seedds
efb72ec46c
On the Switch the ground fog opens around Mario as he walks through it. The effect is a small fluid simulation: 256x256 and 128x128 RG16F velocity fields, a blur and a blended composite. Its only input is a point-sprite splat per mover, drawn with agl's alPointSpriteShader. The vertex shader writes gl_PointSize = min(size, c0[0x610]), and the host left that offset of the NVN driver segment at 0. Every splat had size 0, so the fields stayed exactly zero and the fog never moved (reported on an iPhone; the Mac did the same). - nvn_mtl.m: the graphics stages' c0 driver segment gets the largest point size (2047, Maxwell's limit) at 0x610. It is not the SetPointSize value: the game sets that to 1, and one-pixel splats came out with zero disc weight. The splats now ask for 3-18 px, the fields hold velocities up to +/-44, and the fog clears around Mario on the Mac. - docs: 04-graphics.md gets the offset in the driver-segment table and a write-up, with a note that dmsh_build.py's drv_reads scan only sees fragment-shader reads. development.md gets a Fog note under Odyssey. Checked on the Mac: the smoke test of the other seven games shows only their usual red lines.
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 (first called smbw-mobile) 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, unmodified indm/third_party/ryujinx) 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.
- deko3d (zlib): its texture layout size algorithm is ported in
dm/gfx/nvn/nvn_tex.c. - libvpx (VP9 movies), stb_vorbis (movie sound), libdeflate, 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:
| Game | NSPs to put in the folder | IPA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Bros. Wonder | base game + update 1.2.1 | ~4 GB | |
| Fire Emblem Engage | base game + update 2.0.0 (+ Expansion Pass DLC) | ~15 GB | Upgraded to 60 fps (30 fps on Switch) |
| Metroid Dread | base game + update 2.1.0 | ~5 GB | |
| 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim | base game + update 1.10 | ~5 GB | |
| Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury | base game + update 1.2.2 | ~3 GB | |
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | base game + update 1.9.0 (+ DLC) | ~16 GB | Upgraded to 60 fps (30 fps on Switch) |
| The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening | base game + update 1.1.0 | ~6 GB |
Being ported: Super Mario Odyssey (base game + update 1.4.1) and Hades (base game + update 1.0.38233). Both play on the Mac; their iPhone builds are not tested yet, and the script cannot pack Hades yet.
 Super Mario Bros. Wonder |
 Fire Emblem Engage |
 Metroid Dread |
 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim |
 Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury |
 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild |
 The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening |
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
brew install --cask dotnet-sdk
python3 -m pip install lz4 capstone fonttools
2. Put one game's NSPs in a folder, base game and update (and any DLC):
~/Games/MarioWonder/
Super Mario Bros. Wonder [010015100B514000][v0].nsp
Super Mario Bros. Wonder [010015100B514800][v327680].nsp
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).
Play
Touch controls. Tap 2D / 3D at the top to switch layouts; the app remembers your choice. 3D World and Breath of the Wild start in 3D, the other games in 2D. A connected game controller hides the touch controls and keeps every button.
- Game language is English by default. For Chinese, add the line
DM_LANG=zh-HanstoDocuments/env.txt. - 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 without rebuilding: put lines like
DM_OPMODE=0(handheld mode: lower resolution, higher frame rate) inDocuments/env.txt.
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.
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.