Need for Speed Underground 2 now runs directly on Nintendo Switch — other Classic Windows titles playable thanks to custom firmware boot

Retro gaming enthusiasts can now immerse themselves in classic Windows titles like Need for Speed Underground 2 on Nintendo Switch consoles. A video on Twitter/X showcases the game running smoothly on the hybrid device. Other playable games include Quake III and OpenTTD, with WarCraft III nearing completion. This experimental software, Wine-NX, runs Windows x86 games directly on the Nintendo Switch through custom firmware boot.

NFSU2 runs at 20-45 fps with CPU overclocking, while OpenTTD reaches 60 fps, and Quake III Arena runs at 37 fps at 1,280 x 720 pixels. WarCraft III, however, is almost fully functional, with working menus, campaigns, and cutscenes. Wine-NX is a Wine 11 port to Horizon OS, allowing Windows programs and games to run on the Switch using Box64's ARM64 dynarec to translate x86 code.

Graphics are handled through Mesa 20.1's nouveau driver, supporting audio, touchscreen, and Switch controllers as mouse/keyboard and Xbox 360 controllers. To run Wine-NX and Windows PC games on a Nintendo Switch, users must have a console with custom firmware or a hardware mod.