Hackers Have Now Found A Way To Emulate Nintendo 64 Games On Switch

ill wait for the paid service thank you.

This isn't gonna go well in the comment section on Nintendolife.

as for n64 games running via modding the switch. not at all surprised.

Next up on HackerLife...

Well maybe if nintendo pulled their finger out people wont find alternatives

@derty Wait being the active word.

I said it before. By the time they done - the "hacked" Switch will be more feature complete than the pure Nintendo one. Watch it have a free back-up option like every other console soon.

If nintendo would just do this, instead of trying to sell more random retro boxes this would be irrelevant.

Hackers' gain. Nintendo's loss.

Hackers are making Nintendo look lazy and I am loving it. Maybe this will get Nintendo moving to offer better support for the Switch.

Sweet! Another advertisement for piracy. Just what we needed.

Really wish Hackers didnt exist...

@ThatNyteDaez Why? They are doing what Nintendon't!

@meppi64
It's not piracy if you back up the games yourself to use :v

@Xaessya And how many people do that, realistically?

Hopefully Nintendo adds an official way to play old games because if not this is definitely what I'll be doing once I hack my Switch at the end of its life

Hackers are evil

Hackers ruin everything

Blah blah blah....

That will cover 90% of the comments here.

The hacker in the meantime gets employed on a massive salary.

Why do people hack

@meppi64
There are dozens of us!

my god you guys are so antsy about this subject, "Really wish hackers didnt exist" For christs sake there's a lot of things I wish didn't exist but here we are! Oh no hacking N64 games on switch even though this is completely harmless and doesnt affect me at all!! I'm gonna go cry about it now!

@nukatha
A meme for a meme!

People want vc titles, Nintendo says pay $20 and you can rent 10 nes games that go away after a month! They say they understand people want retro games but do they really? It would make more sense to just transfer all past titles from Wii, wiiu and 3ds vc to switch and have them all available to "BUY" and transfer content we already purchased since an account system is now in place!

I don't know... If the online service doesn't offer N64 games I might just buy another Switch for modding purposes. Nintendo still benefits because they would have sold me another Switch... by ironically... not giving me what I want.

@Crono1973 Hamster is doing what Nintendont too.

@Aozz101x It's my lunch break, so it's going to go great for me

Very few people hack their console to run emulators, since it's 2018 (not 2006) and there's millions of Android smart devices on the market that do a better job of it.

The main reason most people hack their consoles are primarily to pirate that console's games. Has been that way since R4 on DS and Homebrew Channel on the Wii.

@GameOtaku When did Nintendo announce you can only play those 10 NES games for one month? I was under the impression that 20 were available at service launch, and you could play them on or offline for the duration of your $20 per year membership.

@meppi64 My mother saw a news article over the weekend that a 92 year old woman shot her 72 year old son, because she didn't want to go to a nursing home. Because that news was reported, I'm now in fear for my life. Why must the public know about the existence of things?! Think of all the things that wouldn't happen if we didn't talk about it; theft, larceny, innovation, technological advancement, modern amenities!

I wish we could just not discuss things for the sake of knowledge and betterment, and instead be left alone to toil away eating bugs and fruit!!

Hacker's gain, Nintendo's loss. Hackers are making Nintendo look lazy. If Nintendo did it, hackers wouldn't have to.

Nintendo and the retailer already got their money for these units, right? Soooo, I don't think anyone lost.

Has anyone looked at this just being an example of "That's neat, I wonder how well the hardware runs some of the demanding or quirky titles."?

@HobbitGamer Oh snarky cynicism.
Well, I got no rebuke to that at all!
You win the internet today, good sir!

@HobbitGamer I think that was their initial plan - 4 games a month and then they vanish everyone said “no thanks” they changed the plan that was ages ago though as I didn’t own a switch at the time but remember reading about the “backlash”

Looks and runs smooth. Hope they keep progressing.

@Stocksy Oh. So in other words, it's an abandoned proposal that someone only mentioned in order to fit a narrative. Now it makes sense

@HobbitGamer Ha - that sums up the comment section.

It looks so good that it hurts.

@Stocksy Article about Wii/U games coming to Switch - Comments "Why does Nintendo keep releasing old games!!"
Article about Homebrew scene - "Hackers let us play old games because Nintendo won't release them!!"

The comment sections really do make up 1/3 of my enjoyment on this site!!

