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.
