Nintendo’s Switch is perhaps most famous for blurring the lines between handheld consoles and those you plug into a TV. However, the tablet-esque device can also run Android if you’re so inclined, and it recently got an upgrade to version 10.
It’s an upgrade that brings many new features to the table, most of which you might consider must haves for regular use. The newer port brings support for USB Power Delivery, as well as deep sleep modes that enable the unit’s battery to last for several weeks. There’s also support for over-the-air updates which should ease ongoing maintenance, and improvements for Bluetooth compatibility and the touch screen as well.
Like most console hacks to run custom code, you’ve got to have the right hardware version with the right firmware, as Nintendo have been regularly iterating to try and lock out hacks where possible. The install has a few hurdles to jump through, but nothing too strenuous that would scare away the average Hackaday reader. Just be sure to not attempt this on a cherished console, as there’s always the chance that it all ends in tears. If you pull it off, you can then go about turning your Nintendo Switch into a networking switch. Net…tendo… Switch? Come up with a better pun in the comments.
[Thanks to David Beckershoff for the tip!]
The Nintendo switch is basically the Nvidia Shield tablet upgraded and running Nintendo software.
I’d buy one immediately if I could dual-boot between Nintendo and Android without fear of Nintendo remotely bricking my device.
Very cool, im sure somebody somewhere will have a use for android itself (maybe even as a stepping stone to some linux distro?) but personally i would love to use this to get access to more games via the large amount of emulators that are available for Android, would be pretty sweet to play psx etc games on a switch
this could make some robot hobbyists very happy to have a self-contained system like this as long as bluetooth and wifi are usable.