@HobbitGamer
Nothing about the free games (free being a oxymoron since you are still paying for the service) has really been confirmed other than 10 titles being available for the service at launch but beyond that if these games will be available offline or you will lose them after the sub is over or if you miss out on a month will you still be able to download previous months content?! Again it's just nes games so what about gameboy, snes, n64 or even non Nintendo systems like Genesis and TG16?

@HobbitGamer It's like some people are being forced to read these articles. I don't like to read anything related to sports so when i'm reading general news i just skip to the next one.

But i guess that would makes too much sense here.

@Agramonte <--- this guy gets it.

@derty Lol, have fun paying for games you can't keep once you cancel the service XD

@ThatNyteDaez
Cry moar

@TheDragonDAFan

Look at all that money Nintendo doesn't lose.

@Tokiwa Yes. I always skip Marmaduke when reading the comics, because I have no interest in what that dog is up to.

Although.... Mayhaps some folks are being forced to read everything. What if they're the victim of a horrible eyeball-scanning plot?? That would explain the generally unpleasant demeanor..... Do any of you need help?! BLINK IF YOU NEED ASSISTANCE!!

@Galenmereth Yes, yes you can. Under EU law, at least, you can make personal copies of anything you buy, be it music, movies or software, regardless of how they're protected. Yes, breaking copy protection is legal too.

Cya
Raziel-chan

Only Nintendo is to blame

...Whatever happened to Nintendo banning/bricking people like crazy for hacks?

Well at least someone's bothering to get Nintendo's back library of classic games on the system sooner rather than later.

BURN!

@Razzy

I confirm !

They even got Final Fantasy VII to run on the Switch!

I'll hack my Switch down the line once it's stable. I've hacked my DS (r4), 3DS (free shop), N64 (Everdrive) Wii (HBC) & Wii U (HBC). The results have been great.

@GameOtaku Nintendo's own website and PR statements have said that 20 titles are available at launch, and they can be played offline. I just double checked to make sure that's accurate. Yes, you will lose the ability to play these titles when your subscription lapses.
As for ability to sign up in October and get something offered in September...The competition doesn't offer it, so realistically, there's no sane expectation for Nintendo to do it.
They are free, though. $20USD/year, you are paying for the online service. Even if one were to say that cost is to cover these free titles, that's $1USD per game for the 20 available in september.

1 dollar. Per game. For 20 games. For a year.

Personally I would take official Switch games over using my Switch as an emulator. There is no shortage of cheap emulator handhelds out there, and running emulators on a PC always has the best results.

@Joeynator3000 They still do ban everyone who hacks, and there is a very real risk of bricking your console when you do it. Whoever did this probably hacked their console before a lot of the updates came out and they also probably never take their console online.

Basically, if you want to use your Switch like this, you have to give up playing the vast majority of Switch games out there. No more online or eshop support, you better hope you can steal the Switch games you want because otherwise you are SOL. It's a sketchy thing for sketchy people.

@NintenGuy "free" eshop hacks are exactly why Nintendo has been so aggressive about banning and bricking hacked Switch's.

It is a do it at your own risk sorta thing, sure you can try to get "free" (aka stolen) games from the eshop with it, but you will also only have yourself to blame when your Switch is permabanned from their online network or it gets bricked while trying to access their network.

Nintendo should find a way to do it as well.

@GameOtaku and that's what's really pissing me off with what Nintendo is doing. They claimed the new account system, started on WiiU, was so our purchases would be linked to an account and would be transferable all next gen consoles after WiiU. That was there way of justifying a mandatory re-purchase of VC titles we already bought on Wii previous gen .... but here we are now, and they're saying there won't be a VC. So, instead we have to pay, yet again ... for rental privileges?!?!??!

@Xaessya Keep in mind, you need to manually back-up your own cartridge for it to be legal, which requires the equipment to do so. Snatching a ROM online of a game you own IS NOT legal.

@JayJ
I wouldn't mind. I don't play Switch games online anyway (Not paying for service). Also hackers can get around that eventually like in the past.

@NintenGuy Hey do whatever you like, it just seems pretty naive to assume Nintendo won't be quick to ban you when you hack your console to steal games off their eshop, and that sort of thing is exactly why Nintendo is being so aggressive about it so you are a part of the problem if you do that.

Just don't expect any sympathy from me or anybody else when you come crying about the results.

2 of the games mentioned on here already have superior equivalents on the switch anyway...Mario Kart and Super Mario. No mods on my switch...tyvm.

