the Ulaunch zip file from github, decompress it, open up the folfers until I got to a folder called "Titles". Then on my SD card, I opened the atmosphere folder and just copied the titles folder into the atmosphere folder.
 
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SuperHans111

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I'm really digging it.
I have some suggestions.
Can you show when games require game cards and if one is inserted? Similar to the official home menu.
Can you also allow users to select other parts of the screen with the controller? I am thinking of when I am in docked mode and I want to select "homebrew" etc.
I also can't seem to work out how to pair new controllers/change controller order, etc, like OFW.
Also I know it's still in development, but if it ran a little faster, that would be nice too.

Just my feedback. I am really happy someone has implemented something like this, and I love it!
 
Last edited by SuperHans111,

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