I recently found out that the original Nintendo Switch can run Android or Linux with a boot exploit or a modchip, so I’ve installed Kubuntu on mine 
It’s still 2016 mobile hardware so it’s not exactly a Steam Deck, but having the ability to run any software on it is really cool! I think it will be excellent for emulation of older Nintendo systems.
Has anyone else explored homebrew/CFW on game consoles? How easy or difficult was it? What software have you used?
biiiig fan of homebrewing my 3ds. i play that thing all the time!
Once I get a switch 2 eventually I will probably mod my switch 1 to do something similar to you. I modded it temporarily years ago, just to edit the trainer name in my pokemon games lol, but i haven’t updated the CFW since 2019 so it can’t be used like that anymore and now I’m a bit too worried of getting locked out of online play @_@ definitely will mod it once i get another switch though..
the 3ds was very simple to homebrew!!! everyone talks about it but it really is true. i also have a modded wii that is much more temperamental than my beloved 3ds. half the time if i open a game that i have installed via USB, it just freezes the console and i have to reset it. Probably a consequence of my USB being shit tbh!
I have jailbroken/modded these so far: 3DS, DS, PSP, Xbox 360.
Both the 3DS and PSP were simple enough, there is a myriad of excellent quality homebrew applics out there. I also emulated lots of DS games on my 3DS before I had a DS. I think about 2 years ago Nintendo tried to push a really random update on the 3DS to brick modded consoles…so stupid! It was bypassed fast. Modded PSPs have been no problem at all, only sometimes the mod wont recognize that you have games on the SD card but there is homebrew for that too!
The DS is not really modded as you just do a very simple set up on an SD card that then slots into an R4 card and goes into your DS and plays from there.
Now, the 360. This was honestly a huge mess but so rewarding. I have a Winchester model which came out in 2014 and as such cannot be hard-modded and therefore cannot be permanently jailbroken (as of now). However, literally the same week I bought mine some really cool people figured out a way to make the BadUpdate exploit nearly instantaneous. It was a huge hassle to set it up the first time but ever since then it boots great, sometimes it fails to launch but after 2-3 restarts I have a temporarily modded 360. I also have emulation for original Xbox games, including those that are not officially backwards compatible. It’s been a blast! There are many weird OG Xbox titles that are worth it. Plus as a couch co-op machine this thing just rules.
If you download games from archives, where do you guys get them from (dont link or type the whole name, rules of the sea, yarr!!)? I go to Vimm’s now as Myrient has closed down recently. Very sad about that.
I recently thrifted a PS2 so that will be my next project. Any games I should check out?
my only experience with console homebrew was my PSP. when i was interested in them it was all about the 1001 model. i bought a copy of lumens which had an exploit. eventually i made my own battery to boot the PSP into recovery mode which was pretty cool
The PSP was the first console I ran homebrew on, and that was when it first came out. It was fun to tinker with, but a lot of the emulation back then was prone to lagging. It did get better over time, though.
Nice!! I have a modded 3DS as well and I’ve been playing through Yoshi’s Island. It’s so much easier to carry around than the larger handhelds. At some point I would like to try replacing the charging port with a USB-C connector.
I modded my 3DS some years ago and I absolutely love it! I’ve added some custom textures to Animal Crossing: New Leaf but where it really shines is emulation.
My Switch is also modded but I’m not really sure I’m using that to its full potential other than some emulation and making it easier to transfer files like screenshots to my PC.
I have two modded 3DS’s and a modded Wii, tho I don’t really use them much anymore, they were absolutely my favorite systems and I customized them a lot :>
I love my jail broken PSVita. Honestly it’s my favorite handheld ever.
Seconding the replies regarding 3DS and PsVita. My 3DS was the first console I ran homebrew on as it’s just so darn easy, but I’ve honestly been playing my Vita a lot more than my 3DS. Soooo many games from so many different generations on that dang thing and I love the customization.
i have both a modded 3ds and a vita. also the psvita. the psvita has a port of the godot engine to make and develop vita games. awell a gb studio to make gameboy games
Only console I have that is able to run homebrew/CFW is my 3DS consoles. I think I had CFWd my new 2DS XL first using a save file for Pokemon Picross and the original 3DS I think was through the web browser since it was much later before I decided to do that one.
Recently recovered my DS and GBA with thoughts on getting their respective carts to run HB software - Everdrive or whatnot when I get funds for them. GBA I’m hoping to fix with a rechargeable battery mod and screen upgrade before I start using that again.
I wish I still had my OG Switch so I could mod it for Sunshine/Moonlight game streaming from my gaming pc! Gaming handhelds like the Steam Deck are cool but aren’t as portable or light as the Switch.
I always play on my modded 3DS. Outside of the PSP, I think the 3DS is the best case for homebrew with all of the games it has available.
Do you know of any good tutorials or generally more information about streaming from PC? I’d love to be able to play some of my PC games on Switch!
Here is the Sunshine project, which is an open-source streaming server which you can connect to with Moonlight.
I have used it both on 3DS and Switch!
Steam Link is also usually a good option if it is available.
Thank you so much! I’m excited to look into it.
In the late 2000s I had a Wii with the Homebrew Channel and a DS flashcart, and it was extremely cool having a small portable computer that fit in my pocket before smartphones became ubiquitous. The computer-y aspects were especially emphasized with DSOrganize and MoonShell, and I used my DS for IRC a bunch. Back then it was a lot harder to release games officially on those consoles and they got a lot of pretty polished stuff, and people evidently had fun exploring touch screens and motion controls in experimental hobby stuff. Wii homebrew was probably the most accessible way to get an emulator displaying on a TV in the 2000s.
Of course now there’s no point in using my DS for any of that stuff anymore now that I have a phone and it’s just kind of a fun nostalgic thing to look back on. I have modded my 3DS and have played with writing my own software for it, though homebrew for consoles past the DS and Wii seems a lot less exciting than what came before; I’ve mostly just seen emulators, ports of PC games, modding tools, and piracy tools (which makes sense - the people who wanted to release 3DS and Wii U games and were really serious about it were able to just do that officially). There’s no appeal in doing that on the Switch for me. I’d like to eventually continue the cool 2000s DS homebrew stuff myself with my own games, but for now I’ve been focusing on making stuff for SNES; when you take away the aspect of exploring the hardware when it’s new, that changes the way you approach it a bit.
Modding my New 2DS XL was pretty easy! I used a guide for both pretendo and luma, I modded my Wii u a few years back with a guide by the same website I used for the 2DS. I do plan on modding my Psp go soon just have to wait for the correct data transfer cable to arrive.
