Hackers show cracked Switch Lite with custom software

Team Xecuter has demonstrated a Switch Lite with custom software. The handheld is shown in a video with a version of SX OS 3.0, a modified operating system. The hack will be released in early 2020 and uses a modchip.

Previous Nintendo Switch consoles were hackable by default due to a hardware flaw in Nvidia’s Tegra soc. For this reason, the Switch received a hardware overhaul in 2018 that seemed to make hacking the console impossible. Team Xecuter stated earlier this year that it has found a way to crack these consoles. This would also apply to the Switch Lite, which had just come out at the time. The hackers did not provide any evidence for this. This all changed on Saturday, when a Switch Lite with SX OS 3.0 was shown. The video also launches a game through the album app, which is normally reserved for viewing screenshots and photos.

SX OS provides few visual changes compared to the Switch’s default OS, but can be used to switch between games in real time. In theory cracked games can also be played thanks to the operating system. In addition, it allows the installation of homebrew applications. This includes, for example, applications that allow PC games to be streamed directly to the console.

The first version of SX OS was sold by Team Xecuter in 2018 for $25, with an optional kit of tools necessary to install the software for $10 more. However, this only worked on the first Switch revision. It is still unknown what amount Team Xecuter will ask for the Switch Lite hack. In a blog post, the hackers state that the hack should be released in early 2020. The hack will also work for newer revisions of the regular Switch.

The hack uses a modchip to be installed in the console. An installation without soldering is theoretically possible on older Switch models, according to the makers, but is not recommended due to ‘concerns about long-term reliability’. Instead, the team focuses on installation with a few ‘simple solder joints’.