Nintendo Switch: what’s the best firmware for (potential) homebrew and hacks?
Lots of Nintendo Switch users are wondering what firmware to stay on, if they want to enjoy (future) homebrews.
Although there is no perfect answer, the most obvious one for now is that you should stay below firmware 3.0.1. Based on the latest announcements from hackers regarding (yet to be released) exploits, firmware 3.0.0 is ok, 3.0.1 is definitely not.
This currently leaves you with a choice to stay on 1.0.0, 2.0.0, 2.1.0, 2.2.0, 2.3.0, and 3.0.0.
From a gaming perspective, none of these will let you enjoy the latest games or online features. You might have one specific game that requires one of these firmwares though, so in that case it is probably fine to update for that game.
As a matter of fact, game cartridges are the only good way to update to a specific firmware without connecting your console to the network, IMO the best way for now to ensure you’re staying on a low firmware and don’t update by mistake. Arms and Mario + Rabbids for example require, and are a good way to update to firmware 2.1.0.
Is there a benefit on staying on as low a firmware as possible?
The problem with firmware 1.0.0 is that accessing the browser is a bit of a pain on that firmware. And given that webkit is a favorite entry point for console hack nowadays, ease of use of the browser might be important when a full hack is released.
With that being said, as always, a lower firmware has mechanically more possible vulnerabilities than a higher one: it will always be possible to update to a newer firmware (through the game cartridges mentioned above, for example), never to go back.
Conclusion
Until something significant is released, it is probably better to stay on as low a firmware as you possibly can. With that being said, the current knowledge tells us that anything on firmware 3.0.0 or below should be hackable, meaning that if there’s a game you want to play that requires a specific firmware (as long as it’s 3.0.0 or below), it should be safe to update to that firmware today and still be able to get hacks in the future. With the understanding of course that you should always stay on as low a firmware as you possibly can.
However we cannot recommend firmwares 3.0.1, 3.0.2, and anything that comes after those, for hacking purposes. At least for now.
Is there anywhere yet tracking the firmware versions that come with carts yet ?
Nswdb tracks them
What’s the URL or if you can’t post here some key words to find it ?
If I’m not mistaken, most or if not all indie titles should playable on all firmwares? Now, for the switch games? They could make some sort of scrubber or patch for them? Or cfw like the psp and ps3 has?
The biggest concern for me is what firmware will ship with Mario Odyssey.
Most likely 3.0.2 unless they release something newer very soon
Yes. Guaranteed it will be post 3.0.0. Pokken tournament DX shipped with 3.0.0 in the EU, and we now have 3.0.2…
Yeah same here, I have it ore ordered and I bet it will be the very latest version.
Did I see somewhere that there is a website that lists games and the firmware that ships with it?
Yeah, nswdb.com, there’s all the info on NSW releases
why you say 1.0 you can’t acces internet with 1.0 so it can be 2.0-3.0
You can access internet with 1.0. It’s just not very practical to do.
best firmware = 1.0.0 🙂
actually it’s not you need slightly higherfirmware for the current exploit 2.0-3.0
can still cart upgrade tho but pick one up dude.
Smh… at all these “possible” releases.
Don’t let it be another PS4 1.76 (“fully exploitable”, “kernel exploit”, and absolutely nothing good came of it, like homebrews and backups). “Stay on 1.76” they said. What a waste of time that was.
If there is something that’s only available for 3.0.0 and lower, just release it. Now. Especially if it was patched in 3.0.1 and 3.0.2. Not 3 years from now, when half the games need a higher firmware.
TRUE
No point staying on low firmware unless you want to miss all major titles to come.
Although I definitely wouldn’t recommend updating to 3.0.1, I recently saw a Twitter post from someone on the scene saying they found something “interesting” in 3.0.1… Whether that implies it is in fact exploitable or not, is an entirely different story. If you did accidentally or purposefully updated, DO NOT go any higher just to be safe if you intend to run homebrew and don’t want/can’t afford to get another Switch.
I bought a Switch this week and found that it came with 3.0.0 so I’m good but I realized that I don’t feel like I can get the full potential of the system because of the lack of upgrading the firmware (SD card usage, estore, etc.) so I decided to go buy a 2nd Switch which also came with 3.0.0.
I’m going to fully update the first one and store the second for a while until more news comes out about the Homebrew hack. If after about a year I don’t see any potential progress on the hack I’ll just sell the 2nd unit and recover my funds as it’s still going to be brand new in the box.
On the other hand if a hack does come then I’ll hack the 2nd stored unit and sell my updated Switch used and take a partial loss. This seems to be the best option to being able to fully experience the Switch and insure an option for future hacking.
I’m not so interested in hacking to get free Switch games as I’m all about supporting the dev’s but I would love to have the option to run older emulators & roms on my Switch.
Most people don’t have $600 to get two Switches.