Author Topic: Review of hacked iQue Switch  (Read 5661 times)

Offline CarlTrek

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Review of hacked iQue Switch
« on: June 24, 2020, 03:31:39 PM »
Okay, now I got my iQue Switch hacked by using Xecuter SX Core product.
This review could be much shorter than you expected since I won't show the exact same things as regular Switches.

1.Game booting splash

Every Switch user will know that there is a splash screen shown when Switch is starting a game, which contains a Nintendo logo (top left corner) and a Switch logo (bottom right corner). According to Nintendo Homebrew Discord server, this splash is stored in game executive files. However, what's in the iQue Switch has exceed what we have known about the booting splash.

When starting any NSP or legit eShop games (no matter what the game region is, and even applies to NSP that are not games e.g. Tinfoil installed as a game), it shows a boot splash containing 3 parts: a Nintendo logo (top left corner) , a Switch logo (bottom right corner), and a "notice about healthy gaming" in the middle.



Let's talk a little more about that "notice about healthy gaming". It's required by law that all video games legally released in China mush show such notice in game (wherever though, on loading screen, on intro screen, even in ingame chats, at the favor of developers.), very similar to "Winners Don't Use Drugs" in arcade machines back in 1990s. I guess that's why iQue Switch just baked it into the OS and affect every NSP since every game will need one. The content of that notice is :
Code: [Select]
Protest against vulgur games and say no to pirated games.
Take care to self-protections and avoid being scammed ingame.
Casual gaming is good for brain while gaming addiction is bad for health.
Plan your time wisely and enjoy a healthy life.

However, when starting XCI games or foreign cartridges (I haven't tried iQue cartridges or XCIs dumped from them), it just shows a regular boot splash.



So, there are two things quite new to us:
1. The boot splash could contain more than 2 parts and it's customizable at least in some extent;
2. The boot splash doesn't always come from game executive files, at least for iQue Switch.

2. Language Fallback Issues

Some games are multilingual, which means it can change to different languages automatically according to what language and region you have selected in your OS. However there are always times that you selected a language that the game doesn't support, so it will display in its "default language" , usually English, and that's "language fallback".

All games (including XCI and NSP) will display in simplified Chinese if they support. However, since there is no language or region settings on iQue Switch, if they don't support simplified Chinese, they will fallback to usually English even if they provide similar language like traditional Chinese and users will have no control on this, unless it provides a dedicated language selector ingame.

For games that are not multilingual, they will still run normally and display in their original language.

3. NES/SNES online
A pretty surprising thing is, NES/SNES online on iQue Switch could be played totally offline, with all games accessable. However, NES/SNES online is not in iQue eShop so piracy is required. On regular Switches, you need an Nintendo Account, an membership subscripion and get online to play NES/SNES online. You could bypass the Nintendo account, but the game would hang up on game selection page, with no games shown.

4. A little extra: Super Mario Bros. U trial for iQue Switch

Actually this should be in the part of that OFW review. But when I realized that there is the trial version of Super Mario Bros. U trial for iQue Switch, I have already packed my Switch up and ready to mail it to the pirate for modification.

I have said I would like to dump such trial game to let you guys try it yourself, but unfortunately, none of the tools (including Tinfoil, SX Dumper and LockPick) could dump iQue eShop titles properly. According to Team Xecuter, iQue Switch use different titleKey format to encrypt eShop games, which those tools are not adapted to.

Download the game is the same process as regular Switch, so not so much to talk about.



Loading screen. You can see they translated "Now Loading...". And this is not because they think someone would not understand what's "Now Loading". It's actually because of the video game censorship rules in China: Anything could be written in simplified Chinese must be written in simplified Chinese.  Using unnecessary amounts of foreign language (which finally turned into do use unnecessary amounts of Chinese) in game will decrease the chance for it to pass censorship. Also using traditional Chinese in game is prohibited since it's the language for Taiwan or HongKong which is capitalism.

Intro screen of the game. The name of the game definitely needs to be translated.



Only 6 levels are playable in this trial version: 3 from Super Mario Bros. U and another 3 from Super Luigi Bros. U.



They also translated level names.



The gameplay is the same as regular version. But there is a little but quite a shocking difference: They translated "1UP" into "加1" which means "+1". I dunno that even such a little thing is in the scope of censorship. It happened too fast and I don't have time to capture it though. Even commies will know what is "1UP" without someone translate it for them; remember we are grown up with Dendy.



Well, that's all. Thanks for your reading. In this hot summer, chill yourself with a cold war.




« Last Edit: August 21, 2020, 02:24:17 AM by CarlTrek »