Visual veteran Xoxoxao has shared rumors that a Raspberry RP2040 based modchip is coming to the Nintendo Switch. With the chip available for around $3 at most retailers like AliExpress, this could be a game changer when Switch modchips cost $150 (installation not included) today.
$3 Raspberry Switch Modchip
In theory, it’s quite possible at this point that some hacking team has completely reverse engineered Team Executor’s SX Modchip and its clone HWFLY. From there, it seems reasonable to port the glitching code to a cheaper SoC. It also wouldn’t be surprising if one of the many hackers on the spot got tired of banking on piracy by modchip vendors, and decides to shortcut the whole process.
Also, Zecoxao is not the only one who mentioned this chip. Switch modding expert sthetix has also said he knows about it but he doesn’t have the details, Zecoxao is gone State The chip will be compatible with OLED (Aula), Switch V2 (Mariko), but not unpatched V1 (Erista). No word on Switch Lite compatibility.
In other words, the rumor seems somewhat valid.
The folks over at GBTemp are discussing the rumor, where it initially started, based on a Craigslist post attempting to sell the mod under the name “picofly” (in reference to HWFLY).
The Craigslist offer itself sounds shady, but some people have said that messing with the Switch with the Raspberry RP2040 is a possibility. CompSciOrBust, a longtime member of the Switch scene, has gone a step further, saying:
Yes we can do it. I know God. He asked some people (including me) to spread FUD here because he wasn’t ready to release lol. Some Russian guy who was testing it scared him off by trying to sell it.
In that original GBATemp thread, the Craigslist seller initially shared details about the pinout scheme:
7 pin:
29 – D0 28 – CMD 27 – CLK 26 – RST 15 – SOC SHELF
One could easily fake such information, but again, trustworthy people have said it is legit.
$3 Switch Modchip, in eta
It seems very possible that this rumor is valid, but if the device is real, there are several questions ahead: When should we expect a release? Will the product be completely open source, or will it be a competitor to existing HWFLY clones that cost a bit less? How much skill (and additional cables/hardware) would be required to install this myself? Specifically as sthetix said:
People!! Don’t get too enamored by the RP2040.
I don’t get the details of how to use it, how it works, etc.
But, if it replaces the HWFLY for the OLED, I’m sure it will need other components like the CPU ribbon cable and DAT0 adapter. and of course the same solder point
— Statics (@sthetixofficial) December 12, 2022
A completely open source solution, like the ones we’ve had in the past, like the SD2Vita design for the PS Vita, would honestly be awesome. This would reduce the cost of switch modding and could enable significant innovation in that domain. On the other hand, if the person behind the medium has knowledge that no one has released before, it is also possible that they will try to make a profit on it instead of giving it away.
We’ll have to wait and see on this one, but there could be exciting days ahead for Switch hacking. Anything that brings down the cost of modding Switch consoles would be awesome.
In the meantime, if you can’t wait to hack your Nintendo Switch, check out our Switch hacking guide.
Source: via zecoxao