@JohnnyVanda

Easy to do !
I remember during the 90's I saw a friend with a "Pro Fighter X" which was basically a floppy drive thqt you had to plug on the cartridge port of the SNES.

It was crazy insane how fast you could put the datas from a cartridge to a floppy disk...

I saw the same stuff for the N64 with a CD-writter... If I remember well, the name was Doctor64 or something like that...

Those aren't old games in the video. That's not just Mario 64, but Mario running in a map from Ocarina of Time.

@JayJ
Cry about what? The free games i'll be playing? I literally just said I don't play games online. So them possibly banning my account is moot. Also you obviously don't know anything about hacking. You don't actually get games from Nintendo's e-shop. You get them from other sources. So yeah I'm happy.

@HobbitGamer You forgot one:
Article about brilliant new indie game - comment: "we don't need more of this indie crap, we need hardcore triple A titles on par with PS4 Pro"...

Nintendolife business model is based on advertisement from video game companies. So no, NL for sure not advocating piracy. I think articles like this though interests Nintendo community so its nice that they keep us informed.

Any of you guys ever heard of Netflix? You pay 9.99 a month for movies you won't even own after they decide to take them down or you cancel your subscription! What a bunch of bull, right?

If you want the old games to own there are a BAJILLION ways to get them and play them, the SNES classic being only one recent example. I get that it would be great to have the option to purchase, but some of us really like the idea of enhanced games on a Netflix style service! I own most of the older games in their original carts so this service appeals to someone like me. Maybe it doesn't to you, but that doesn't make it a ripoff ya' big crybabies

The real reason nintendo is done with the VC and hasn't brought classic titles to the switch E-shop is that the NES and SNES classic have been too good at printing money. The N64 Classic is coming next, awkward though it may be with how many of those games have already come to the DS or 3DS in better forms in the past.

This is the kind of hacking that really isn't going to damage anything. There is almost no overlap of people buying the NES/SNES minis with people who understand how to emulate on the switch, feel safe doing so, and feel like its even worth the time. And even then, I do think plenty of the types of people doing this are dyed in the wool videogame fans and even many of them will still buy those little things anyhow.

I think the only time nintendo really cares is if you are doing something to cheat online, pirate switch games, or gain sensitive information(people's personal details from E-shop purchases) and the like.

@JayJ this is why you buy a second Switch and do not connect it to any account and problem solved, it is what I am going to do down the road when the better model comes out.

Also people bitching about 15+ year old games as stealing. Get off your high horses, if a game has been out for that long the devs had more than enough time to make money off of the games.

something like that happens, if nintendo does nothing.
and that's exactly why I find the hacker's work praiseworthy!
good job!

@NintenGuy You are a thief.

@Jokerwolf Stealing old games is one thing, but hacking your console with the intention of stealing new releases from the online store... that is just straight up robbery. It is like walking into a Gamestop and shoplifting games.

Hopefully everyone who hacks gets banned.

@JayJ This is true to an extent but the vast majority of people willing to steal and play through a game were not going to buy it in the first place. I know that is the age old argument but it rings true as I get older and have experienced the digital age.

@Petraplexity True that works for some uses, but Nintendo is being quick to ban any consoles who obtained their games illegally. In any case this kind of behavior is why Nintendo is as aggressive as they are, and continued attacks on them will only result with them getting even more aggressive.

@Pandagess You can see a crazy amount of entitlement with the kind of people who hack their consoles for nefarious purposes. Like the people who do it to cheat in online games, somehow that is justified in their eyes. People who do it to steal new games, somehow that is justified. Like all the aggressive policies Nintendo is implementing, all the developers who are having their content stolen, all of the hard working people who are losing out, somehow that is justified. It just comes off as criminals trying to justify their behavior.

Nintendo should just hurry up and give us N64 VC or even better GameCube VC, I could care less about NES and SNES games I been able to play them on my hacked DS for years.

Have they nothing better to do than spreading anti-homebrew sycophancy?

@Pandagess
Hopefully everyone who pays for the online never gets to keep their games.

@HobbitGamer
20 games that you rent not own! I own over 60 vc games on 3ds, no reason at all they can't transfer to switch! I was able to transfer games and content from my psp to vita at no charge so why is Nintendo not getting with the times?

I'd pay good money for DragonBall Kart on the Switch regardless of emulation.

