The Ryujinx Switch Emulator can now play 83% of Switch games
PC gamers can now play over 83.4% of all Switch games using the Ryujinx Emulator
A good as Nintendo’s Switch handheld is, it cannot be denied that the system is held back by its weak hardware. The handheld itself launched in 2017, and the Nvidia Tegra X1 chip inside it launched in 2015. That’s ancient hardware by today’s standards, especially within the mobile space. With this in mind, it is easy to see why Switch emulators like Ryujinx and YUZU has become popular, even amongst Nintendo fans.
Emulation is a vital part of game preservation, preserving the functions of console hardware that will eventually break down and become unavailable. While Nintendo’s Switch is an active piece of hardware, it won’t be forever, and tools like Ryujinx have other benefits for users. This includes the ability to play many games at higher resolutions and framerates than their native Switch versions.
Ryujinx is a emulator that allows gamers to play Switch games on PC hardware. Right now the emulator supports Windows, Linux, and MacOS. Currently, the emulator can play 83.4% of tested Switch games. These games reportedly have no graphical, stability, or technical issues. A further 12.1% of tested games have reached in-game status with at least one reported problem.
Ryujinx Switch Emulator performance and efficiency improvements
In the emulator’s latest progress report, the Ryujinx team have reported 36% performance gains on average across the team’s test suite of games. Performance gains can vary significantly on a game-by-game basis, with Persona 5 and NieR Automata achieving 61% and 89% performance gains respectively.
The Ryujinx Switch emulator has also achieved major efficiency gains as part of more recent updates. This is great news for users of battery powered devices, as these efficiency gains can give users a longer battery life. This is especially useful for users of Valve’s Steam Deck and similar devices. These reductions also help to reduce the fan noise of these devices and prevents thermal throttling.
Ryujinx Emulator Resolution Boost
Today, emulators like Ryujinx and YUZU is the best place to play many Switch titles. Using the emulator, gamers can adjust the “internal resolution” of supported games. This allows gamers to play games at much higher resolutions than their original Switch counterparts. This can make many Nintendo titles look better than ever, especially when played at high resolutions like 1440p or 4K. Many games can also be played at higher framerates than their original Switch versions, allowing many games to both look and play better through emulation.
Nintendo may not like it, but many of their latest games both look and play best using an emulator. Where else can you play Pokemon, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom at 4K or at 60 FPS?
The Ryujinx Switch emulator has made rapid progress throughout 2023, and we expect this trend to continue throughout 2024. On day-1, Ryujinx was able to run Switch hits like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Wonder, Metroid Prime Remastered, and more without issues. Not bad for a relatively new emulator.
In other emulation news, the PCSX2 PlayStation 2 emulator can now play over 99% of the PS2’s library. The Dolphin emulator can also play over 97% of the Wii and GameCube libraries. With emulators like these, 2024 is going to be a great year to play classic console games on PC.
You can join the discussion on Ryujinx’s huge progress in 2023 on the OC3D Forums.
