Hello, I am a 3ds hacking vet but a Switch noob. I don't own a switch and I'm looking to get one but it seems pretty complicated. If I understand correctly, if I'm looking to buy new, I have to check the serials and I get the impression that pretty much all current stock is unhackable (is that correct?), otherwise I'll have to buy an older unit or something that's already hacked or modded. It also seems like mod chips are very hard to get ahold of and nobody even seems to know if the new ones on Taobao et al are even real or good. I wouldn't mind doing it myself but it seems like it'd be a smart idea to get a unit that's already chipped with all the uncertainty I'm reading, but like I said, I'm noob.
So what is generally recommended? I have some disposable income right now so I could shell out for a chipped console but I don't mind doing things myself, and I don't know whether I'd have a preference for atomosphere vs SXOS (or whatever it's called). Where should I begin looking for a console? Is it a good idea to try to get 2 and keep one clean, or is that unnecessary? My goal is really just to get homebrew on there and be able to play backups, export saves, play around with custom fw and retroarch, that kind of thing.
You would want an unpatched unit if you want to hack it, reference to the serial number in the thread below. SX OS is dead so if you do get a unit modded with SX Core/SX Lite if you go above 11.0.0 you would need to use Atmosphere.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/switch-...he-first-post-before-asking-questions.481215/