Tuesday, October 29th 2024
Ryujinx Switch Emulator May Live On in Posthumous Project Fork
After being forced to shut down at the beginning of October, it looks like the open-source Nintendo Switch emulator, Ryujinx, may have found a new home. Late last week, a new fork of the Ryujinx emulator popped up online. The original Ryujinx project's lead developer, known online as gdkchan, took down the GitHub page after a mysterious offer from Nintendo. Although there was speculation that the creator of the project was offered money to shut the emulator down, the wording on the new GitHub project seems to suggest that Nintendo forced Ryujinx to shut down. The GitHub page for the new project is run by a developer that goes by GreemDev, who doesn't seem to have been involved with the original Ryujinx before it shut down.
GreemDev's Ryujinx is starting out as a direct fork and continuation of the original, although there are hints that the new Ryujinx will take on a slightly different nature in the future. For starters, it doesn't look like GreemDev plans to offer any documentation for the Nintendo Switch emulator—at least not yet. This is likely partially to avoid Nintendo's ire and because creating documentation is a lot of additional work for developers. Instead, the GitHub directs readers to the former Ryujinx documentation on Archive.org, indicating that, although there are intended changes in-store for the future of Ryujinx, the current forked version basically picks up where the original left off.
GreemDev isn't the first developer to fork Ryujinx, and the Ryujinx-mirror project on GitHub is still available to download, although, since that was a downstream hard-fork, it will likely not continue to receive updates, improvements, or additional game compatibility. When the original Ryujinx shut down, it was very much still in active development, despite claiming a massive list of 3,550 playable games. Given Nintendo's strict copyright and anti-piracy policies, it wouldn't be surprising to see the new Ryujinx also be short-lived.
Source:
GitHub
GreemDev's Ryujinx is starting out as a direct fork and continuation of the original, although there are hints that the new Ryujinx will take on a slightly different nature in the future. For starters, it doesn't look like GreemDev plans to offer any documentation for the Nintendo Switch emulator—at least not yet. This is likely partially to avoid Nintendo's ire and because creating documentation is a lot of additional work for developers. Instead, the GitHub directs readers to the former Ryujinx documentation on Archive.org, indicating that, although there are intended changes in-store for the future of Ryujinx, the current forked version basically picks up where the original left off.
25 Comments on Ryujinx Switch Emulator May Live On in Posthumous Project Fork
Its like fighting torrent sites, or trying to put out a fire using gasoline.
I understand why Nintendo is doing this, protecting their IP. But unlike them I also understand that some fights are unwinnable, there are more mirrors and copies of the project out there. The only thing slowing down game emulation here is how fast people can pull keys from new FW.
Every console, every damn project, everything is going to be jailbroken, decompiled, decrypted, copied, etc. its just a matter of time.
My only question is, how fast we'll get a Switch 2 emulator.
Also if Switch graphics are not enough for anybody, i'm not sure i can understand.
How can people still have 'passion' for anything associated with The Big N? People realize the company actively hates its marketbase, right?
The hardware of the switch was weak even for its time. It is that sold since they have a big library of older games and there are some hardcore N. fans who buy whatever Nintendo want to sell. Also they were without competition in the portable console market. Not anymore.
It has overgrown in size and gotten too money oriented an enterprise. I liked older Nintendo way more.
The best switch experience is on a steamdeck...
i was a Nintendo hardcore for all their NES SNES GB GBC GBA GBA SP NDS NDSL era ... but after that ... no more
if a Switch exclusive get my fancy enough to warrant me buying it (only if having a physical media) i will only play it under emulation (just as i do with Sony exclusives, which luckily none were interesting enough since the PS2 era and i still own a PS2 slim)or an Ally or Legion Go if you like anatomically correct button/stick layout :laugh: (subjective ofc ... but there is only one ... "for me" ;) )
p.s. : Palworld is not an ilegal clone ... it's a total improvement over a stagnating franchise :laugh:
Nothing of value is lost here. The overwhelming majority of Nintendo's targeted user base doesn't even know what emulating is. Except now, they might, because Nintendo was telling the world how annoying it is that everyone's taking those pictures. And if 'everyone' does it, why don't you?