It's such a relief to see N64 games run smoothly in portable mode, gives me a little hope Nintendo may consider making an emulator themselves. ^_^ Credit to the hackers, they're proving the Switch is pretty capible. I just wish Nintendo would give more details about the library of games we'll get with the paid online...

@KingdomHeartsFan You are right in that it isn't my problem, it is the problem of whoever participates in it. However you are wrong when you assumed this doesn't effect anyone else. This kind of behavior is responsible for the creation of aggressive DRM tactics that every honest person needs to deal with, which wouldn't be so aggressive if it wasn't for the type of hackers who are just trying to steal things. Ubisoft games are a good example of the way hackers can effect things for the entire game buying audience. A lot of them have become online only as a way to deter hacking, with the game intentionally designed to screw up if someone exploits it to run offline. Hackers are why Sim City 2013 was originally an online only game. It effects everyone.

@GameOtaku Nintendo did not say that games will rent after a month. As long as you pay the subscription you will have it always.

@GameOtaku You're still only 'renting' all those VC games, too. That's how digital software works. They could go and and yank access to digital things whenever they want. (I never got to experience this Miiverse thing and now it's plastered in every 3DS/WiiU game i'm playing)
And while I think it'd be neat to have VC on Switch, it's not a selling point must-have for me to replay the last 35 years of gaming when there's new items.
Using the PSP/Vita to compare to DS/Switch isn't a good one, but I know what you meant

Well hopefully some more banned accounts to come, perhaps they can detect anyone using it and do that too to make their lives even more miserable. Look I'm all for discovery and figuring it out, but opening the door opens it to all including thieving scumbags.

@JayJ
You'll be ok... So will I. No need to be salty over it.

Are we all just going to simply ignore those glorious Sanic Joy-Con skins? 👌🧐

@ekwcll
After you pay for 2 years you would have bought those twenty games at least 3 times over.

@HobbitGamer
You could still keep your vc games by backing them up to your PC just like your saves (they should just allow us to back up our saves ourselves, it's kinda hard for lots of people without Internet service at home and completely defeats the point of its portability).

@mikegamer I have to say you are the worst troll. Also, it's more not moar. From all your comments it looks like you didn't make it past the 4th grade. My advice to you is to stop being a bad troll and go back to school. It seems spelling and trolling doesn't work for you.

This made me go dookie.

@SirRandall Says the guy bashing all hackers and thinks they're all hellbent on ruining consoles. But I digress, keep defending the anti hacking/homebrew trolls. How sophomoric.

Looks interesting - I wonder if it could handle GameCube with an optimised emulator?

As for the (typical) 'omg dirty hackers hang them all!!!' convo - I'm all for the homebrew scene and indeed some wonderful stuff has come out of it, eg. services which bring back NintendoWFC online play, media player apps, various minor tweaks and adjustments to enhance the user experience, etc, and indeed emulators which can be a great way to experience older games, assuming you've bought the physical game before you start running it in Dolphin or similar.

As for those who seek to simply pirate games, they deserve everything they get hit with by Nintendo (and honestly are incredibly naive if they're surprised to be banned from online) - the main homebrew devs going back as far as Team Twiizers/fail0verflow on the Wii have all been against piracy and indeed have made conscious efforts against it - pirates give them a bad rep which honestly they don't deserve.

@ Ryan Craddock, PLEASE. Stop acting like you are working at a cheap, B mark website and treat NintendoLife website and readers with some respect. Stop promoting hacking and thievery every day with your articles.

who in their right mind would want to waste precious time playing any n64 game besides doom 64?

Yes. I get it. Hackers are cool.

Right? Is..is that the message here?

@Syrek24 Well said. That is all that needs to be said about them really. I enjoy what hardware hacking has to offer in terms of exploration and home development, but when people just use it to steal it becomes a problem. It is especially a problem when they have an entitled attitude about stealing new games, which seems to be all too common with that crowd.

I knew this would happen. I have been saying it for months. If Nintendo wont give us access to legacy content, people are going to hack it in themselves. While I don't condone it per-say, I sorely understand the temptation. I have wanted my favorite retro games on Switch since launch!

If this Is NOT a wake up call to Nintendo to legally get N64 games on to the Switch, I don’t know what else would be besides perhaps a good slap across their stubborn corporate faces!!! Cmon Nintendo!!

It's very ironic how Nintendo Life says it's against piracy and other shady practices... and at the same time makes articles of all hacking and even piracy related things out there.

