c22dev/mush8

Mush8 is worth a look only if you own a dumped copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, update 4.0.1, your Switch keys and firmware, and an Apple Silicon device with enough RAM. There is no bundled or downloadable game data, so the port is a build-it-yourself exercise before it is a game.

The problem

Someone who owns Mario Kart 8 Deluxe but no longer wants to sit at a Switch wants the same game running on an Apple Silicon Mac or an iPhone, ideally with friends who are also on Apple devices. Normally that means a Switch plus Nintendo's online service and a separate screen. Mush8 changes that workflow: you point the app at your own game files once, it extracts and precompiles the game, and afterwards you launch a native Mach-O app and pick a multiplayer mode. You end up playing the actual game on the device you already carry, with Switch players able to join the same session.

What's different

The mechanism is the interesting part. Switch and Apple Silicon are both arm64, so the game's code nearly runs unchanged; Mush8 uses a tool called nxpatch to rewrite the small number of instructions that cannot run outside a Switch, such as the x18 register, system calls and system registers. The larger piece, nxhost, stands in for the Switch's Horizon OS: it provides file, save, controller, audio and network services and translates the game's NVN graphics calls into Metal, with shaders translated to Metal and compiled ahead of time.

The two platforms take different paths. On macOS the patched code is loaded at launch; on iOS, where the author says JIT is unavailable, the game code is linked into the app at build time. That explains the heavy first build and the long shader compile for iOS. On top of the port, Mush8 adds LAN Play over internet servers, an Online mode pointing at any lan-play.com server, and a Wireless mode for nearby devices without a router. A second iPhone can also act as a controller for a Mac without any game files. The trade-off is that you are building and signing an app from source, not installing one.

Who should try it

This fits a developer-ish player with an Apple Silicon Mac, a Switch game dump and some patience for a first build that compiles every shader. It also fits a group that already uses lan-play and wants an iPhone or Mac in the same race as their Switches. It is a poor fit for anyone expecting a ready-made app, or for iPhone owners relying on a free Apple ID who expect the full memory layout: free accounts and .ipa installs get a smaller 5 GB layout. Nintendo's own online play is gone, and 5–8 player split screen is hidden because it is Switch 2 only.

Requirements and limitations

You must supply prod.keys, the base .nsp, update 4.0.1, a Firmware folder with fonts and Miis, and optionally the Booster Course Pass as dlc.nsp. The Mac side needs macOS 14+, a Rust toolchain and Xcode 26+; iOS adds a pinned Rust 1.98.1 toolchain, aarch64-apple-ios, xcodegen, and an Apple ID (free works) or AltStore/SideStore. A device on iOS/macOS 26+ with 6 GB RAM or more is required, 8 GB preferred. The build script installs missing tools such as Homebrew and Rust, so expect it to touch your machine; the by-hand path uses the project's build instructions. Ongoing upkeep is the usual source-build tax: re-signing, rebuilding when the toolchain moves, and renaming dlc.nsp if the macOS launcher loses track of it. No amiibo support yet, and the two WebM videos play as slideshows on iOS.

HotRepo's take

HotRepo first recorded this project at 8 days old. On the NEW-REPOSITORY board (新项目榜, not the overall Trending board) for Rust, it showed 627 total stars at #10 on 2026-10-25; that is a star total, not daily growth. Coverage spans only 2026-10-24 to 2026-10-25, so persistence cannot yet be judged. Before committing, check that your exact device and iOS/macOS version satisfy the 6 GB and OS 26 requirements, since that single line decides whether the app can run at all.