One of the main goals that homebrew communities strive to achieve is to make game consoles more useful and this is done by continued hard work even after an initial PoC/release. In this article, we’ll be looking at the just released Vita Moonlight 0.6.1 and ByLaws’ further progress on getting Android to work properly on the Nintendo Switch!

Vita Moonlight 0.6.1: The stream delay and desync issue is no more!

Vita Moonlight, by d3m3vilurr, is a port of the Moonlight game streaming software which is an open-source implementation of Nvidia’s GameStream protocol.

Moonlight has been updated yet again and this time, it’s to fix a nasty issue that version 0.6.0 introduced!

This protocol allows desktops/laptops with a supported Nvidia graphics card (from this list; cards that are not too old or low-end are supported) to stream games over a local area network through Geforce Experience and this stream can be picked up by a variety of devices such as the PSVita, Android/iOS phones/tablets and other PCs as long as Moonlight is installed.

Now, the Vita port of Moonlight has been updated to version 0.6.1 and this brings along:

• A fix for the stream delay issue which was tested by ALC4pwn
  • This bug, which is not experienced by all users, is not present in versions older than Vita Moonlight 0.6
  • It consists of a high degree of delay/desync after a few minutes of gameplay regardless of what type of settings are used

If you’re affected by this bug, you can grab Vita Moonlight 0.6.1 from this link or wait until it’s uploaded to VitaDB so that you can get it via VHBB. d3m3villur can be donated to by following the PayPal link found here. Issues are to be reported in the Issues tab of the given GitHub download link.

ByLaws does further progress on Android for the Switch: Portal game (SHIELD exclusive) now runs and Wi-Fi, Touchscreen are now working!

ByLaws just demonstrated Portal in the low quality video linked below running on the Switch (yeah, the Switch console can be seen in the video this time)

As mentioned a few days ago, interest in Android for the Switch has been rebooted with ByLaws (Billy Laws) getting GPU acceleration working! While this was pretty exciting news, ByLaws noted that the whole port had been redone and some things that were previously working weren’t working anymore but now, these have been fixed.

In a Reddit thread posted around a day ago, ByLaws published a video of his Nintendo Switch running Portal for Android which is an NVIDIA Shield exclusive meaning it only runs on specific Tegra hardware (the Switch’s SoC is based on the Tegra X1). Other than getting Portal up and running, ByLaws also had more good news to share which includes:

• WiFi is now working which means that this port can go online
• Touchscreen input is now supported so that the Switch can be comfortably used in tablet mode
• More applications, including Discord, are now functioning and confirmation that the SHIELD port of Borderlands is also working

Funnily enough, the Switch got DOOM (2016) but Borderlands is still a no-show but with a potential Android port, you might just be able to play it!

In its current state, it could be said that ByLaws’ port of Android is in a semi-complete state as the basics are working and some Android custom ROMs have less working features when they’re initially released. However, ByLaws still has a sizeable TODO list which includes:

1. Implementing auto rotation through the Switch’s gyroscope
2. An easy way to adjust Switch overclock settings
3. The addition of a launcher that can be easily controlled through a controller
4. Sleep support
5. Handheld joycon support
6. Support for USB HDDs and TWRP

It’s important to note that ByLaws has given no ETA so it’s of utmost importance that you don’t pester him and let him do his job.

Conclusion

Obviously, running Android on the Switch is a pretty exciting concept even if you own an Android tablet but for now, patience is key. If the current rate of progress is kept up, it’s possible that a working build is released in a few weeks but it’s also possible that development on Android on the Switch doesn’t keep on going forward like what happened in February.

For more information, you can check out the SwitchHacks subreddit, ByLaws’ Reddit profile & the video of Portal on the Switch linked below:

Portal (Android) on the Nintendo Switch: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Nj6c16jHd19ZyUKk8