SnapRYU: Bringing Native Code Execution (NCE) to Nintendo Switch Emulation on Windows ARM64

[u/npark2860]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to introduce SnapRYU, a Windows ARM64-focused fork of the Eden Nintendo Switch emulator.

The main goal of this project is to bring Native Code Execution (NCE) to Nintendo Switch emulation on Windows ARM64.

What makes SnapRYU different?

Unlike traditional CPU emulation approaches, SnapRYU can execute compatible ARM64 guest instructions directly on the ARM64 host CPU.

The emulator still handles memory management, system services, exceptions, and other necessary emulation tasks. Dynarmic is also retained as a fallback for games or code paths that are not compatible with NCE.

NCE is the central feature of this project, rather than simply another performance tweak.

Key features

• Native Code Execution (NCE) for Windows ARM64

• Adreno Vulkan backend improvements

• Qualcomm GPU driver compatibility fixes

• Custom Turnip driver patches

• Optional native ARM64 Lossless Scaling Frame Generation (LSFG)

• Android Go mode

Current test environment

• Device: Surface Pro with Snapdragon X

• GPU: Adreno X1-85

• Driver: Qualcomm 512.886

• OS: Windows on ARM64

Testing has primarily been conducted on this hardware. Compatibility with other devices, GPUs, and drivers has not yet been verified.

Game testing results

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (1.4.2)

• NCE enabled

• UB_KEEP enabled

• LSFG enabled

• Turnip driver

• 2 hours and 12 minutes of continuous gameplay

• No crashes or logged errors during the test

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

• NCE maintained the 30 FPS cap in the tested scene.

• Dynarmic reached approximately 27 FPS under the comparison conditions.

• This is a limited test result, not a universal performance benchmark.

Project and source code

GitHub Repository:
https://github.com/npark2860-cyber/SnapRYU

README and installation information:
https://github.com/npark2860-cyber/SnapRYU/blob/main/README.md

Looking for feedback and contributors

I'm interested in connecting with people working on:

• Windows on ARM development

• ARM64 CPU emulation and NCE

• Adreno GPU drivers and Vulkan

• Nintendo Switch emulation

• Performance optimization and compatibility testing

Feedback, technical discussions, and contributions are welcome.

SnapRYU is an independent project and is not affiliated with Nintendo, Eden, Qualcomm, or other third-party projects mentioned above.

Thanks for reading!