fail0verflow Gets Linux GUI Running On Nintendo Switch

rgMekanic

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We reported earlier this month that hacker group fail0verflow had gotten Linux to run on the Nintendo Switch due to a flaw in the boot ROM of the Nvidia Tegra X1 SOC. Now fail0verflow has upped the ante by posting a video on Twitter of a fully working Linux GUI on the switch. Slashgear is reporting that the flavor of Linux shown is KDE Plasma, which is an advanced workspace that has a reputation for being a bit resource hungry.

They are getting closer and closer for sure, I also don't see the device that was connected where the right joycon goes in this video. My hope is this gets refined and out to the public, having a Switch that could also function as a Linux tablet would be fantastic for myself and many others.

As shown, everything works almost perfectly. Touch to wake works and so does brightness control. Multi-touch gestures, at least pinch to zoom, is supported. And so is Wi-Fi presumably, considering he is able to load web pages. An OpenGL demo runs at 60 fps, though not exactly a true benchmark. What the demo doesn't show, however, are things like audio and Bluetooth, especially Joycon support.
 
This is some excellent work, playing emulators on Linux will give so much more compatibility and options then trying to use them through a homebrew launcher. Can't wait to play around with future build releases.
 
I would love to be able to install steam on my switch and stream games to it. Hopefully they can make it happen.
 
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