A Wind Waker Switch port has finally arrived, just not from Nintendo, because two homebrew projects called SwitchWakerHD and SwitchWaker now let modded Switch owners run The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker natively, with no emulation involved at all.
One is built from the 2013 Wii U remaster and the other from the original 2002 GameCube release, and both have been put together by developers depende3000 and Pulpparty, so how on earth does it work, and should you actually bother? Let me explain.
Wait, How Is This Not Emulation?
According to GBAtemp’s write-up, the two projects take different routes to the same sea, and neither of them is emulating the original hardware, which is why they can run on a console that would otherwise turn Wind Waker HD into a very shiny slideshow.
- SwitchWakerHD (Wii U version): a static recompilation, where the game’s PowerPC code is translated into C ahead of time, Wii U system libraries are rebuilt natively, and graphics run through deko3d
- SwitchWaker (GameCube version): built from the community decompilation of the original game, with graphics handled by the Aurora renderer
SwitchWakerHD is a fork of the existing ZeldaWWHDRecomp project, which already runs on PC, Mac, Linux and Android, so this is really the Switch joining a party that’s been going for a while.
How Well Does Wind Waker Run on Switch?
Better than you’d probably expect, with the SwitchWakerHD GitHub page reporting a median of 29.9fps in handheld mode at stock CPU speeds on its test route, and 1080p with dynamic resolution when docked, though it does warn about dips in busier areas.
There’s also a surprisingly generous options menu, including:
- Adjustable CPU clock speeds and GPU profiles, including a handheld overclock
- A GamePad mode with gyro aiming and touchscreen support
- Save states, a warp tab and mod support
- Shader caches that can be precompiled on a computer
The GameCube-based SwitchWaker currently runs at 30fps, doesn’t hold that everywhere yet, and only supports English since it needs the US disc, though GBAtemp says the developers have hinted at 60fps in the next big release!
Worth NotingBoth READMEs say an AI coding agent wrote most of the port-specific code, with humans choosing features and testing on real hardware, so expect some of the same debate we’ve seen around other AI-assisted decomp and recomp projects lately.
What Do You Need to Play It?
This is not a download-and-go situation, because there are no ready-made release files, and you have to build everything yourself from your own copy of the game, which you’ll obviously have “legally” dumped from a disc sitting on your shelf… some people, definitely not me, will be checking theirs right now!
- A Switch running Atmosphère custom firmware with the Homebrew Menu
- The US Wii U version (unpatched) for SwitchWakerHD, or the US GameCube disc as an uncompressed ISO for SwitchWaker
- Docker or Podman on your computer, plus Python 3 for the HD version
- Around 1.6GB of free SD card space for SwitchWaker
Known issues include a glitchy Pictobox and shaders that sometimes load late in the HD port, and the developers recommend saving through the game rather than trusting save states.
Is This Better Than Waiting for Nintendo?
Honestly, it might be, because the GameCube version of Wind Waker is only officially playable on Switch 2 through Nintendo Switch Online’s GameCube library, and Wind Waker HD is still stuck on the Wii U like a message in a bottle nobody has bothered to open.
If you’ve already got a modded Switch, this Wind Waker Switch port is a fascinating project that’s well worth tinkering with, but if your Switch is unmodded, I wouldn’t go hacking it just for this, because it’s still early, it takes real effort to set up, and Nintendo is clearly busy with other Zelda remakes, as you’ll know if you saw our piece on the Ocarina of Time remake’s midnight launches.
Wind Waker was the very first Zelda game I played and it holds a very special place in my heart. The worst part about Nintendo simply refusing to talk about it is how they managed the Skyward Sword HD remake so effortlessly and yet can’t be bothered to bring us a shinier way to sail the seas of sumberged Hyrule.
FAQ
Is the Wind Waker Switch port emulation?
No, the Wind Waker Switch port runs natively, using a static recompilation for the Wii U version and a decompilation for the GameCube version.
Does SwitchWakerHD include the game?
No, neither project includes game files or release builds, so you need your own dump of the US version and have to build it yourself.
Can I play Wind Waker on an unmodded Switch?
Not on the original Switch, but the GameCube version is available on Switch 2 through Nintendo Switch Online’s GameCube library.
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