Hacking Atmosphere-NX - Custom Firmware in development by SciresM

[TheGreek Boy]

not out yet... your too soon.

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will after seeing you asked for compiled after re-reading your comment yes there is some compiled ones out there but as far as I know it does not boot yet.

where?

 

[leerpsp]

where?

Don't know were have not looked for it but just incase it can run the commercial games (as in some one other then the maker got a hold of it) I'll not be posting any links to it. You can prob look on hes twitter see if some one posted links to a compiled one.

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Don't know were have not looked for it but just incase it can run the commercial games (as in some one other then the maker got a hold of it) I'll not be posting any links to it. You can prob look on hes twitter see if some one posted links to a compiled one.

really though it is not that hard to compile it you can prob do the work your self in less then 30 min learning online how to do it. It takes no time really to compile it.

 

[Draxzelex]

@WaterBotttle: My bad, I wasn't thinking of how we were going to boot into CFW after it was installed assuming we weren't going to tether anymore. Given the rushed release of things, I guess we'll have to wait and see how CFW will be implemented and launched.

@Quantumcat: In hindsight, this makes so much sense it hurts, personally. Its the whole reason Gateway were the first ones to implement EmuNAND support since their cartridge involved a software exploit only found on firmwares 4.1 to 4.5 which made updating impossible.

@tivu100: OK so I had to consult a third party to understand what you were getting at and I think I get it. I said that EmuNAND was redundant when we had the bootrom exploit which you said is not right and I agree with that now. My issue was with your use of "untethered coldboot". Initially, I was thinking you meant some unreleased untethered exploit that I wasn't aware of or was being held back.

On Switch, EMUNAND is needed for older FW since if you update, the e-fuse blows and you lose the unethered coldboot.

My problem with this statement was I thought you were implying we'd lose access to some untethered exploit that was not released. But then I saw you state earlier you meant that the developers would eventually find an untethered coldboot. However, from this point on, it would be mere speculation. Of course, the end goal would be to boot homebrew as easily as possible and there are people who are working on that. The upcoming CFW will support EmuNAND which will keep our SysNAND on whatever firmware we have when it comes out. Meaning, at this point onwards, we can't advise anyone to update to any specific firmware in the hopes of being able to access an untethered coldboot. The current firmware's that are recommended are based upon the state of the tethered coldboot because that is something we know. We haven't yet discovered an untethered version for any firmwares. Of course, theoretically speaking, lower firmwares have more chances of getting one than higher firmwares, but seeing as how its been a year since the Switch came out, the spectrum of firmwares that people are using are too varied.

tl;dr: We are all updating based on what we know right now and is currently possible, not something that could happen in the future, regardless of how much more convenient. Because anything is possible and that's just too much speculation.

 

[P4wn4g3]

Thanks for all the new info here, and especially to @SciresM and anyone helping out with this project.

 

[andijames]

Looking at the activity on the GitHub repo they're making some solid speedy progress with things. Hats off to all that are contributing! If you have PayPal whack your .me links in here id like to buy you all a beer!

 

[Waveracer]

Do you think that Nintendo and Nvidia are changing the chip inside the consoles that they are manufacturing right now or that they will wait until a hardware revision exists to patch the hardware vulnerabilities?

 

[NostalgicMillennial]

Is this going to use the Tegra entrypoint that Nintendo can't patch? I had to update my switch...

 

[BelmontSlayer]

Do you think that Nintendo and Nvidia are changing the chip inside the consoles that they are manufacturing right now or that they will wait until a hardware revision exists to patch the hardware vulnerabilities?

No, the new T214 chip won't be introduced until they release their new revision codenamed Mariko.

Is this going to use the Tegra entrypoint that Nintendo can't patch? I had to update my switch...

Correct, the CFW will use the unpatchable Tegra exploit but there may be other exploits to install it after it releases.

 

[Rune]

Is this going to use the Tegra entrypoint that Nintendo can't patch? I had to update my switch...

No. Burn your Switch.

 

[Waveracer]

No, the new T214 chip won't be introduced until they release their new revision codenamed Mariko.

So it wouldn't be possible to hack Switch's revised hardware, only the original hardware, right?

 

[Rune]

So it wouldn't be possible to hack Switch's revised hardware, only the original hardware, right?

Yeah, until someone figures out a way to hack that as well.
The current hack works on all current Switch consoles.

 

[Waveracer]

I see. One of the things I'd like to see on Switch is a N64 emulator. I wonder if Nintendo will announce that revised hardware this year and how hackers will circumvent the new security.

 

[Aerogems]

Do you think that Nintendo and Nvidia are changing the chip inside the consoles that they are manufacturing right now or that they will wait until a hardware revision exists to patch the hardware vulnerabilities?

For a number of regulatory, and engineering reasons, they can't make significant changes to the hardware without doing a new revision. If all they need to do is patch the Boot ROM at the factory, they could start shipping new units as soon as nVidia has fixed the exploit and tested it. Without knowing how difficult the fix is to implement, I'd wager they already have a fix ready after the disclosure window, but could easily be wrong. If they need to change anything in the silicon, it will likely be years before "fixed" units show up. Maybe never, since nVidia may just decide not to fix it on the X1 and just obsolete it. I wouldn't even be so sure that the fabled Mariko units will be fixed. There's a pretty large lead time on things like that, since you have to submit it to the likes of the FCC for regulatory approval before you can sell it in specific markets, and different governments will make you jump through different hoops, take different amounts of time to approve everything. You have to line up all your suppliers, secure the manufacturing capacity, make sure the manufacturing plant is tooled properly for the new unit, build up an initial inventory, ship that inventory, get it through customs, into the distribution channel to retail outlets... It's a very involved process, and you can't just make changes at the drop of a hat.

