Apple’s M1 Mac computers have mightily impressed thus far, but the ability to play Nintendo Switch games isn’t something you’ll find the MacBook-maker talking about.
However, running emulations of Switch games on an M1 Mac can be achieved with the minimum of fuss, according to the developer who has been able to install Super Mario Odyssey on macOS and play it using the popular Yuzu Emulator.
There are limitations caused by the MoltenVK runtime library, developer @daeken explains on Twitter, but it all looks pretty impressive thus far. The Switch Joy-Cons are compatible, along with other Switch controllers.
You can see it below:
I'm so fucking proud of this. It only gets a few frames into the game before it hits the first MoltenVK limitation, but damn. pic.twitter.com/NcLIBLWOPz
— Sera Tonin Brocious (@daeken) December 20, 2020
The 8 bit website explains how the emulation is possible due to the way MoltenVK maps Vulkan – “the next-generation open-standard API for high-performance GPU acceleration” – to Apple’s graphics library.
The emulation is perhaps made easier by the fact both the Switch and the new M1 Apple Silicon Macs run on ARM-based processors. The developer reckons that, due to these similarities, an iOS and iPadOS version of the emulator that might be on the cards in the future.
In a reply on Twitter she notes that “if Hypervisor.framework is ever made available on iOS, porting it would be pretty painless I imagine.”
Related: Best Switch games
If she continues her work on the platform, it’s not too much of a stretch to think the new M1 Macs could become a pretty solid emulator for Switch games.
The M1 Mac range opens up a world of possibilities for Apple computers, well beyond a very unofficial compatibility with a Nintendo Switch emulator. There are speed and power advantages, much improved GPU for gaming purposes and big time battery life boosts. It’s also possible to run iOS and iPad OS apps on the desktop?
Which Switch games would you like to play on a Mac, if any? Let us know @trustedreviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
