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Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 firmware update 22.0.0 released

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Both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 have received a major firmware update, bumping the systems to version 22.0.0. Though the changes made to the original Switch console are minimal, the Switch 2 got a surprising new addition in in Handheld Game Boost. For the price of higher power usage when in handheld mode, you're now able to have non-upgraded Switch games believe they're playing in docked mode when on the go. Through this you'll see a bump to the targeted resolution in many games, with many now making use of the Switch 2's 1080p display.

When making use of this feature, attached Joy Cons will be interpreted as a Pro Controller. Though this will be compatible with the majority of games, some notable titles like the Pokemon Let's Go games will not function properly due to a lack of support. At this time there is no per-game toggle, requiring you to head into your settings to disable the boost. This new option can be found at the bottom of the System tab in System Settings.

The full changelog for both systems can be found below:

Nintendo Switch 2:
Ver. 22.0.0 (Released March 16, 2026)
  • Changed the on-screen text and animations when you load a virtual game card in the HOME Menu.
  • Added the ability to save notes about friends on your Friend List. The note content is not displayed to friends.
  • Added the ability to see and edit these notes from the Nintendo Switch App. The app must be on version 3.3.0 or higher to use this feature.
  • The following features were added to support GameChat:
    • Added the ability to invite friends to GameChat rooms you’re participating in. Some friends may not be able to be invited, such as supervised accounts.
    • Friends that haven't finished GameChat initial setup can now be invited to GameChat. Some friends may not be able to be invited, such as supervised accounts or those who haven’t used a Nintendo Switch 2.
    • It may take a while for this change to be reflected after updating your console to system version 22.0.0.
    • Improvements were made to the quality of the game screen shared in a GameChat when expanded.
  • Added the ability to rewind 10 seconds/advance 10 seconds with the ZL and ZR Buttons when watching a full screen video in News or Nintendo eShop.
  • Added the option to add the following data to “Automatic Uploads” from Album.
  • Clip Video, Video saved as a screenshot, and screenshot with added text.
  • Added Portuguese (Portugal) and Russian to “GameChat Voice ⇔ Speech to Text” languages in Accessibility.
  • Text-to-Speech, under Accessibility, can now read the text in Album and during first-time setup.
    • Please see Nintendo Switch 2 First-Time Setup and Connection for instructions on how to turn text-to-speech on in the first-time setup.
  • Added the ability to see the breakdown of storage capacity by data type for the system memory and microSD Express card.
  • Added the ability to perform an audio test when “Linear PCM 5.1 Surround” is selected for TV Sound in Audio.
  • Changed the "Hong Kong/Taiwan/South Korea" region to "Hong Kong/Taiwan/South Korea/South East Asia" in Device.
  • Added “Handheld Mode Boost” to Nintendo Switch Software Handling in System.
    • Handheld Mode Boost will cause compatible Switch software to run as if in TV Mode, so certain functionality may be affected. Please see the on-device description for more details.
  • The following features were added to Airplane Mode:
    • When Airplane Mode is activated, the previously set preferences for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or NFC while in Airplane Mode will be saved and applied.
    • Added the ability to individually enable or disable Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or NFC during Airplane Mode from the Quick Settings.
  • Added the ability to see a notification in the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls smart device application when the Parental Controls PIN is input successfully on the console. This can also be set up to be a push notification to your smart device.
    • The app must be on version 2.4.0 or higher to use this functionality.
  • General system stability improvements to enhance the user's experience.
Nintendo Switch:
22.0.0 (Release date: March 17, 2026)
  • We have adjusted the guidance and visuals when inserting a virtual game card in the HOME menu.
  • We've added a feature to the "Friend List" on your My Page that allows you to save personal notes for each friend.
    • The contents of your notes will not be visible to your friends or other users.
  • You can also view and edit notes in the "Friends" section of the Nintendo Switch App smartphone app.
    • You need to update the Nintendo Switch App to version 3.3.0 or higher.
  • The Nintendo Switch Parental Controls smartphone app now displays a message indicating that the parental control password has been successfully entered on the console.
    • You will need to update 'Nintendo Parental Controls for Switch' to version 2.4.0 or later (scheduled for release at a later date).
    • You can also receive a push notification on your smartphone when you successfully enter the PIN for the monitoring settings.
  • We have fixed several issues and improved operational stability.
Click to expand...

This is the first major update since the retirement of SciresM. As always, it is advised to wait before updating your Nintendo Switch as this new firmware has been reported to break Atmosphere.

:arrow: Nintendo Switch Update Information
:arrow: Nintendo Switch 2 Update Information
 
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Click to expand...
Soon as I turned the handheld boost mode on in settings..I don’t know if it was my imagination but I’m sure the Switch 2 seems to operate better, the whole system feels to be a lot more responsive and when I went onto the View More Software screen the games list showed up instantly but before turning boost mode on one or two would show up in the list there would be a slight lag then the rest would then show up and the Switch 1 games look much better you can see straight away the difference the Doom/Doom Eternal games look and play amazing
 
Last edited by Reecey,
This is why my OLED always boots into Atmo.

So done with cat n mouse

Also all that ""boost mode"" does is make handheld play Sw1 games in "docked mode" lol.
GoodJob Nintendo
:hrth:
 
Reecey said:
Soon as I turned the handheld boost mode on in settings..I don’t know if it was my imagination but I’m sure the Switch 2 seems to operate better, the whole system feels to be a lot more responsive and when I went onto the View More Software screen the games list showed up instantly but before turning boost mode on one or two would show up in the list there would be a slight lag then the rest would then show up and the Switch 1 games look much better you can see straight away the difference the Doom/Doom Eternal games look and play amazing
Click to expand...