 

[andijames]

You do realise Nvidia can fix this issue without a SWITCH hardware revision right? Nvidia make the tegra chips and flash the rom at the factory. All they have to do is update the ROM flash code at the factory and supply Nintendo with the updated chips. This won't necessarily mean the switch hardware has to be changed it'll just use the updated tegra chips.

Anyone else also noticed there's been a slowdown in switch stock lately too? Given the size of the hole it's not inconceivable that Nintendo slowed production down to give Nvidia a chance to get their asses into gear and effectively replace the stock that Nintendo already had of the chips with the hardened version .

 

[Waveracer]

I remember reading that the Tegra chip that powers Switch was already dated when Switch launched, I wonder if they are planning a New Switch with an X2 chip and if so if it will still have vulnerabilities. It's like a superpowered X1 but I don't know if any vulnerabilities can be patched if you are manufacturing an updated version of an existing chip.

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You do realise Nvidia can fix this issue without a SWITCH hardware revision right? Nvidia make the tegra chips and flash the rom at the factory. All they have to do is update the ROM flash code at the factory and supply Nintendo with the updated chips. This won't necessarily mean the switch hardware has to be changed it'll just use the updated tegra chips.

Anyone else also noticed there's been a slowdown in switch stock lately too? Given the size of the hole it's not inconceivable that Nintendo slowed production down to give Nvidia a chance to get their asses into gear and effectively replace the stock that Nintendo already had of the chips with the hardened version .

Exactly what I was wondering. You can update your old chip to fix a known vulnerability but does it mean it will be hack-proof? Only hackers know this I suppose.

 

[Memfis]

What I didn't understand: Should we stay on 4.1.0 or can we update to 5.0.2?
If I read this, there is no more info about 4.1.0. A few days ago there was the info to stay on it.

I want to use a softwarehack. I dont want to modify or manipulate the hardware.

 

[Rune]

I remember reading that the Tegra chip that powers Switch was already dated when Switch launched, I wonder if they are planning a New Switch with an X2 chip and if so if it will still have vulnerabilities. It's like a superpowered X1 but I don't know if any vulnerabilities can be patched if you are manufacturing an updated version of an existing chip.

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Exactly what I was wondering. You can update your old chip to fix a known vulnerability but does it mean it will be hack-proof? Only hackers know this I suppose.

No one can answer this, not even hackers. Because we dont have this updated version of the chip/boot rom to look at.

As for a more powerful Switch coming out the future, I highly doubt it.
The thing with Nintendo is that they've almost always had technically weaker hardware to its competitors. As a company they bank on their exclusive IPs and games to sell the hardware. Trying to make a more powerful Switch with a "X2" chip will not be on their list of priorities. But more importantly than that, they aren't even using the full power of the Tegra X1 chip that they currently use. The Switch's X1 is heavily underclocked compared to the same chip that's running inside the Nvidia Shield TV. They wont use a more powerful chip when their existing one isnt being used to its full potential.

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What I didn't understand: Should we stay on 4.1.0 or can we update to 5.0.2?
If I read this, there is no more info about 4.1.0. A few days ago there was the info to stay on it.

I want to use a softwarehack. I dont want to modify or manipulate the hardware.

If you're on anything higher than 3.0, then you've already lost the ability to use a pure software hack. So in your case you might as well update now.

EDIT
Actually, forget what I said. Apparently there's still a chance of a software hack in the future at 4.1.0. Don't know how long that could be though.

 

[Houjin]

What I didn't understand: Should we stay on 4.1.0 or can we update to 5.0.2?
If I read this, there is no more info about 4.1.0. A few days ago there was the info to stay on it.

I want to use a softwarehack. I dont want to modify or manipulate the hardware.

If you want to use a softwarehack to use cfw on your switch you should stay on 4.1.0, everything above 4.1.0 has to be hacked with the hardware mod

 

[Waveracer]

No one can answer this, not even hackers. Because we dont have this updated version of the chip/boot rom to look at.

As for a more powerful Switch coming out the future, I highly doubt it.
The thing with Nintendo is that they've almost always had technically weaker hardware to its competitors. As a company they bank on their exclusive IPs and games to sell the hardware. Trying to make a more powerful Switch with a "X2" chip will not be on their list of priorities. But more importantly than that, they aren't even using the full power of the Tegra X1 chip that they currently use. The Switch's X1 is heavily underclocked compared to the same chip that's running inside the Nvidia Shield TV. They wont use a more powerful chip when their existing one isnt being used to its full potential.

Yep, but they could probably fix a few "issues" like the D-pad, the power dock at the bottom, etc. It's true that Nintendo is not that concerned about specs but one of the greatest things about X2 is that it saves much power for the same graphics output so Switch wouldn't need to downclock its chip. However, it seems that Mariko is a revised X1 and not a revised X2:

https://gbatemp.net/threads/some-new-information-that-hints-about-mariko.499203/

So if it's a revised X1 chip console what they are working on then it would be more similar to the current chip, I assume.

 

[andijames]

I remember reading that the Tegra chip that powers Switch was already dated when Switch launched, I wonder if they are planning a New Switch with an X2 chip and if so if it will still have vulnerabilities. It's like a superpowered X1 but I don't know if any vulnerabilities can be patched if you are manufacturing an updated version of an existing chip.

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Exactly what I was wondering. You can update your old chip to fix a known vulnerability but does it mean it will be hack-proof? Only hackers know this I suppose.

To be fair nothing is completely hack proof but what they left in there was the equivalent to the keys to the kingdom. I'm sure they would have had a massive code review of the ROM and hardened the code before releasing it to production though. Make no mistake that code will be in current T1 chips coming off the line.