Homebrew support for the Nintendo Switch has been a hot topic ever since the console came out. Modders have been trying to crack the Switch but it is proving to be a difficult task. There has also been some development in the emulation side of things. Currently, there is only one prominent emulation software for the Switch and it is known as Yuzu. It is being developed by a group of independent modders and they still have a long way to go. However, we have news that Super Mario Odyssey on Yuzu emulator is now running fine and can be played from start to finish without any problems.
What is Yuzu?
Yuzu is an experimental open-source emulator for the Nintendo Switch from the creators of Citra.
It is written in C++ with portability in mind, with builds actively maintained for Windows, Linux and macOS. The emulator is currently only useful for homebrew development and research purposes.
Yuzu only emulates a subset of Switch hardware and therefore is generally only useful for running/debugging homebrew applications. At this time, yuzu cannot play a majority of commercial games without major problems. yuzu can boot some commercial Switch games to varying degrees of success, but your experience may vary between games and for different combinations of host hardware.
How Good is Yuzu At Emulation Right Now?
Basically, the emulator is in nascent stages right now. It is only partially developed and as mentioned earlier can only run homebrew software at the moment, however, there are some occurrences where a game might work but not completely. It may crash midgame or just past the initial loading screen. However, Super Mario Odyssey is the first ever game to have run completely from start to finish.
Super Mario Odyssey on Yuzu Emulator
Yes, you can play Super Mario Odyssey on Yuzu Emulator without any major hiccups. This is a rather significant achievement for Yuzu’s team as they have only been in development for a year. Currently, Super Mario Odyssey, while completely playable may face some graphics glitches and performance hits but that is expected.
Right now optimization is a major issue for the team and they are working on it. The question is whether other such AAA titles for the switch will also be soon playable on Yuzu and we sure are hoping that to be the case.
You can watch a ten-minute gameplay video of Super Mario Odyssey running on Yuzu.
Let us know in the comment what you think of Nintendo Switch emulation.