Can you install titles without fully installing them? (to get their icons)

[FAKEdemicBioPYSCHONANOWAR]

Is there some kind of way to create the titles on the switch as a placeholder, without actually installing the title fully? I ask this so to create groups properly on the switch for all games. But obviously won't have all the space on the sd card for entire collection.
So basically just the title without actual game data
I mean you could install each title then remove title and choose to retain software entry. but this would take a ridiculous amount of time. Maybe there is a nifty tool or function out there that can achieve this more easily...?

 

[hippy dave]

There isn't a tool for it, but you could make one, or modify a title installer to do it - creating the program record (it's called something like that) is one step of the installation, you could do that and skip actually installing the data.
I don't know if you'll convince someone else to make this for you, it's a pretty niche requirement, but who knows, you might get lucky.

 

[DragarX]

Yeah it's pretty easy, install the title on a different sd card and it will still appear when using your original card but won't be playable. You should then be able to format the other card and still keep your icons.

 

[Chaosta]

can install just the updates for the game and tile should appear but be unplayable. iv done that accidentally a couple of times. alot of updates are tiny so wouldnt take long to install.

 

[FAKEdemicBioPYSCHONANOWAR]

Yeah it's pretty easy, install the title on a different sd card and it will still appear when using your original card but won't be playable. You should then be able to format the other card and still keep your icons.

I guess you are able to do that but for many many games installing all of them will take too long. Also just heard you can cancel them. So i guess that method could work.

 

[FAKEdemicBioPYSCHONANOWAR]

I just tried this today, if you let it install for 30 secs you wont get icon, if you cancel you wont get either
Updates dlc.. would take a long time with many titles still too. so not rly an option

 

[GamingTable]

Using an NSP forwarder seems like it would be the easiest way.

https://gbatemp.net/threads/nsp-forwarder-tool-for-12.587936/

 

[kidkat210]

A forwarder wouldn't work for what they're wanting to do. Essentially they want the tile of their game on the home menu but not the game itself. Forwarders are for pointing to a homebrew nro file. You would have to heavily modify the tool to do that.

To op, your best bet as other have said is to install just a dlc/update.
My suggestion for doing that is take 1 dlc/update for all your games. Copy them to a separate folder. Then install them with your favorite installer. I know in awoo (and the various forks) and dbi can install multiple files in one go.

Edit: just thought of another idea but it only works if your running/have sx os. Just use sx os's xci mounting. You'll get the tile (acting like a physical cartridge) but the game won't be installed

 

[FAKEdemicBioPYSCHONANOWAR]

A forwarder wouldn't work for what they're wanting to do. Essentially they want the tile of their game on the home menu but not the game itself. Forwarders are for pointing to a homebrew nro file. You would have to heavily modify the tool to do that.

To op, your best bet as other have said is to install just a dlc/update.
My suggestion for doing that is take 1 dlc/update for all your games. Copy them to a separate folder. Then install them with your favorite installer. I know in awoo (and the various forks) and dbi can install multiple files in one go.

Edit: just thought of another idea but it only works if your running/have sx os. Just use sx os's xci mounting. You'll get the tile (acting like a physical cartridge) but the game won't be installed

ALL of my games in XCI format with fused dlc/updates. I have the oled switch which can't use SX OS xci mounting right? so...
Some updates are 5 to 10 gigabytes also. if you have thousands of games this is really not a feasible solution...

But yes I suppose if one is crazy enough one can do it. But thats too much even for me haha. All i want is neatily organized folders with like "platform games" "high priority games" "a to Z" "shovelware" games etc. in the neat groups of FW14.

It would be nice if an homebrew/installer could push the title application record without the game files.

 

[kidkat210]

ALL of my games in XCI format with fused dlc/updates. I have the oled switch which can't use SX OS xci mounting right? so...
Some updates are 5 to 10 gigabytes also. if you have thousands of games this is really not a feasible solution...

But yes I suppose if one is crazy enough one can do it. But thats too much even for me haha. All i want is neatily organized folders with like "platform games" "high priority games" "a to Z" "shovelware" games etc. in the neat groups of FW14.

It would be nice if an homebrew/installer could push the title application record without the game files.

It doesn't have to be an update specifically. Just whatever file is smaller.

As for sx os, I don't think it's restricted by the hardware (I could be wrong) it's mainly restricted by firmware version. If your on firmware 11.x or lower, you should be able to use it

 

[CompSciOrBust]

Most of the storage used by games is for assets, you could make a script that uses hactool to repackage an XCI as an NSP with an empty ROMFS. You might be able to stub out the EXEFS too by making it package main as a 0 byte file but I'm not sure about that.

 

[hippy dave]

I still think the easiest way would be to modify whichever Awoo fork is the most updated (DBI is my installer of choice but it's not open source), so it just creates the program record and doesn't install the data. Learn how to do it yourself or bribe someone.

 

[FAKEdemicBioPYSCHONANOWAR]

I still think the easiest way would be to modify whichever Awoo fork is the most updated (DBI is my installer of choice but it's not open source), so it just creates the program record and doesn't install the data. Learn how to do it yourself or bribe someone.

That sounds good! Who would the person be to bribe as im too stupid myself for such things lol

 

[hippy dave]

IDK, any volunteers?