Let's hacking sites take care of hacking news and stop promoting those, which is exactly what Nintendo Life is doing.

@GameOtaku Let me point just one thing there: you don't own 60 VC games on your 3DS. You think you do, but you don't. You are just being licensed to use them.

You could say you can backup them to a card or a PC, and you can, but that is just extending the leasing period, it's not a permanent solution. You don't own them and never will. Denying it is lying to yourself.

I don't say it's OK. It definitely sucks... but it is what it is. Digital content don't give ownership, just a temporary license.

To Hackers :

One day believe me you'll be sorry
You're gonna feel this regret
One day you'll see your system gonna bricked
The hacking that you made
Just wait and see how you'll be sorry
One day your Switch gonna ruined
One day believe me you'll come running
Back to Original

You'll be Sorry - STEPS

@Syrek24 Excellently put. Round of applause for this man (or woman)

>Switch is Nintendo's first real opportunity to release N64 games for handheld play.
>Nintendo Switch Online replaces VC.
>Currently it's only set to provide NES games.
>Other systems will likely take years because, come on, it's Nintendo.
>Who even knows if we'll even be able to play these games offline.
>Just like that, people dangle just how easy it would be to get N64 games playing on Switch.
>SM64 mods at that, which are known to be particularly fickle to get working correctly.
I understand entirely why people are turning to homebrew right now.

Good for the hackers. but I will stick to my GPD. I have all the retro I need. I used to whine and complain about VC and not getting obscure titles but not anymore. Just invest in a GPD plus XD. It is quality. I will still purchase some old school games still, but now my problem is solved. No messing with my switch and having all the roms on the go. For 150 dollars you cannot beat that.

@Anti-Matter every comment you make just gets weirder and weirder

@boop22
I was "singing" You'll Be Sorry by STEPS.

@Galenmereth (citation needed) for 'most countries'. I see it's a permitted limitation, but nothing about how many countries actually use it.

http://www.worldcadaccess.com/blog/2012/05/eu-court-legalizes-reverse-engineering-of-software.html

See above, it's legal by default, maybe you should read more about the law and actually find some examples of countries that deem out illegal, since the documents you referenced only allow for this limitation.

What this knowledge is used for is irrelevant. Innocent until proven guilty, so until proven otherwise, people are using it tu play copies of hands they own. I know I use my vita for that, playing quake 2 and half life using my legally bought copies as file sources.

Cya
Raziel-chan

@siouxrunner15 they even got FF 7 to run on the Snes classic mini lol 😂

@backlogrob from the hip! Truth be said!!

Hackers gonna hack. It doesn’t matter what Nintendo do or don’t do. I would love to play old Nintendo games that I already own on my beloved Switch, but I’ll not hack my console to do so

Couldn't they at least play some good game like Goemon or Mischief Makers?

@Bondi_Surfer Well yes, it does matter what Nintendo doesn't do. This hack wouldn't be getting all the support it's getting if Nintendo were giving people the VC like we asked for.

@Syrek24 Honestly you generalize hackers way too much.

I just want to point out that there are hackers out there that do no harm to anyone (like the one in this article), and are in no way terrible people. In fact they just want to have fun with their games, which is in no way a bad thing.

Modding/Hacking without harming anyone is not a crime (Especially modding, how do you think something as simple as asset replacements is a crime or harms anyone?), it's only harmful when the hacking is online and affects others.

GoldenEye. I just want GoldenEye on an HD screen where it's not crazy blurry.

@jsa the Nvidia Shield has already shown us that the Switch will run Wii games at full HD so in turn it could easily do the same for GameCube games. It's just a question of if Nintendo wants to release them and unfortunately for us Nintendo are rarely keen to do such a thing

@stevenw45 I'm still baffled as to why Nintendo hasn't remade Mario 64 or Ocarina of Time in HD, it seems like a licence to print money. Can you imagine the reception for such a thing on Switch given the fuss over the recent Crash Bandicoot, a game which isn't even half as good as either of them

@maruse
If you want to get technical you are still leased physical games as well according to the legalize.

@GameOtaku Definitely, but at least you can keep playing them as long as you keep the original hardware... Something that is changing now since the practice of putting only part of the game on the cart is becoming widespread, so sooner rather than later buying physical games will be even more pointless than buying digital

What is much more appalling is that after almost one and half year, we still don't have an option to backup our save games!

