seeddsandv0lumehi 76545a58a7 Mac: each controller is a player of its own, for local co-op (GitHub issue #74), from PR #84
Every GameController fed the same input path (front_mac.m), so the last one moved won, and hle_hid.c reported
exactly one npad whatever the game supports. Now the first controller is player 1, with the keyboard, the next
player 2 and so on up to 8 (pad_slots.h; a removed controller frees its player and gets it back when a
controller of the same name reconnects). Player 1 stays on No1 docked and Handheld in handheld mode, player n is
on No n (No1 stays empty in handheld mode: games take Handheld and No1 both for player 1). The game's supported
npad ids decide how many play: a one-player game ({No1, Handheld}) gets every controller as player 1, a
controller past a game's last player is not used, as on the Switch. A connect or disconnect signals that npad's
style-set event through hle_signal_bound_system_event (hle_thread.c), which signals only an event still bound,
from the macOS main thread where the notifications arrive; player LEDs follow the Switch's patterns; the
controller-support applet reports the connected players, capped at the game's maximum; only player 1 shakes.
DM_PAD_MERGE=1 merges every controller into player 1 as before; DM_KBD_PLAYER=own makes the keyboard player 1 on
its own. One controller, or the keyboard alone, behaves as before. iOS is unchanged: DmGamepad.m still feeds
player 1 and never reports further players.

Rebased onto a678703 (front_mac.m's includes, the Input row of docs/development.md). Checked: host unit tests
pass with the new t_hid (44 checks: slots and reconnects, npads docked and handheld, one- and four-player games,
events, LEDs, the applet); the Mac host builds for Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with no new warning;
hle_hid.c and hle_thread.c pass an iOS SDK syntax check; Hades in a window with the keyboard and DM_KEYS reads
the supported ids (0x10f), and its scripted presses take it past the title. Two controllers were not run here;
the PR's author played Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in 2-player split screen with an Xbox Wireless Controller and a
DUALSHOCK 4, each its own kart, and a controller disconnected and reconnected during play got its slot back.

Co-authored-by: v0lumehi <34629096+v0lumehi@users.noreply.github.com>
2026-10-24 01:40:58 +08:00
One translation chain version for every game: DMSH_CHAIN in dm/gfx/nvn/dmsh_chain.h replaces the 47 dm/games/<id>/dmsh_chain.h, which every chain change rewrote and some were left behind (GitHub issue #78). The version hashed each profile's shader tables and nvn_* / shader_* keys too, once the only thing that kept the host off a library built from older tables; each shader's cache key (dmsh_build.py shader_key) has covered them since, so the version now covers only the chain's tools (dmsh_chain.py, dmsh_build.py, dmsh_fetch.py, dmsh_vin.py, dmsh_geometry.py, dmsh_facts.py, the translator's source, ios_metal.py, the lock) and the options, and needs no DM_GAME. What the per-game part still did is done by the library itself: a full dmsh_build.py run stamps b-<V>/inputs.tsv (Mac and iOS) with the game and the digest of the profile's inputs (dmsh_chain.py inputs / --inputs: the four shader tables, bf_want.tsv, which the variants use but the version never counted, and the keys), starts from no shader outputs (a partial one from none of the keys it builds), so a key that left the map, a shader that no longer builds or a variant no longer made keeps no old library, refuses a directory stamped for another game, and writes the profile's c1_full.tsv and cb_extent.tsv from its Mac outputs; a partial build keeps the stamp only while it names the current inputs. c1_guard.py / cb_extent.py head their table with the library's chain version and stamp (table_head), and the host takes a table only beside that stamp, logs the stamp and reports one of another game; build_ipa.sh reads the one header and stops when the iOS libraries' stamp is not this profile's current inputs or c1_full.tsv names another. NSP script: chain_header writes the one header when stale, before any host is built; provisional and derived profiles no longer write one; chain_tables makes a table again when it does not name the reused library's stamp (False without one). Makefiles take the header beside nvn_mtl.m; Xcode projects prepared earlier point at a profile header that is gone and are told to prepare again. Tests: test_nsp_chain.py (the committed header is current, stale and missing ones are written, tables against the stamp). Checked on The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles: a full build gave 460 of 460 shaders and both tables (0 and 409 entries, as before), the Mac host booted with the stamp and both tables past frame 900; one added facts row rebuilt one shader under the same chain version with a new digest and new tables, and the host refused the old tables beside the new stamp; a full build removed planted outputs, another game's build into that directory stopped, a partial build after an input change dropped the stamp; build_ipa.sh stopped on a stale stamp, a missing one and a stale or old-form c1_full.tsv; three NSP packs built (no table lines: dmsh_build made them), reused everything, and remade deleted tables from the reused build. Graphics unit tests give the same results as before (on this Mac t_refl needs ~/dm-work's libraries and several GPU tests fail on the previous commit too). AGENTS.md's chain procedure (header once after a tool change; a full shader build makes the tables), dm/games/README.md, dm/gfx/README.md and docs/development.md say so
2026-10-23 23:37:03 +08:00
2026-10-23 10:49:32 +08:00

