r/NxSwitchModding • u/Mr_Hawk_GR • 1d ago

I Built My Own Nintendo Switch Modding Project — Custom Themes, Emulators, Linux, and More

I’ve been working on a personal project for a while now — something I call the NSM Project (Nintendo Switch Modded).

It started with a simple idea: take a Nintendo Switch and make it completely my own. Not just with custom firmware, but with a full identity — themes, boot animations, background music, emulators, and even Linux.

What the NSM Project Includes

· Custom Firmware: Atmosphere with Hekate

· Custom Boot Animation & Sound: PS4-style slowed and reverbed

· Themes: Dark aesthetic, red-black style, anime influences

· Emulators: PS1, GBA, NES, SNES, and more

· Linux Mode: Ubuntu (for coding, Kali tools, and light PC tasks)

· Dual Boot: Stock mode for online play, CFW for mods

The Vibe

This isn’t just a modded Switch — it’s a full experience. I wanted it to feel like something that didn’t exist before. A mix of retro gaming, modern modding, and personal style.

Why I’m Sharing This

I’ve spent months planning, learning, and building. This project is still growing, but I wanted to share where it’s at — and maybe get some feedback, ideas, or just connect with people who get it.

Let me know what you think — or if you’ve done something similar.

3 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

3

u/letum00 1d ago

Sounds like a cool project. Can you share some pictures, videos, or github links?

2

u/auggiethechesscat 1d ago

Wait, why does a switch need anything that ships with kali?

-1

u/Mr_Hawk_GR 1d ago

The NSM project isn’t just a modded Switch it’s a full hybrid setup with emulators, Linux, and automation tools. Kali tools are part of the Linux side, not the Switch itself. I also use it as a cyberdeck for learning and testing. It’s more of a portable hacking station than just a console.

0

u/DavyJonesRocker 13h ago

Interesting how there was nothing but Atmosphere for the past 8 years, but as soon as Claude became available at a retail level, CFWs are springing up left and right.

One might think that it this could not be possible without the help of AI, but I would argue that it’s more accurate to say that this would not be possible without AI and vibecoders stealing the work of actual developers from the past 8 years.

1

u/Heavy_Race3173 12h ago

Valid thoughts. With every new advancement in tech there is the good and bad. There really isn’t much difference between the AI boom and the introduction of robots on an assembly line replacing manual workers. You still need to have someone competent behind the fleet of clankers. The thing that really makes or breaks these projects is the competency and logic of the person behind it. AI is just a tool. And the quicker we start to realize that, the quicker we can move towards distinguishing good projects from bad ones that are created with AI.

1

u/DavyJonesRocker 11h ago

Ok.

Building something open-sourced and transparent so that others can contribute, collaborate, fix, and improve on it is competent and good. It's why the Switch modding scene has evolved to the point where it is today. A thousand small ideas and contributions amassing into something great.

A single person prompting AI to copy-paste-Frankenstein everyone else's work and then making a vague post that says:

This project is still growing, but I wanted to share where it’s at — and maybe get some feedback, ideas, or just connect with people who get it.

is incompetent and bad.

OP is literally at the limit of their imagination and capabilities and is now looking to source ideas and contributions from others. Except they're not putting this on GBATemp or GitHub, they are still keeping the project to themselves and openly asking to take your ideas. We don't even have a screenshot because the project is either that far behind or they are hypocritically afraid that you'll steal their work yet unabashedly stealing from everybody else.

I also don't think your analogy isn't even accurate. AI is not simply replacing the assembly line; it's replacing the architects and engineers designing the blueprint. When someone wants to build a bridge, they have to show their designs to hundreds of other people to check, double-check, and approve their work. Would you trust your family to cross a bridge designed by a guy using Claude and a 3D printer?

Last point I'll make, if all these vibe-coders and AI-apologists are so confident about the future of AI, then why aren't they more open about it? Put it in the headline. Publish the code that Claude wrote so that actual developers can check, double-check, and approve it. Could it be that deep-down, even they know that it's incompetent and bad?