I mean no offense, but who cares about a boost mode on Switch 2? As far as I am aware, there is no custom firmware or hacks for the Switch 2 yet? I understand from a stock standpoint for the typical Switch 2 buyer it makes sense but when we're talking about unofficial firmware/OS running why does an update for a different console matter? Seems like a discussion for another topic.
 
I knew nintendo was going to try and break Atmosphere from the nanosecond Scires announced their retirement from the project. I, for one, am hopeful they were able to pass on the work to someone capable or to open it up so the community can more actively work on it.
 
PKM190 said:
I mean no offense, but who cares about a boost mode on Switch 2? As far as I am aware, there is no custom firmware or hacks for the Switch 2 yet? I understand from a stock standpoint for the typical Switch 2 buyer it makes sense but when we're talking about unofficial firmware/OS running why does an update for a different console matter? Seems like a discussion for another topic.
Click to expand...
You kind of answered your own question. My brother bought a Switch 2 and he never had a Switch, so he's playing Switch 1 games as well. He will be able to have a much better experience when playing handheld.
 
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AmeliaFox said:
No, but I know how to update it and what to patch and where to find what to patch. If Atmosphere github isn't updated within the next week I'll probably end up doing it myself but it's best to just wait for a few days, there's no rush to update and no games need it for now. For those people that let their dogs/kids/cousins update "accidentally", well they really should be using sys-patch with the fw update block applied......
Click to expand...
we appreciate these efforts... wish I could do something to help

if the update is good- is their anyway to get in touch with the orginal authors on the github to call it an forked update?
 
codezer0 said:
I knew nintendo was going to try and break Atmosphere from the nanosecond Scires announced their retirement from the project. I, for one, am hopeful they were able to pass on the work to someone capable or to open it up so the community can more actively work on it.
Click to expand...
a dev named alula is working on updating atmosphere just be patient and it will be done
 
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PKM190 said:
I mean no offense, but who cares about a boost mode on Switch 2? As far as I am aware, there is no custom firmware or hacks for the Switch 2 yet? I understand from a stock standpoint for the typical Switch 2 buyer it makes sense but when we're talking about unofficial firmware/OS running why does an update for a different console matter? Seems like a discussion for another topic.
Click to expand...
ain’t no way this is a serious question, nintendo finally gave us a huge free update and all you can say is “who cares”? seems like you’re the only one here that doesn’t care about it.

Also gbatemp is not just exclusively for talking about hacks/cfw, official update discussion is welcome too
 
Last edited by whitesword7,
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PKM190 said:
I mean no offense, but who cares about a boost mode on Switch 2? As far as I am aware, there is no custom firmware or hacks for the Switch 2 yet? I understand from a stock standpoint for the typical Switch 2 buyer it makes sense but when we're talking about unofficial firmware/OS running why does an update for a different console matter? Seems like a discussion for another topic.
Click to expand...
Sorry I didn’t realise the title and topic of this thread was all about “Hacks & Custom Firmware for the Switch 2” 🤦🏻‍♂️
 
whitesword7 said:
ain’t no way this is a serious question, nintendo finally gave us a huge free update and all you can say is “who cares”? seems like you’re the only one here that doesn’t care about it.

Also gbatemp is not just exclusively for talking about hacks/cfw, official update discussion is welcome too
Click to expand...

So a new console gets an update that does nothing for the Switch except break custom firmware. Yay...? What am I supposed to be excited for?

Well looks like progress is being made on an Atmosphere update, so just have to wait a bit longer.
 
PKM190 said:
So a new console gets an update that does nothing for the Switch except break custom firmware. Yay...? What am I supposed to be excited for?

Well looks like progress is being made on an Atmosphere update, so just have to wait a bit longer.
Click to expand...
Okay2 I think I understand… based on your response you don’t have a switch 2?

if you purely looking at it from switch 1’s perspective then yes its just an update that does nothing but break atmosphere on your switch 1.
 
whitesword7 said:
no they won’t, because this is basically switching the game to docked mode, and in docked the touchscreen doesn’t work. Its not a bug.

nintendo even give you this warning when you turn on the boost mode. probably why they didn’t really “advertise” this feature since some kid will complain why their game is behaving weirdly
Click to expand...
Since they're the ones in charge of the OS, they could easily enable touchscreen mode when you enable this feature, right? right...?
 
At this point I wish they'd just release a mode for the Switch 1 that allows higher clock speeds when docked.

Only reason I still have an original Switch is for overclocking and save editing.
 
With the Switch 2 already being an inefficient turd of a handheld and the further 25-30% hit to battery life from this, I really hope Nintendo drops a V2 soon.
 
Untitled.jpg


Seems like this is the current status for an Atmosphere update. So progress is being made.
 
ertaboy356b said:
It already does that automatically.

Edit: I misread it as Switch 2 lmao
Click to expand...
Yeah there's a lot of games that would run decently on the Switch 1 if it weren't so underclocked. I know it's allegedly for battery life and cooling, but they didn't seem to care about the former with the Switch 2.

Now part of the reason I want this feature is because I don't want to go out and buy a bunch of mSD express cards to play Switch 1 games.
 
DiscostewSM said:
The thing is, according to hackers, Switch 1's HOS (Horizon OS) is incredibly secure, that (from a few years back) had it not been for the bootROM flaw from launch units, they may have still been looking for a crack in the wall to this day. Much of the work that extended to the newer Switch 1 SKUs (Lite, OLED, etc) all pretty much originate from the original entry point, where they were already inside and worked outward.

So even with Sw2's HOS having similarities with Sw1's HOS, the problem is that there hasn't been any real cracks to work with from the outside going in.
Click to expand...
Oh hey look another console that has been considered highly secure ever since it was released well over 10 years ago was just hacked. What a coincidence. I guess miracles do come true :P
 

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