Since 626e6a6 a pixel shader whose outputs look like integer writes gets a second entry point, main0_u, appended
after main0. dmsh_fetch.variant, which makes the framebuffer-fetch variant (_bf), rewrote samples to fb0..fb7 in
the whole source, main0_u included, but declared them only on main0, and renamed main0_out's members, which
main0_u still reads: every variant of such a shader failed to compile (use of undeclared identifier 'fb0'), and
the shader lost the tile read (its render passes are not merged). The host takes main0_u from the shader's own
library (nvn_mtl.m entry_u), never from the variant, so the variant is now made from the source cut at
struct main0_out_u, which dmsh_build.py always appends with main0_u at the end. A main0 with no parameters
also got its fb parameters with a leading comma (main0(, float4 fb0 ...)); output-mapping-only variants only.
Checked on Breath of the Wild's library MSL (chain 534b10d1d578, 10,560 pixel shaders), old and new variant()
side by side: the 8,659 shaders without main0_u give byte-identical variants, with and without
output-mapping-only; all 1,639 changed variants of shaders with main0_u failed to compile before and compile now
(Mac), and 1,897 of 1,897 output-mapping-only ones when forced for every key (30 of them the leading comma; no
profile's bf_want.tsv lists a key today); 40 of them compiled for iOS too. A full Mac dmsh_build.py run on the
new chain 657c42552d82: 19,592 of 19,592 shaders and 6,254 variants with no compile failure (main's chain would
lose the 1,639), stamped, both tables made; the Mac host booted Breath of the Wild with it past frame 5,100, its
title presses into play, with no red line. dm/tools/tests pass. dmsh_fetch.py is part of the chain, so
dm/gfx/nvn/dmsh_chain.h is written again and every game's shaders rebuild at their next build.
Co-authored-by: v0lumehi <34629096+v0lumehi@users.noreply.github.com>
56704a0 could only carry most over unchecked; 81 files, 18.7 MB. The NSP script makes a missing one as a stale one (chain_tables now says whether both name the chain: with no Mac outputs a reuse builds again and a build stops), and no step's reuse key counts them (profile_files), so the run after they were made does not split again. build_ipa.sh stops for an NVN game whose c1_full.tsv is missing or names another chain, with the c1_guard.py command, before generating anything (the host would give every c1 its own 64 KiB). Checked on The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles from a checkout without them: the first pack made both (0 and 409 entries, as committed), the second reused the split and the iOS shaders with no table lines, a third with them deleted made them from the reused build's Mac outputs; build_ipa.sh stops on a missing and a stale c1_full.tsv. AGENTS.md's chain procedure, dm/games/README.md, dm/gfx/README.md and docs/development.md say so
nxnative
Play your own Nintendo Switch games natively on iPhone and iPad. Bring your game (its NSP files) and your prod.keys; one script turns them into an IPA that you sideload.
It is not an emulator: the game's own code runs directly on the Apple chip, with Switch graphics rebuilt on Metal. Nothing from any game is in this repository, and the project is not affiliated with Nintendo or any game publisher.
Acknowledgements
This project is built on other people's work:
- d2r-mobile (MIT) developed this native-execution approach, for Diablo II: Resurrected. nxnative started as a copy of its generic parts: the NSO rewriter, the host that stands in for Horizon, the NVN-on-Metal layer and the iOS app shell. Fixes go both ways.
- Ryujinx (MIT): its shader translator (
Ryujinx.Graphics.Shader,Ryujinx.CommonandSpv.Generator1.3.2, indm/third_party/ryujinxwith a few fixes listed in its README) turns the games' Maxwell shaders into SPIR-V. Its emulation of the kernel and system services is also a reference when the host's behaviour is in doubt. - Atmosphère: its kernel, mesosphère, is the reference for Horizon's synchronization semantics (address arbiter, condition variables).
- yuzu: Maxwell instruction encodings for the shader reference tool, and a cross-check for kernel behaviour.
- LibHac: reads NSPs and layers updates over the base game in
dm/tools/nx_extract. hactool did the first extractions. - SPIRV-Cross: SPIR-V to Metal Shading Language. glslang compiles the GLSL of OpenGL games to SPIR-V for it.
- deko3d (zlib): its texture layout size algorithm is ported in
dm/gfx/nvn/nvn_tex.c. - libvpx (VP9 movies), stb_vorbis (movie sound), the Vulkan headers and NVIDIA FLIP ship in
dm/third_partywith their licenses (list). - Capstone, lz4, fontTools and XcodeGen are used by the build.
Games
All of these are tested on an iPhone and playable:
Needs iOS / iPadOS 26 or later on an iPhone 15 Pro or newer (A17 Pro chip or later) or an iPad with an M1 chip or later: the games' textures are BC-compressed, and older iPhones can't read that format. Other games aren't supported yet. For them the script writes a survey and still tries its best to pack an IPA, guessing the game's settings; such an IPA may not start.
