Emulating GameCube and Wii on Switch is no longer a big headache

The Nintendo Switch is a great console, but it runs on Nintendo’s proprietary OS. While the game collection is great, Switch owners are often eager to enjoy titles from older consoles. Those who wanted to try out GameCube or Wii games had to go through the difficult process of installing SwitchRoot, which brings Android and Linux to the Switch, and then running the Dolphin emulator. A project called “Tico” is changing this with its latest release, allowing classic games to run directly in the Switch’s native environment for the first time.

While the headline-grabbing news is support for the GameCube and Wii, Tico is much more than just a standard emulator launcher. It is a custom, multi-platform emulation frontend built specifically in native C++ for performance and portability. Tico’s primary goal is to ease the pain of emulating games on the Switch by directly launching the embedded emulator core with “zero” user configuration.

Tico features a controller-first navigation UI designed for handheld and docked controller use. It also features automatic game library management, so you don’t have to worry about carefully renaming your game ROM files.

latest Tico v0.7.0 alpha release Dolphin emulator features experimental GameCube and Wii support through the core. It is said to be the most demanding core running on the Switch’s Horizon OS to date. So the release is marked alpha, and volatility is expected.

Dolphin Core enables Boost mode by default, pushing the Switch’s Tegra X1 chip to 1,785 MHz and the GPU to 768 MHz. Although these limits are claimed to be safe, it is still a good idea to monitor the temperature of your device.

Can you play GameCube and Wii games natively on Nintendo Switch?

It is important to clarify what “original” means in this context. With Tico, the game is still being emulated – the Switch hardware is not running the GameCube code as if it were a native Switch title. Instead, the term refers to the operating system.

Previously, performance was hindered due to the overhead of running a completely separate OS like Android in the background. As of Tico v0.7.0 alpha, Dolphin Core runs directly on the Switch’s native Horizon OS (via custom firmware (CFW). This streamlines the experience, allowing you to launch retro games without rebooting your console into a different OS.

As you may have noticed, you need CFW on your Nintendo Switch to run Tico, as it won’t run on the Switch’s stock Horizon OS. CFW allows you to enable features outside of Nintendo’s walls, like running homebrew apps, installing custom themes, and more. V1 Switch users can run CFW via software, but the newer V2 and OLED models require hardware modification to run.

Once you’ve installed CFW on your Switch (keeping your hardware compatibility in mind), you can download the latest release of Tico from GitHub and install it. You’ll also need your GameCube and Wii ROM, but you’ll be all set to enjoy your games straight on your Switch without having to install Android or Linux.

The ability to switch between games through a very simple process and interface makes the Switch a better handheld emulation powerhouse than ever. Titles like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, FIFA Street 2, and Rayman Origins are reported to work well through Tico. As the project matures, fingers have been pointed at better compatibility and stability of the game.