Nintendo Switch can now run GameCube games – with an emulator and Linux

Great news, everyone: you can now play GameCube games on your Nintendo Switch – but only with a considerable amount of hacking your console. The Switch can at last run GameCube games through an emulator hosted on a Linux distribution loaded onto the console.

The development was made by YouTube user Mizumi, who uploaded a video of the Dolphin GameCube emulator program running on Lakka, a Linux distribution for game consoles that looks a lot like the PlayStation 4 interface using a front-end known as RetroArch.

Don’t sell your old Switch

As you can see in the video above, the Switch is shown running Super Smash Bros. Melee and Paper Mario at decent frame rates hovering around 30 frames per second. However, Mizumi makes it clear that this is a proof-of-concept, with core features missing, like multiplayer and wireless controller support.

At any rate, that the Switch can actually run GameCube games at least is now a known fact. With further optimization, full GameCube emulation on the Switch will very likely be possible.

Regardless of how early the software is, it’s developments like this that should have both owners of original Nintendo Switch models excited and Nintendo thinking of its options. If Nintendo doesn’t make it any easier to get these classic games on its latest console, more intrepid Switch owners will resort to these methods.

Something tells us that the price of original Switch consoles on eBay is about to skyrocket.

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Via WccfTech

July 06, 2018 at 09:47PM
Joe Osborne