It’s that time again when the Switch receives yet another update that breaks CFW, fixes bugs and adds a few minor features. This time, it’s Firmware 8.0.0 and it brings along bad news for those with Switch units that have the RCM bug (fusee-gelee) fixed. Thankfully, it’s not all bad news today as m4wx updated his PPSSPP port for the Switch with JIT bringing measurable performance boosts!

Switch Firmware 8.0.0 released

A couple of hours ago, Nintendo released FW 8.0.0 for the Switch which brings about a bit more than just “General system stability improvements” with:

• A feature that lets you sort software in the HOME menu by time last played, total play time, software title and software publisher
• The ability to transfer save data for individual games between Nintendo Switch systems
  • However, the save data will leave the system it’s sent from after it’s received by the other system
• A zoom feature has been implemented along with an option to prevent the system from waking up from sleep mode when the AC adapter is disconnected
• More user profile icons are now available and Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea have been added in the Region selection menu
• Some other minor updates and various security fixes which aren’t good news for owners of Switch consoles with the RCM bug fixed

Following FW 8.0.0’s release, SciresM advised not to update as it fixes multiple critical security vulnerabilities, including fully patching Deja Vu (it was partially patched in FW 5.0.0) which is a software hack that will be able to hack Switch consoles that are not vulnerable to the RCM bug (fusee gelee). With this in mind, SciresM also stated that FW 8.0.0+ have no more publicly known trustzone bugs which will undoubtedly spell trouble for those with patched Switch consoles in the future.

As of right now, Atmosphere isn’t compatible with FW 8.0.0 but it’ll only be a matter of time until SciresM updates it to run on fusee-gelee vulnerable Switch consoles as these are effectively hacked forever since they can run unsigned code at a low level (bootROM).

In other words, if your Switch is vulnerable to fusee-gelee, you shouldn’t update now if you want CFW but if your Switch isn’t vulnerable to fusee gelee, don’t ever update as hacking FW 8.0.0+ through software may take a very long time.

m4wx updates the Switch’s PPSSPP port with JIT support

On other news, the Switch also received another update but this time a good one in the form of JIT support for its PPSSPP port. JIT, just-in-time compilation, involves compiling frequently-used instructions/routines during a program’s run-time which provides a big speed-up in many situations as the CPU can use native machine code rather than having to interpret the same instruction over and over again.

Now, m4wx has added JIT support to the Switch’s PPSSPP port thus giving it sizeable performance boosts and enlarging its library of playable PSP games while letting less-demanding PSP games run at higher resolutions for nicer graphics. Among games that are playable with this PPSSPP port, we find:

• WipeOut Pulse @ 2x resolution (960×544)
• Tekken 6 @ 2x resolution
• Persona 3 Portable
• Patapon 3 @ 2x resolution
• LEGO StarWars II and III running at above-native resolutions
• GTA Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories (although there’s a bug when you ride cars)
• Many many other games

To grab this updated PPSSPP port, check out m4wx’s post on Patreon and download it from the NextCloud link provided; it’s available for the general public without you needing to be a Patreon supporter of his to download it although you can support him for early access to other work of his. If you encounter any issues relating the temporary FFMPEG fix found in the latest JIT-enabled PPSSPP port, m4wx also provides another version without the temporary fix.

Conclusion

As usual, staying on the lowest possible firmware is always a good idea if you want to experience the most hacking action and this also applies to the Nintendo Switch. If your console isn’t vulnerable to fusee-gelee, DO NOT UPDATE TO FW 8.0.0 and stay on the lowest FW version possible as something related to Deja Vu might be released soon.