There is a problem with my son's Switch, where his games start completely hanging up his console and requires a hard reboot to fix it!
He is completely terrified for me to do anything with it, as I would like to completely wipe and reset the console and/or reformat the SD-card to see if that fixes the issue, but then he would loose all his progress in games like Mario Kart and Zelda BotW where he played months to get where he is.

This is my biggest gripe with Nintendo at the moment! Every other console on the market today, including Nintendo's own 3DS offers a way to backup saves either locally or Online in the cloud!

Nintendo should be deeply ashamed of themselves in how they are treating the Switch at the moment! /FACEPALM

I’ve never hacked a console before, but these hackers have made some incredible strides... .

If they continue to open up the Switch as they have I may have to get another one for ‘hacking purposes’.

Does make it all the more impressive how the other platforms have stayed relatively hack-free.

And Nintendo thinks users will be excited about NES games with the online service...

Jesus lads, get off your high horse's! Stop getting your knickers in a massive twist. You don't have to hack your switch. End of.

This is great news, glad N64 games run well. I'll give it another year or so and then hack my second backup Switch that I have boxed away. I'm BUYING too many switch games ATM (4 new physical games yesterday) so I'm good for a while.

Love collecting all my physical games but also LOVE hacking all my systems that I personally own.

Keep it up!

I'm torn. I don't want to hack my switch but I'd love to have some N64/GC games on my Switch.

@Agramonte Yes, exactly. In terms of SD card save backup, during the wait for the online service our save data is still at risk and we should not have to fear losing it. All Nintendo have to do is release a system update that adds SD card save backup support and everyone can rest easy and actually enjoy the console.

I don't agree with hacking, but when hackers are able to add SD card save backup and Nintendo still do nothing about it, it makes Nintendo look behind with their console. And not everyone wants to use cloud save. Some people will travel a lot with their Switch, not always being able to connect to the internet. And becuase of that, they can't back up their save data. With SD card save backup, they couod could back it up. And Nintendo, a lot of people do not want to wait for cloud save to backup their data, they want to back it up now and rest easy. I for one, want SD card save back up before the online service comes, as do a lot of people.

If Nintendo Online had all the games from the Virtual Console and not four random NES games that change every month then there would be a real official alternative but as it is I can understand why anyone would hack their Switch. So great games from Nintendo's past, many better than some Switch games.

@ThatNyteDaez without hackers you wouldn’t have streaming services like Netflix or Hulu, you wouldn’t have iTunes and other digital marketplaces and such. Think before you speak; hackers often prvoce new and innovative formats and explorations.

@yuwarite Not true. Phones are more powerful, but even the most powerful Qualcomm processor, the Snapdragon 845, still can't run all gamecube games at full speed. And forget about last gen consoles, like the Wii U

@derty You mean the one they said isn't going to happen?

It runs through RetroArch. Now I only have to wait for it to work on 5.1.0
And no, i wont wait for Nintendo to release their N64 legacy, doubting they'll ever do that on Switch.

Kinda funny how this site openly allows people to advocate pirating new games.

It's already running Gamecube games:

People backup their games to the server and you download their backup to play... so is backup illegal?

Wow, NL. You've actually done it. Everything else hackers have done with the Switch that you've reported on was unable to catch my interest, but this... you actually tempted me to hack my Switch before it was deemed obsolete by a next-gen system. It's a wonder Nintendo gives you guys review copies of their games.

@Link506 Even the TegraX1 doesn't emulate all GameCube games all that well. I would know as I own a Shield TV and have extensively tested it. And in its current state on Switch, it's not even in a playable state. There are plenty of $400 or less devices that are currently on the market that emulate the most popular GameCube games just fine. But GameCube is at the very high end of the spectrum, most modern budget phones won't have a problem with N64, PSP and below. Also, new Android devices are always coming out, so there will always be a better device coming on the horizon.

Emulators on Switch are for a niche hacking userbase, who face the threat of being banned, and console revisions/ upgrades that will render previous hacks null and void. Emulators for Android are for millions of smart device users, and most are legally downloadable through Google Play itself. The incentive for any developer to optimise emulators for the Switch is a fools errand in comparison.

Pirating current native games of a console will always the main draw of console hacking, because those games are guaranteed to play perfectly, minus online play. Once you hack a console, piracy becomes more easy and alluring than PC piracy, as it's a one time operation and from then on, all games you throw at it usually work. As opposed to the PC, where it's on a game by game basis, and zip files are more likely to contain viruses/miners, these days.

