Hacking Hacked Switch pros and cons

[Virdoo]

Hello,

so I do have hackable Switch, don't really know Serial number but I'm pretty sure it is since I bought it few months after release. My switch is on latest version of software and was thinking about modding it. Can anyone point me what are pros and cons of doing it? Obviously wing wing games but I'm also interested in other things, how is N64 and other emulators running... Also I do have switch online subscription, but using it probably 5% of my playing time. Any problems with going online?

 

[Benja81]

2 nice perks I found so far, besides the stuff you prob already know like backup copies of ur games and various other homebrew development. Lakka-https://lakka-switch.github.io/documentation/ its an implementation of Retroarch, but runs outside of the Switch OS, so has very little overhead. Been able to emulate systems like gamecube/wii with Dolphin (Many titles play very well with a little overclocking, which is built into the retroarch application) and possibly future development of emulated systems like PS2, Saturn, Jaguar, which are already built in, but not working quite well yet. The other stand-out that recently blew my gaming noggin is OpenMW-https://gbatemp.net/threads/openmw-for-switch.540250/. Just need a copy of original or GOY Morrowind, and it plays pretty well IMO, better than I expected for sure, and very much playable.

Edit: & forgot to mention, many N64 titles play very well both in the Homebrew/NSP Retroarch, and even faster in the Lakka one.

Per the online question, you'd have to be very careful with not getting banned, like using an emunand etc.-https://gbatemp.net/threads/nintendo-switch-banning-hub-warning.508710/

how is N64 and other emulators running... Also I do have switch online subscription, but using it probably 5% of my playing time. Any problems with going online?

 

[nero99]

only cons are the high ban risk if you don't use emunand and incognito, and having to deal with a RCM jig ifyou don't use autoRCM.

 

[Virdoo]

Do I need jig? I know they are cheap on ebay, but is there simpler solution which can be used immediately? Also what's the deal with autoRCM?

 

[Benja81]

Do I need jig? I know they are cheap on ebay, but is there simpler solution which can be used immediately? Also what's the deal with autoRCM?

I used paper-clip the first few times, but was really scared about damaging the connections, so I got a jig eventually. Very happy with the jig, paper-clip is a pain in the...
https://gbatemp.net/threads/paperclip-rcm-jig.502087/

Auto-rcm means that your switch will automatically go into recovery mode (no jig/paper clip needed after initial setup). But I don't use it because I read that it has bricked people's switches in some (likely rare) cases.

 

[regnad]

Hello,

so I do have hackable Switch, don't really know Serial number but I'm pretty sure it is since I bought it few months after release. My switch is on latest version of software and was thinking about modding it. Can anyone point me what are pros and cons of doing it? Obviously wing wing games but I'm also interested in other things, how is N64 and other emulators running... Also I do have switch online subscription, but using it probably 5% of my playing time. Any problems with going online?

I don’t know how you don’t know the serial number. It’s right there on the console.

 

[Virdoo]

I don’t know how you don’t know the serial number. It’s right there on the console.

I know that sticker is just under the console, but I don't have it next to me at the moment.

So if i got you right, I must set up emunand and normal nand, similar to how 3DS used to have back in the days. And playing from regular nand I'm not risking to get banned?

 

[Pipistrele]

Pros: Free shit, fancy emulators and homebrew, being able to turn your Switch into Android/Linux machine for whatever weird reason you want to.
Cons: Multiplayer is a no-no without some convoluted workarounds, high ban risk, being limited to earlier console model as of March 2020 (Lite and Mariko are out of the question), not being able to properly turn your console off if you have AutoRCM enabled (although that may be different now).

Pretty much that.

 

[DuoForce]

Honestly there are no cons. I've had my switch hacked for a while now (I think since 2018) and I am still not banned. As long as you don't pirate you won't get banned.

 

[Virdoo]

Honestly there are no cons. I've had my switch hacked for a while now (I think since 2018) and I am still not banned. As long as you don't pirate you won't get banned.

well, what are you doing with your modded switch then?

 

[DuoForce]

well, what are you doing with your modded switch then?

Custom themes, mods, save backups, as well as homebrew. It's one of my favorite systems to have modded because it brings out so much the switch has to offer.

 

[Ian095]

Honestly with how rubbish online is if you don't play games online very often you may as well just hack the hell out of it. I find that Nintendo often disappoints or lets down legit users meanwhile us homebrew wackos benefit in every way.

The downside is games like Animal Crossing you'd never be able to play them online on a hacked switch unless legitimately owning the game but you risk ban switching between the two. Also, switch can never be fully turned off unless you have the means of pushing a payload every single time. I just keep mine in standby 24/7.

