A Reddit user has published TVPort, an open-source tool created with the help of the AI Claude, which allows Switch games to run natively on the Apple TV 4K. Reported on November 5 by 9to5Mac, this project extends to televisions an approach already applied to other Apple devices.
- A Reddit user adapted nxnative to Apple TV 4K with TVPort, developed with the help of Claude.
- Switch games run natively on the box, without emulator and without Nintendo’s approval.
- Super Mario Odyssey reaches 60 fps, but Zelda : Tears of the Kingdom needs a 75% resolution and overheats.
- Some games will require the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K with 8 GB of RAM.
The open-source project nxnative was already running over a hundred Switch games on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, without an emulator-meaning without software mimicking the console-and without Nintendo’s approval. The living room TV was missing. Reddit user FloatingFalafel took care of it with TVPort, a version of nxnative adapted for Apple’s set-top box.
Concretely, a Mac application converts a game you own into an Apple TV app, then installs it on the box. FloatingFalafel claims to have used Claude Opus 5.5, Anthropic’s AI model, to complete this development.
Mario at 60 FPS, Zelda Struggling
No software mimics the console: the game’s code runs directly on the A15 chip of the third-generation Apple TV 4K, and its graphics are rebuilt using Metal, Apple’s graphics technology. According to information published by FloatingFalafel, Super Mario Odyssey runs at 60 frames per second, with some stutters and audio issues near waterfalls.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons caps at 30 frames per second, with no reported bugs. On the other hand, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom only maintains this pace with a resolution reduced to 75%, and the box heats up to the point of slowing down.
The developer warns that some games will require the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K and its 8 GB of RAM. The heaviest ones, like this Zelda, may never run properly on the previous model.
