Guy installs Windows 11 on a Nintendo Switch, because why not?

In another case of "just because you can doesn't mean you should", on Sunday, user PatRyk (@Patrosi73) posted on X (formerly Twitter) the photo above showing Windows 11 running on the Nintendo Switch console. This was later accompanied by a video of the operating system running, as well as a few other bits of information about the install.

The version of Windows 11 installed is the ARM version with KVM enabled, and given the Switch's hardware it should come as no surprise that it isn't exactly quick as far as ARM machines go. All models of the Nintendo Switch run on a custom NVIDIA Tegra processor based on the Tegra X1, which dates all the way back to 2015.

It's not just Windows 11 that has been set up and run on this particular console, with versions of Linux and Steam having been seen and set up on the console with VM installs as well. When attempting to run Peggle on the console the performance clearly struggles and slows to a crawl.

Given the age of the hardware it is surprising that Windows 11 managed to run at all, which is testament to how optimised these ARM builds of operating systems are.

The Nintendo Switch's successor however has been confirmed by Nintendo to be announced within the current fiscal year (before April 2025) and will reportedly bring system performance up to a level between the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox Series S. Even though it will be announced then, there is no confirmation of an estimated launch window currently.

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