Benefits are backing up games, modding games, getting them from someplace that isn't Gamestop and before release date sometimes. There's way more, honestly I'd just do it.

 

[miss_nakano]

For me, hacked switch has many pros and one cons which is chance being banned when playing online, which can be somewhat countered by setting up emunand for hacked stuff and sysnand for legit stuff only.

The pros are:
-overlocking
-mods(60fps mods etc)
-graphic hack/setting
-save hacking
-many more

I literally cannot live without those pros anymore lol.

If you want to play online, just buy a new legit switch for that or set up emunand for your hacked switch.

 

[Virdoo]

Anyway is it possible to install emunand and sysnand on same device and use only sysnand to play online so you wouldn't get baned?

 

[Deleted member 514389]

In terms of ban: For as long as you incognito your emunand: Very low
(90sdns is also a thing.. Seems a bit sketchy however)

Only pros as far as I can see.
Homebrew: Hurrican. Lakka. JKSV. Stepmania. Emulators etc.

No cfw. no switch for me. That simple

Anyway is it possible to install emunand and sysnand on same device and use only sysnand to play online so you wouldn't get baned?

Yes. But these need to be legit purchases on the sysnand/gamecard.

So:
Emunand: Homebrew and Experimentation
Sysnand: Legit games.

You can move saves between nands.. But incase you thought about hardcore ch34ting.. Better not do that...

Do I need jig? I know they are cheap on ebay, but is there simpler solution which can be used immediately? Also what's the deal with autoRCM?

Absolutely. No jig, nocfw.

AutoRCM bricks a part of your boot partition, so your device always enters recovery on boot no matter what. (Hekate has an autoboot option built in, if one wants to try it out.)
You're better off modding a (r) joycon with a switch than using that,
because you will always require a RCM device to even just boot stock with it.

 

[Taison]

If I was to mod a copy of a game like breathe of the wild, would I still need to stay offline or something?

 

[ricdee]

Personally I wouldn't be without auto RCM. Saves burning fuses and accidentally booting stock firmware and system updating (not too much of a problem I know but inconvenient) system can be turned off but I don't bother and just leave it on the dock when not in use and I've had my switch from release day and it's been hacked from when it was first able to be and with no noticeable change in battery performance. When I'm playing away from home I make sure to take the charger with me and never let it go below 20%. I also have a cable with USB c on both ends so can push payloads to it from my phone if I need to reboot for any reason of if the system crashes. Admittedly my system is banned but this is hardly surprising given the amount of time it has been hacked and what I have used it for and in the early days of switch hacking the tools to protect against a ban were not as good as they are now and I can play online against other hacked switch users if I want to although I hardly ever do. I think someone else said that if it they didn't have cfw they wouldn't want or use their switch much and I would definitely agree with this. The amount of extra things you can do on cfw is staggering and Nintendo should implement some of them (themes for example) to make people less inclined to want to hack their systems in my opinion.

 

[spriteice]

This list reflects my personal Pro/Con list for installing CFW onto an unpatched switch.

Pros
-Overclocking
-Custom fan profile (Atmosphere only)
-Overlays using Tesla Menu (status monitor is my most used)
-Install backups of all your owned games onto one microSD (Saves carrying around 20+ cartriges)
-GZDoom (far superior to the official Doom and Doom 2 releases)
-Quake + expansions
-Quake 2 + expansions
-Half life + expansions
-Retroarch (gba, n64, psx, dreamcast, snes, sega genisis, arcade games)
-sm64 port (you must compile it yourself)

Cons
-Battery life is poor compared to my Mariko Switch. About half to be exact
-Screen temperature is not as accurate compared to Mariko Switch (purely preferance)
-Cannot go online at all unless you want to risk a ban
-Must take jig + payload injector everywhere you go and make sure it is charged
-Hard to find replacement Switch if your unpatched unit breaks in some way (USB port and microSD slot are my main 2 concerns)

I have been a huge fan of installing homebrew on my consoles since back in the PSP days. The switch is definitely the best homebrew experience you can get on a portable console, even if the scene is not as mature as the Vitas. The complete button set (L2, R2, L3, R3) and power of the tegra have ensured this fact. For me at this moment, keeping a Switch with CFW is a no brainer.

At the end of the day it really comes down to what you want out of the console.

 

[LyuboA]

Hacked Switch pros are Hacked Switch cons 0

 

[Virdoo]

Do I need for hacking Jig and RCM loader or is just jig enough?