The Switch 2's latest update improves the console's GBA emulator

We’re now several months into a brand new Nintendo generation, and waiting impatiently for important information such as the release date for Metroid Prime 4 and the whereabouts of the next 3D Mario game. But in the meantime, the company has been gradually updating its various retro console emulators on Nintendo Switch Online, with the latest being the Game Boy Advance.

As spotted by Nintendo Everything, the 3.0.0 update to the GBA app adds button remapping, which is already possible with the N64 and SNES emulators. Accessible from the menu while playing a game, this allows you to mess around with controls if you’re not happy with the default option, which admittedly does feel like something that should have been there from the beginning, but hey.

Nintendo Everything adds that GBA games in the Nintendo Switch Online library are also now playable in 1080p in handheld mode on the Switch 2, which is hard to verify as there’s no option to toggle video quality. Presumably any game booted on the newer hardware now just defaults to the higher resolution, where before they’d have been stretched from the original Switch’s 720p maximum output. Of course, if the idea of playing a game from the early 2000s with pin-sharp clarity on a huge display appalls you, there is still the option of enabling a bordered small screen, as well as the “classic feel” filter, which adds analog-y scanlines.

Perhaps the most enjoyable addition of all, though, is the hidden original GBA startup screen, which you can activate by wiggling the analogue stick when booting the app. I tested this, and it is (obviously) delightful. Nintendo added a similar Easter egg to its GameCube app earlier this year.

Unfortunately, the updated GBA emulator doesn’t include any new game drops. The most recent title to join the service was Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones back in April, which means the arduous wait for Nintendo to give us Mario Golf: Advance Tour continues. For me at least. Sigh.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-switch-2s-latest-update-improves-the-consoles-gba-emulator-164340851.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-switch-2s-latest-update-improves-the-consoles-gba-emulator-164340851.html?src=rss
Vytvorené 3d | 4. 9. 2025, 17:20:27


Ak chcete pridať komentár, prihláste sa

Ostatné príspevky v tejto skupine

8BitDo's Ultimate 2 controller for Switch 2 is on sale for only $54

8BitDo makes some of our favorite gaming accessories, and right now you can get one of its Nintendo Switch 2 controllers for the lowest price we've seen yet. A deal on Amazon shaves 14 percent off

6. 9. 2025, 17:50:12 | Engadget
Zuckerberg caught on hot mic telling Trump 'I wasn't sure' how much to promise to spend on AI in the US

Mark Zuckerberg has certainly come a long way in his relationship with Presi

6. 9. 2025, 17:50:11 | Engadget
Porsche and Audi's EVs can now recharge on any Tesla Supercharger in North America

Starting September 9, Porsche and Audi will be the latest non-Tesla brands to utilize the Supercharger network. The two automakers announced that some of their owners will get adapters that allow t

6. 9. 2025, 17:50:09 | Engadget
Pokémon Legends: Z-A feels like a strong step forward for the series

The Pokémon series has had staying power ever since its debut in the 1990s, but it has felt especially popular in recent years, thanks to Pokémon GO and the resurgence of the trading card game. Giv

6. 9. 2025, 15:30:15 | Engadget
Silksong, smacking sticks and other new indie games worth checking out

Welcome to our latest recap of what's going on in the indie game space. Folks,

6. 9. 2025, 13:20:14 | Engadget