Security by obscurity is a thing, here. And that applies to most piracy. Just offer the better alternative and make sure your customers love you, not hate your guts.
Haven't even turned one of them on for 3 years or so. Yet I can't grab an emulator and ROM on my PC and play BotW in 4K? (of which Nintendo has invested ZERO percent more effort in creating) How is it not fair use?
Same things that happen with intrusive DRM. And it will end up the same way. Everything can be hacked, and it will be.
No corporations are your friend.
People still buy Nintendo because, and you may want to sit down for this......its FUN. They make fun games. That's it. That's the magic sauce. If you want to play a game that isnt "shooty shooty mc bang bang sweaty gamurz" or " open world checklist #4796" or "hairy dad game but modern virtue signaling" then you go Nintendo. Also go nintendo if you want couch co-op.
Where they screwed up was emulating a MODERN console. The PS2, gamecube, NES, ece emulators really caught on after those systems were no longer sold. Dolphin emulating wii was testing the waters, but emulating the switch while it was still selling angered Nintendo. Breaking DRM and releasing games early also pissed them off.
I think its silly, you think its silly, but we know how nintendo is.I agree that nintendo can get repetitive, but the irony of calling them "creatively bankrupt" when sony is remastering PS4 games for money and Microsoft can only push "halo but worse" and "more minecraft" is not lost on me.Why do people get hung up on the hardware? Yeah, it isnt cutting edge. Neither are the playstation or xbox. Nothing is stopping you from buying a PS5 pro+ accessories for $1100 to play the latest corpo-slop. Won't be fun, but hey you can look at the checkerboard 4k FSR textures in all their blurry 4k glory!
Powerful hardware =! good games.Welcome to 2010. The gaming industry has been dominated by big money for a LONG time.
I think you can compare Nintendo to Lego. Even Lego evolves with the times, but it still retained its own soul. If they do things online, knowing its for children first and foremost, everything is managed accordingly, you have parental controls, screen names are randomized, etc. But even on their website the core of everything is still what it always was: Lego, building stuff with blocks.
Every time you pop a Nintendo first party product in your machine, you know you're getting a Nintendo product with Nintendo qualities, gameplay, simplicity, and just plain fun. You're not faffing about with a million upscalers or resolutions or whatever other performance setting that you find on current day consoles elsewhere, either. You're just clicking play and you're off. Shit's simple.
People like simple and people like transparency in experiences. Knowing what to expect, while still being surprised by the thing you thought you knew. Nintendo has mastered this.
Another thing people REALLY like, and most of gaming corporate has long since forgotten, is that they like authenticity. Authentic experiences, built on a visionary concept of what a game should be. Games that stick to such concepts, make for great games, and from that spawn even more great games with slight variations. What you see in corporate publisher land though is the exact opposite approach: they grab off the shelf concepts, stick them into a known franchise, and call it rebooted, remastered, or 'reimagined'. But there is no imagination here. There's just a box of duct tape applied to what you already had, and it'll never be greater than the sum of its parts, but rather, more often, far less than that. Simply because it does not feel authentic. Those are the games you play and 'enjoyed yourself with' but really all you did was spend the time with them, to get to the end of them. They are never memorable, they just kill time.
After about 30 years I can still dream the entirety of this game. Don't ask me why. It just is, and its more than just nostalgia, a lot of other SNES games I've completely forgotten about. The game was simply really just awesome at what it wanted to do. I'm playing Noita right now, and even though its a radically different game, it shares traits beyond both being platformers... Super Mario World had a touch of mystery to it, numerous secrets, wondrous environments... and it all just worked so well together. Noita is a good example of that too. Yes, its another roguelike, but its so much its own thing too, exploring the concept in great ways, and taking you along for the ride, which makes it authentic, you just feel it sprung from some great minds when you play, and just that invites you to want more of it.