Nintendo accidentally improved Switch emulation performance, thanks to Switch 2
Curtis Joe / Android Authority
TL;DR A recent update to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe also greatly improved emulation performance.
The update changed the game from 32-bit to 64-bit, enabling native code execution on Yuzu-based emulators.
The Switch 2 is winding down support for 32-bit games from the Wii U era and earlier.
Switch emulation has once again improved, but this time it's thanks to the hard work of Nintendo's own developers. Update 3.0.4 for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has inadvertently improved emulation performance, and it's all thanks to the Nintendo Switch 2.
The patch notes for the update are slim, but the download size of well over 4GB hints at another change behind the scenes. In preparation for the Nintendo Switch 2, the game has reportedly been secretly converted to 64-bit (via Senhor Linguica). This is almost certainly tied to the ARM Cortex A78C cores in the Switch 2 CPU, which do not support 32-bit code execution.
As a result, Yuzu-based emulators like Citron, Sudachi, and Eden can now take advantage of native code execution. This was one of the last major features added to the emulator before Nintendo shut it down, and it's essentially a compatibility layer for other 64-bit ARM systems like Android. This is the same approach Nintendo itself uses to play Switch 1 games on the Switch 2.
There are only a handful of 32-bit Switch games, but they include some popular titles.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, first released on the Nintendo Wii U, maintained its original 32-bit architecture in the Switch port prior to this latest update. That made it significantly more difficult to emulate despite coming out just a few months after the console in 2017.
There are only a handful of 32-bit Switch games, but they include popular titles like Pikmin 3 Deluxe, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Monster Hunter Generations Unite, and Luigi's Mansion 2 HD. As Nintendo works to make these games compatible with Switch 2, their performance on Switch emulators should also improve.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will launch on June 5 and is currently available for pre-order.
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