As Nintendo Switch unlocks and homebrew software develops, people are inclined to explore the possibilities and whether or not they actually provide a good experience. Our new prime example seems to be a full install ofWindows 11Arm on the Switch. As noted by @PatRykon Twitter, who actually set this up, the experience is pretty grueling! The initial installation took three hours, and even basic system tasks were unresponsive.

Things really start looking bleak when we try to game on a Switch with Windows 11 installed. The optimization, performance overhead, or both are simply so extreme that even extremely basic games (graphically speaking) like Peggle struggle to run under this environment. Compare this to the regular Switch, which can runDoom Eternalat 30 FPS most of the time with resolution scaling, and the performance loss is staggering.

PatRyk�s Windows 11-equipped Nintendo Switch, mid-frustration-strike.

Barely pic.twitter.com/WWrXmYRXAbMay 13, 2024

So why would anyone do this, and is there any way that replacing the default Switch OS can improve the Switch gaming experience? In this case, the “why” seemed to be for the sake of fun or testing, though perhaps PatRyk should have considered usingTiny11 Core for Arminstead of base Windows 11 for the best results. Of course, the best results you’ll get on Switch’s Arm architecture these days is a Linux OS, and that’s where we can start talking about slightly more applicable uses of Switch OS replacement.

YouTube

In ARM Linux game testing from Taki Udon on YouTube (embedded above), the Switch shows off some gaming chops at resolutions up to 4K. However, only old and emulated games were used to refrain from taxing the hardware. Still, Crispy Doom ran quite well in the 240 Hz mode, and GameCube games were running at 4X native without issue on the Switch hardware under Linux. Not bad!

The best modern experiences with a Switch console will, of course, only be experienced within the constraints of the main Switch OS and its games. However, a hacked Switch is good enough to moonlight as an emulation/streaming PC, and if you aren’t scared to wander outside The Garden Nintendo, theSteam Deck and its alternativesmay also serve you well.

Christopher Harper

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Christopher Harper has been a successful freelance tech writer specializing in PC hardware and gaming since 2015, and ghostwrote for various B2B clients in High School before that. Outside of work, Christopher is best known to friends and rivals as an active competitive player in various eSports (particularly fighting games and arena shooters) and a purveyor of music ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Killer Mike to the Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack.