Hacking Question Why are there nearly no homebrews for the Switch?

[The Catboy]

Hacking the Switch literally just started, you need to give some time for work to actually be done.

 

[JaRocker]

As @DogParty points out, the biggest problem is 'SDK' -- homebrew authors to be legit, still a gray area, want to at least use a open-source SDK, and one has not existed that is good since the days of PS3 scene. -- otherwise you have to use highly illegal leaked nintendo official sdk, and then if homebrew made with it, you could not be able to link to complied binary or source code of it.

Ohhh I didn't know that thanks for the info

 

[pinbi7]

In the meantime you could check out cpasjuste he's done an amazing job porting fba,dukenukem3d,and scumm amongst other things
To be honest its just not fair we dont have more homebrew

 

[JaRocker]

Hopefully someone will port retropie to the switch if thats ported I'm good for now I already got it on my Raspberry Pi but it's would be nice to have it on a portable

 

[garyopa]

Hopefully someone will port retropie to the switch if thats ported I'm good for now I already got it on my Raspberry Pi but it's would be nice to have it on a portable

retropie just fancy gui for emulators, the real core is still 'retroarch' and their latest v1.7.3 was just released, and features now an 'gui' for windows, so will not be long before you see retroarch with gui on other platforms, and you will have no need for another interface on top like retropie.

 

[MaxiBus]

2. Consoles with FW <= 3.0.0 are hard to find/costly.

Wait, what? Costly? I have got a new one on 3.0.0 from Amazon 1 week ago, you mean i can sell it with profit? *blingbling*

 

[Dmafra]

Do homebrews for firmware 1.0-3.0 even work on the upcoming atmosphere CFW?
If yes, why is there no progress in that regard?

Homebrew launcher will be avaible with all FW when Atmosphere comes

 

[JaRocker]

retropie just fancy gui for emulators, the real core is still 'retroarch' and their latest v1.7.3 was just released, and features now an 'gui' for windows, so will not be long before you see retroarch with gui on other platforms, and you will have no need for another interface on top like retropie.

The reason why I made references to retropie is because I think it's Linux based I'd I'm not wrong so it would be easier to port just like they did with Ubuntu for the switch please correct me if I'm wrong

 

[Technicmaster0]

Don't get me wrong, Im absolutely able to wait and have patience.
Its just I don't see useful threads here on the "Switch Hacking & Homebrew" corner. There are barely new threads where some developers start a homebrew project for example.

I know its totally stupid to say, but if I could develop, than the first thing I would do is to create a new thread here to showcase my project and generate some help and listen to feedback.

Why should one announce stuff without having anything to Show? It would result into a flame war.

 

[Deleted User]

wont happen without gpu support

 

[sarkwalvein]

LOL...
I've noticed there are such a few if any companies providing accommodation in Mars!
How can this be???
With Elon Musk already planning to send people to Mars the next decade, there should be building hotels there already!!!!!!!!! /s

 

[notimp]

(- YouTube App)
- Netflix App
- Spotify App
- Philips Hue App

Those are proprietary services, some of which with open APIs that arent necessarily open source developers darlings.

Where are those apps for my Switch has a little bit of the "where is the homebrew solution, so I can give those companies my money - but none to the open source devs of course, and in addition don't have to think about the ecosystems I am buying into.

So Its not necessarily a great fit. For youtube people usually are inclined to go with youtube-dl implementations (like in Kodi), which indeed are a thing in the scene. Thats why it is in brackets.

Also - if you have seen the "why would you need android" questions in the past, this is basically the answer. Android is a layer commercial entities develop for, because they are allowed to and you put a credit card in there..

- PDF-Reader (/eBook Reader)
- Streaming Steam, PS4 or Xbox One to the Switch

Needs to happen at some point.

But again - the PS4 and Xbox One streaming platforms are proprietary and don't have open APIs (think of it as "DRM"), so the same thing that applies above, applies here as well. Also the Switches Wifi is notoriously flimsy - so "final results may vary..".
(PS4 streaming will only happen (?) once we've got an Android port, with Xposed hooks, system partition access, a controller driver layer for android, ... )

- Lot of Homebrew-Games

Probably when there is a unified plattform that most users can use without fragmentation, and if the scene becomes more popular.