@yuwarite First off, the Tegra X1 CAN in fact play almost all wii and gamecube games. Just look at mario galaxy or twilight princess playing on a Chinese Nvidia (shield.https://youtu.be/JMQWcl_99fs) The reason why the shield has trouble keeping up is because android just isn't made to be a console os. It needs to be streamlined more if it were to work.
It is true that it wouldn't make much sense for hackers to turn the switch into a "modern psp". However, the switch does have something which nothing else has--quality physical buttons with a portable factoe. A modern budget phone doesn't have this unless you lug a controller and kickstand around and at that point, it's not a handheld anymore. A PC is great for emulation, but it too is tied to a wall, wither that be a tower or laptop-- and again, it's not a handheld. The only device I can think that fits all these categories that isn't the switch is the GPD and gpd win- two relatively expensive devices. That's why for some, hacking their switch just makes sense. This is absolutely not the case for most, but the VC was something that everyone came to expect and take for granted and I know some which bought a switch for the VC and it just doesn't seem right that the Switch misses out on something even the failed Wii U had.

@Agent_Mike
I mean, nobody cares about Urban Champion ever. It could be the only VC game ever released for Switch and it would bomb. But I think the Mario's, MegaMans, Contras, Ducktales, etc. are all great games and would be welcomed when they release. I think the biggest problem with the VC and what I assume will happen with this is the drip feed from Nintendo. Between all the handheld options, home console options, both first and third party there is a potential library in excess of >10,000 games. Sure licensing issues will prevent some from coming, but at least get better than the Wii service which was at 3 releases a week during it's heyday. If they release a steady amount and within a couple of years there is >100 games available and the fee is still just $20/year for a rental service this would be incredible. But if 20 NES (of which most suck) is what they are planning for all of year 1 this is going to be rough.

@Link506

The Switch is a downclocked Tegra X1. Should still be able to do Gamecube VC, but it may not be able to do Wii the way the Shield can.

@Link506 The Tegra X1 can not play almost all Wii and GameCube games, regardless of the whopping 2 examples you mentioned. I actually own the device and have tested over 40 GameCube and Wii games and regularly install the latest Dolphin development build every week. Yes, some first party Nintendo and popular games do run very well, because the developers realise the demand and have optimised Dolphin and put in place certain hacks for those games to run a little better. But games outside of that spectrum tend to run very spotty.

And as Cleveland also said, the Switch is actually clocked lower than the ShieldTV itself, which, while dealing with the overhead of Android, is actually clocked at full speed. So it's not even truly comparable to the ShieldTV.

The best place to emulate GC/Wii remains on the PC with a good multi-core CPU. And as you said, there are devices like the GPD XD/ Win, that are perfect for portable emulation.

As for physical buttons (for mobile devices), again, it's 2018, there are a lot of Bluetooth devices that fill that niche. You have controllers like Game Vice and various other vice-style phone controllers that are actually more comfortable than the Switch, like this one / review, or this one / review, or this one, which I own and use for my 7" tablet to stream Steam games to. Or this one (which also works with Switch, itself or this one. Then you have the standard gamepad style ones that have a pop-out phone clamp; I own the 8bitdo Sf30Pro with the phone clamp, which looks a little like this.

I have never in my life seen a bigger group of panzies whining about something so petty. I mean talk about a bunch of self righteous, high horse riding 8!tch3s lol. Let the hackers work their magic & y'all could keep paying your MRSP for retro releases 10x over. It really irritates me to see any form of self righteousness & some of these comments are straight up bigotry. Calling people thieves & talking sh!t about my boy Ryan when all he is doing is providing his service as a journalist informing us about any & all news Nintendo. A lot of you have really got to take that stick out your a$$e$. I didn't realize the nintendo community was plagued with this much pu$$i3$. Bunch of 8itche$ i swear.

For N64 games, I'd want a good virtual console like the Wii had (I have to live with the Wii U's input lag and it is quite terrible). I'd naturally want both Zelda games, GoldenEye 007 would be amazing, Diddy Kong Racing was awesome (copyright issues would be in the way though). I really don't want an N64 classic, but would rather improve my switch online subscription to gain value with N64 games. I could get 3DS remakes, but I'd be so happy to play the original Majora's won the bus.

Some how I knew it that super mario sunshine wasn't coming at all.

They literally predicted the Nintendo 64 app from Switch Online.