Nintendo Switch runs Windows games via Wine-NX homebrew

The homebrew project Wine-NX has enabled Windows-based games to run directly on the Nintendo Switch via the Horizon OS. Recent demonstrations show 'Need for Speed Underground 2' running on the console, achieving frame rates between 20 and 45 fps when using default graphics settings and an overclocked CPU.

Technical implementation relies on a port of Wine 11 for Horizon OS combined with Box64, which handles x86 code translation through a dynamic ARM64 recompiler. The software layer also utilizes Mesa 20.1 and the nouveau driver for graphics rendering. Beyond 'Need for Speed Underground 2', other titles such as 'OpenTTD' and 'Quake III Arena' have shown playable performance, while 'WarCraft III' is reportedly nearing compatibility.

The project supports various hardware features, including audio, touchscreen, and controller inputs. The Nintendo Switch controllers can be configured to function as Xbox 360 controllers to facilitate gameplay.