- Lot of Emulators

Well - we have lots of emulators available already, just not in the fields that are "covered" by retroarch. And retroarch made some really exciting sounding announcements, but then went so dark, that some people started to question of they are even working on stuff. Then they went with libraries that ensured, that normal Switch functions like creating screenshots with a dedicated button, or seeing the screensaver screen, when resuming, didn't work. And they have another issue where GPU accelleration is not easily available to them on the platform, because the Switches instruction set is arm and 64bit centric.

If and when they can deliver (I'll cross my fingers) is one of the big questions for the emulation scene.

edit: One last point, you cant just go with proprietary services - that employ strategic corporate politics on what devices to become "how viable", then buy products - entirely disregarding that reality, and expect open source devs to fill the gap - so you could leave more money at those companies. The best example to give here is Netflix - fe. who employ a restriction on what "what devices get what resolutions - for streaming". Those are political decisions, that by definition are not coupled to technical capabilities.

Thats kind of the concept of a paid service.

What the Switch is technically able to do, doesnt so much matter at that point.

 

[notimp]

But as far as emulation goes, I don't think, that this is an underserved platform:

https://imgur.com/a/7D60GUk/layout/grid



(I was pondering the idea of creating an image thread for emulation in here to maybe create a little more visibility, but now is not the time, I think. Maybe later... )

 

[Stwert]

All in good time. I get that these days many people seem to want everything and want it now. The reality unfortunately is that things just aren’t that simple. It takes time to do it and do it right. But it’ll come.

In the meantime, there are at least quite a few good games on the Switch to keep us occupied. I’m having a blast playing through Axiom Verge again. Admittedly that’s mainly because I’m reviewing it. But even so, it’s a great game, it’s inexpensive and even though I’ve played it on other platforms, it’s still fun.

 

[spotanjo3]

First of all I don't want to offend someone, but just by looking around Ive noticed that there are barely any native homebrews for the Nintendo Switch. Im just curious if all coders out there are waiting for CFW to develop something.

Do homebrews for firmware 1.0-3.0 even work on the upcoming atmosphere CFW?
If yes, why is there no progress in that regard?

I mean there are hundreds of great things, which Im sure the Switch could handle very well like:
- YouTube App
- PDF-Reader
- Streaming Steam, PS4 or Xbox One to the Switch
- Netflix App
- Spotify App
- Philips Hue App
- Lot of Homebrew-Games
- Lot of Emulators

If atmosphere CFW would be released today, the average user actually wouldn't benefit that much right now, since there are "no" homebrews to use.
What do you think?

Be patient. That's simple. It will be on news. Relax! Go outside or something to kill the time.

 

[Tilde88]

And how many have you nade? GTFO with this normie shit

 

[reminon]

I know that its not just an eye-blink to develop an App.
I don't know exactly when homebrew development was enabled for Switch, but more or less half a year?

Am I the only one who thinks, that this should be more than enough time to see more apps?
I haven't even saw a page/threads where someone started for example a Kodi port.

Mostly I see people asking when will CFW be released.
And others show there Linux stuff, but "nothing" really happened natively for the switch.

A good amount of emulators and homebrew game ports have been released. I mostly use mine for pfba. Currently we are in a one firmware with hbmenu situation. Soon we will have hbmenu on all firmware. But right now we are limited to the lucky few who happen to have a 3 0.0 switch, not to mention the chance that person happens to be a dev aswell.

 

[Tilde88]

A good amount of emulators and homebrew game ports have been released. I mostly use mine for pfba. Currently we are in a one firmware with hbmenu situation. Soon we will have hbmenu on all firmware. But right now we are limited to the lucky few who happen to have a 3 0.0 switch, not to mention the chance that person happens to be a dev aswell.

Um, there are like 5 fw that can do hbm. 1.0.0 through 3.0.0 can all launch hbm. And if you are SciresM, you can launch hbm anywhere

 

[notimp]

On 1.0.0 and 2.1.0 most emulators currently are unstable (not a reason to update though if you are on 1.0.0.. ), and SciresM launched HBL from atmosphere as a proof of concept, not because thats the thing to do.. Although it could be.. (Once CFW is released and can be booted into, whatever launches .nros in there will become the new de facto standard - because almost everyone in the scene will be able to use it.)

So currently (de facto) its a 3.0.0 thing only. But that will change.

 

[GilgameshArcher]

Because of DEVs dramas!