Pack an IPA
1. Get nxnative and its tools (once, on a Mac with Xcode and Homebrew):
git clone https://github.com/seedds/nxnative.git && cd nxnative
brew install xcodegen zstd spirv-cross glslang
brew install --cask dotnet-sdk
python3 -m pip install lz4 capstone fonttools "backports.zstd; python_version < '3.14'"
2. Put one game's NSPs in a folder: the base game (an NSP, or an XCI cartridge dump), plus its update and DLC if you have them:
~/Games/MarioWonder/
Super Mario Bros. Wonder [010015100B514000][v0].nsp
Super Mario Bros. Wonder [010015100B514800][v327680].nsp
Any version works, with or without an update: the script packs the newest version in the folder. DLC is optional too: the DLC in the folder is packed, and without it the game sees none, as on a Switch without it. Each game was tested on one version (an update named in the table above is the one its 60 fps needs). With another version the script builds the game with that version's own shaders and says that the version was not tested; fixes made for the tested version's code, such as the 60 fps ones, don't apply to it.
3. Run the script:
python3 scripts/build_ipa_from_nsp.py ~/Games/MarioWonder -k ~/keys/prod.keys
The IPA appears in the same folder (here ~/Games/MarioWonder/SMBWMobile.ipa). The first build takes 30–60 minutes, later ones about 10. You need free disk space of about twice the NSPs' size plus 10 GB. Options such as -o (output path) and --app-name are listed by -h.
4. Install the IPA with your sideloading tool (AltStore, Sideloadly, LiveContainer, …). The app gets the game's name, icon and version (the update's version, for example 1.2.1 for Mario Wonder; the base game's when there is no update). Sign it with the Increased Memory Limit capability (com.apple.developer.kernel.increased-memory-limit) if your tool can: without it iOS gives the app about 3.4 GB and closes the bigger games (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and Hades II use more, Breath of the Wild and Cuphead come close); with it a recent iPhone gives about 6 GB.
With an Apple developer account you can instead build and install from Xcode: --prepare-xcode makes an Xcode project for the game rather than an IPA (Build and run on a device with Xcode).
Play
Settings. A screen before the game starts offers what the game supports: frame rate, render scale, docked or handheld mode, game language, the frame-rate counter and Apple's performance HUD. Tap Play to start; the app remembers your choices.
Touch controls. Tap 2D / 3D at the top to switch layouts; the app remembers your choice. Wonder, Engage, Dread, 13 Sentinels, Link's Awakening, Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, Unicorn Overlord, Rhythm Heaven Groove, Octopath Traveler 0, Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Cuphead, Absolum, Brain Memory Training Academy, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, STEINS;GATE RE:BOOT, Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain, Patrick's Parabox, Celeste and Raging Loop start in 2D, the other games in 3D (STEINS;GATE RE:BOOT's quick save is R3, in the 3D layout). In 3D, the right stick (the camera in most games) is not drawn: swipe on the right third of the screen, starting anywhere off the buttons. In Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, other touches outside the controls move the pointer; in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker they touch the game's screen (touch blocks, stun enemies), and in Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain too (its menus and activities). A connected game controller hides the touch controls and keeps every button.
Shaking. Shake the iPhone to shake the controller, in games that read its motion: Super Mario Odyssey's motion moves (such as the cap throw on a shake) need it, and Odyssey only takes them in its default docked mode. A light bump does not count; a sharp flick of the phone does.
- Game language is English by default. Pick another when packing with
--language(-l), by code or by name:-l ja,-l zh-Hans,-l French(LANGUAGEin Spyder). It must be one the game has; the script prints the game's languages and stops on one it lacks. To change it without rebuilding, pick another on the settings screen. - Saves and logs are in the Files app, under the app's name:
save/andlog.txt. When something goes wrong, sendlog.txt(the previous run islog.prev.txt). - Short stutters the first time a new scene appears are normal: the app compiles graphics for it once and remembers them for the next launch.
- Reinstalling: some sideloading tools give a reinstalled app a new data folder. Copy
save/andpso_user.tsvover from the old one to keep your progress. - Settings in a file: lines like
DM_OPMODE=0(handheld mode: lower resolution, higher frame rate) inDocuments/env.txtwin over the settings screen, which then shows them greyed out.DM_FPS_TARGET=30keeps Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom and Octopath Traveler 0 at their original 30 fps, which saves battery;DM_PRESENT_INTERVAL=gamedoes the same for Monster Train 2.DM_SHOW_FPS=1shows the frame rate at the top left (--show-fpswhen packing turns it on from the start).DM_LAUNCHER=0skips the settings screen.
Known issues
- No amiibo and no online features.
- Fire Emblem Engage: after switching away from the app and back, some sounds may stay silent until you restart it.
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses: small square patches on the ground where decals land.
- Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2: effects drawn as points or lines come out one pixel wide.
For developers
How it works, the script's options, running games on the Mac, adding a game, and per-game notes: docs/development.md. In-depth bring-up and debugging notes: docs/agents.
License
MIT (see LICENSE). Third-party code keeps its own license; see dm/third_party.













































