Hey all!

It's been a while since I started working and playing around with homebrew replacing HOME menu in February. After several months of RE, new approaches and a lot of work, I'm glad to present the result of all my work related to HOME menu + homebrew:

uLaunch is a custom, open-source replacement/reimplementation for Nintendo Switch's HOME menu (qlaunch), extending it with amazing, homebrew-orienteed functionality!



uLaunch is a very ambitious project, consisting on two custom library applets, a custom system application and a custom system applet, in order to replace the console's HOME menu with a custom, homebrew-orienteed one.

Are you looking for help with themes? Check this documentation for everything you need!

Having trouble with uLaunch? Check the FAQ section for support!

Features

List of HOME menu features uLaunch has:

• Proper launching and foreground management: launch, suspend and close titles and applets
  
  
• Proper general channel handling (some of it might be not implemented): sleep, shutdown, reboot, HOME menu press detection...
  
  
• Settings:
  
  • Show connected WiFi network's name
    
    
  • Open connection applet in case user wants to change network settings
    
    
  • Change console's language and show active one
    
    
  • Change console's nickname and show current one
    
• User features:
  
  • Allow creating user on the startup menu
    
    
  • Show user's page (in order to edit nickname, icon, friends...)
    

List of not (yet) implemented HOME menu features:

• Controller managing
  
  
• Album
  
  
• Periodical play report sending (so long, telemetry!)
  

This is the amount of features uLaunch contains, compared to the original HOME menu:

• Homebrew support
  
  • Launching as applets (no need of Album!)
    
    
  • Launching as applications (no need of any titles to do so!)
    
    
  • Custom basic homebrew menu
    
    
  • Option to add custom NRO accessors to main menu (homebrew or custom items easily accessible, no more need of forwarders!)
    
• UI
  
  • Themes (different to official HOME menu themes/NXThemes)
    
    • Custom icons, menu assets and graphics (custom images, colors, sizes, positions...), background...
      
      
    • Custom background music and sound effects!
      
  • Folders in order to keep your main menu organized!
    
• Users
  
  • PC-like login on startup (select user and use it for everything, log off, register/change/remove password...)
    
    
  • User password support! (up to 15 characters)
    
• Miscellaneous extras
  
  • Web browsing (via web-applet) directly from the main menu!
    
    
  • Foreground capturing from PC itself (Windows-only) via USB-C cable and QForegroundViewer!
    

Disclaimer

Homebrew-as-application 'flog' takeover

uLaunch allows you to launch homebrew as an application, taking advantage of the system's 'flog' built-in application title, which was stubbed but not removed, thus it's content can be overriden via LayeredFS and launched.

Since launching this title should be impossible, it might involve ban risk. uLaunch has this option disabled by default, so enable and use it use it at your own risk. Always make youre you're safe from bans (by using tools like 90DNS) before using uLaunch to avoid any possible risks.

For more detailed information (too much to be put here), check GitHub's README: https://github.com/XorTroll/uLaunch

IMPORTANT! Note that this is the first release of the project, and while it was made to be as stable and complete as possible, it is far from being fully ready, so expect some unimplemented functionality or sudden bugs or small issues.

Themes

You can check my Discord (https://discord.gg/3KpFyaH) for an active theme submissions channel.

Download it from here: https://github.com/XorTroll/uLaunch/releases

This project has taken me a lot of work, hope you enjoy a custom, brand-new HOME menu!

 

[Dominator211]

I will wait and see how this matures. it does look interesting

 

[Kubas_inko]

Yes. Finally. This is so good.

 

[Deathbot64]

Will I be able to connect online with this new menu running? Don't wanna get banned but damn do I ever need folders (over 100 games) @XorTroll

 

[SLXD249]

very nice... but it jams Tinfoil

 

[Kubas_inko]

He ain't trolling, sadly. Telemetry reports titles the user has played, and if N notices you have played flog (something which would be technically impossible) is probably a guaranteed ban.
As HOME menu I know I'm killing a big part of N's telemetry since HOME menu took care or play reports (not sure if something else does too), but ban risk is there.

This is why that option is disabled by default and uLaunch warns of ban risk.

In that case, maybe an option to select a custom app?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

sxos saying "This funcionality has been disabled" when my switch starts

which also takes over eShop and Parental control applets and flog system title (all of them are pretty much useless with this reimpl) for its extended functionality.

 

[raxadian]

I still find surprising how myxh hacking and homebrew the Switch gets.

 

[Zense]

I'm already calling it! The successor to this will be called wLaunch

 

[Godofcheese]

I'm already calling it! The successor to this will be called wLaunch

wlaunch is already a ps2 file manager

*or wait, so was ulaunch*
haha

 

[Frankbel]

Why uLaunch? It reminds me of the terrible WiiU. Please change its name.

 

[Alexander1970]

I'm already calling it! The successor to this will be called wLaunch

Yes it is a little confusing to give this honorable Name to a "less" honorable Console.

 

[Cortexfou]

I really want to use it with SX. Hope it'll compatible soon

 

[Deleted-236924]

Hey, that's pretty good!

 

[hippy dave]

Since this uses less memory than qlaunch, does this mean we can use more sysmodules together since there is more memory available?

That's what I'm hoping for too.

XorTroll already answered this in the negative, but in more positive related news, an upcoming release of atmosphere (I'd say the next release, but who knows, life is full of surprises) will make an extra ~10MB available for sysmodules - which is quite a lot.

 

[MushGuy]

I hope this also gets implemented with Atomsphere and Kosmos.

 

[hippy dave]

I hope this also gets implemented with Atomsphere and Kosmos.

I'd guess atmosphere wouldn't include it in their official releases as they'd probably consider it out of scope (it's still of course available for every atmos user to install if they want). I think discussions are going on with the kosmos devs, IDK what they'll decide.

 

[Zense]

Yes it is a little confusing to give this honorable Name to a "less" honorable Console.

Yeah, well to be fair the PS2 manager is actually called ulaunchelf. These are the jokes of a switchless fool

 

[MasterJ360]

Nice this looks really great. last time Ive seen or used uLaunch was on FreeMCboot

 

[Owenge]

Okay so I've been using this for a bit and there's a few problems
1. lack of some features.


Other then that everything is amazing and I prefer this over the default any day

 

[jammybudga777]

Okay so I've been using this for a bit and there's a few problems
1. lack of some features.


Other then that everything is amazing and I prefer this over the default any day

how about mention the features you think its lacking??

 

[ombus]

Hope this will be usable with sxos and can have animated themes ( more than now )