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.Common and Spv.Generator 1.3.2, in dm/third_party/ryujinx with 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_party with 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.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
IPA ~4 GB
Fire Emblem Engage
Fire Emblem Engage
IPA ~15 GB · 60 fps (30 on Switch) with update 2.0.0
Metroid Dread
Metroid Dread
IPA ~5 GB
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
IPA ~5 GB
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
IPA ~3 GB
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
IPA ~16 GB · 60 fps (30 on Switch) with update 1.9.0
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
IPA ~6 GB
Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey
IPA ~6 GB
Hades
Hades
IPA ~4 GB
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
IPA ~15 GB · 60 fps (30 on Switch) with update 1.3.0
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
IPA ~13 GB · 60 fps (30 on Switch) with update 1.2.0
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy
IPA ~3 GB
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
IPA ~17 GB · 60 fps (30 on Switch) with update 1.4.3
Monster Hunter Rise
Monster Hunter Rise
IPA ~22 GB · 60 fps (30 on Switch) with update 16.0.2
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection
IPA ~7 GB
Hades II
Hades II
IPA ~4 GB
Unicorn Overlord
Unicorn Overlord
IPA ~4 GB
Rhythm Heaven Groove
Rhythm Heaven Groove
IPA ~3 GB
Octopath Traveler 0
Octopath Traveler 0
IPA ~4 GB · 60 fps (30 on Switch) with update 1.0.5
Pokémon Legends: Z-A
Pokémon Legends: Z-A
IPA ~6 GB
Cuphead
Cuphead
IPA ~5 GB
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario Galaxy 2
IPA ~3 GB
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles
FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles
IPA ~11 GB
Absolum
Absolum
IPA ~2 GB
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
IPA ~2 GB
Brain Memory Training Academy
Brain Memory Training Academy
IPA ~0.1 GB
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
IPA ~4 GB
STEINS;GATE RE:BOOT
STEINS;GATE RE:BOOT
IPA ~6 GB
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
IPA ~0.8 GB
Patrick's Parabox
Patrick's Parabox
IPA ~0.2 GB
Celeste
Celeste
IPA ~0.9 GB
DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition
DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition
IPA ~15 GB · 60 fps (30 on Switch) with update 1.0.4
Monster Train 2
Monster Train 2
IPA ~1.6 GB · 60 fps (30 on Switch) with update 1.1.1
Raging Loop
Raging Loop
IPA ~0.9 GB
DARK SOULS: REMASTERED
DARK SOULS: REMASTERED
IPA ~4 GB · 60 fps (30 on Switch) with update 1.0.3
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
IPA ~5 GB · 60 fps (30 on Switch) with update 1.0.1
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hollow Knight: Silksong
IPA ~6.4 GB
Catherine: Full Body
Catherine: Full Body
IPA ~14 GB
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition
IPA ~5 GB
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
IPA ~10.5 GB with update 3.0.3
DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined
DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined
IPA ~5.9 GB with update 1.2.0
FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE
FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE
IPA ~10 GB · 60 fps (30 on Switch) with update 1.0.1
Luigi's Mansion 3
Luigi's Mansion 3
IPA ~7.5 GB · 60 fps (30 on Switch) with update 1.4.0
AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES
AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES
IPA ~8.3 GB
ANIMAL WELL
ANIMAL WELL
IPA ~54 MB · update 1.0.10
AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative
AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative
IPA ~11.6 GB · update 1.0.2
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
IPA ~11.9 GB · update 4.0.0 · Mii heads not drawn (no firmware)

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 (LANGUAGE in 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/ and log.txt. When something goes wrong, send log.txt (the previous run is log.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/ and pso_user.tsv over from the old one to keep your progress.
  • Settings in a file: lines like DM_OPMODE=0 (handheld mode: lower resolution, higher frame rate) in Documents/env.txt win over the settings screen, which then shows them greyed out. DM_FPS_TARGET=30 keeps Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom and Octopath Traveler 0 at their original 30 fps, which saves battery; DM_PRESENT_INTERVAL=game does the same for Monster Train 2. DM_SHOW_FPS=1 shows the frame rate at the top left (--show-fps when packing turns it on from the start). DM_LAUNCHER=0 skips 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.

S
Description
Run supported Nintendo Switch games natively on Mac, iPhone & iPad. One-command setup, complete Mac apps, lightweight iOS builds, Xbox/PS4/PS5 controllers and editable touch controls. Built on seedds/nxnative. Bring your own games and keys.
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