I have had SX OS going for about a week now, generally everything runs smoothly. Running OFW 8.0.1 and SX 2.7.1
Every switch game is installed as a .nsp
I notice a couple games have some graphical slowdowns occasionally (mainly Furi - it is not as smooth as it was on PS4).
I am wondering if I should try deleting the .nsp and reinstalling it? Will my save still be intact or do I need to back that up first?
Also, I have read a lot about holding R to launch a game with full RAM - is this something that I should be doing when launching switch games?
I don't know what kind of slowdowns you're getting, but most certainly games will run smoother on PS4, because it has a stronger hardware given the fact it's not a portable system. But you can uninstall an NSP game and you won't lose your save file.
It is recommended to hold R and launch a game / application to open Homebrew Menu from there, instead of using the album, since it would have more available RAM, but am not sure how much it will affect your games, but worth a shot.
Hello, I own a old switch in 4.0, it doesn't have any homebrew but I would like to update my switch to play upcoming games, I don't want to use any homebrew in case I want to play online at any point, will I be able to use homebrew if I update my switch in case something grabs my atention in the scene?
When you say it doesn't have any homebrew, you mean you never hacked it? Never installed CFW?
You're safe, today, to update your switch since CFWs already support 8.0.1 (although I heard that it's recommended to stay in 7.0.1 with Atmosphere, but I'm not really updated about this). I also believe that future updates will continue being supported, even if it takes a little longer for CFW to catch up with it. But this is only possible IF YOU OWN A HACKABLE SWITCH.
If you have a patched unit, it's recommended to wait in the lower firmware as possible, as it seems to be having progress in hacking these. But no one knows an ETA yet. If you ever care about hacking it, it's recommended to wait.
Keep in mind though that, nowadays, if you go online with a hacked Switch you risk getting banned, even if you have not used any homebrew. Although there are some people playing online with a hacked Switch using Emunand and SX OS. You should read about this if that's of your interest.