Hidden Sega Saturn emulator inside Nintendo Switch Cotton Guardian Force Saturn Tribute!

Game developer city connection has just released cotton Guardian Saturn tribute for the Nintendo Switch that also includes Cotton boomerang and guardian force on the same cartridge. But what’s great about this release is that it also includes a hidden full-fledge Sega Saturn emulator!

This spectacular discovery was discovered by GBAtemp member lisareal2301, with a little tinkering lisareal2301 was able to trick the system into loading a Sega Saturn game running under Cotton Guardian Force! The emulation isn’t perfect but the user was able to get a lot of great gems running under the emulator! Now this trick is nothing new, in the past hackers were also able to load up N64 images through Nintendo virtual console service via Nintendo Wii and Wii U. The Sega Saturn is not an easy system to emulate but emulation has been improving over the years.

Here is a compatibility list of titles tested by GBAtemp user Levine 91

  • Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean (USA) (RE) – Perfect
  • AmokPerfect
  • Astal (USA) – Perfect
  • Burning Rangers (USA) – Almost Perfect (Minor audio cracks at random times, I was able to complete the tutorial no problem)
  • Bug! (USA) – Perfect
  • Bug Too! (USA) – Perfect
  • Bulk Slash (Japan) – Unplayable (Game hangs on black screen after start screen)
  • Clockwork Knight (USA) – Perfect
  • Clockwork Knight 2 (USA) – Unplayable (Crashes after the main menu)
  • Dark SaviorPerfect
  • Die Hard Arcade (USA) – Perfect
  • Dragon Force (USA) – Perfect
  • Dungeons & Dragons: Shadows Over Mystara (Japan) – Perfect
  • Elevator Action Returns (Japan) – Perfect
  • Guardian Heroes (USA) – Perfect
  • Gungriffon (USA) – Perfect
  • Keio Flying Squadron 2 (Europe) – Perfect
  • Legend of Oasis (USA) – Perfect
  • Linkle Liver Story (Japan) (English Translation) – Perfect
  • Magic Knight Rayearth (USA) – Perfect
  • Metal Slug – Super Vehicle-001 (Japan) (Rev A) – Perfect
  • Mr. Bones (USA) / Mr. Bones (Japan) – Unplayable (Both regions, game hangs on black screen and never proceeds)
  • Night Striker S (Japan) – Perfect
  • NiGHTS into Dreams… (USA) (RE) – Almost Perfect (Often there is a very minor frame drop, but the only reason I even noticed it is due to the audio. Otherwise, you can’t even tell.)
  • Noon (Japan) (Rev A) – Perfect
  • Panzer Dragoon (USA) – Perfect
  • Panzer Dragoon Zwei (USA) – Perfect
  • Panzer Dragoon Saga (USA) (Disc 1) – Almost Perfect (Minor audio cracks at random times, I was able to play on foot & riding on the dragon without issue)
  • Powerslave (USA) – Perfect
  • Radiant Silvergun (Japan) – Perfect
  • Rayman (USA) / Rayman (Japan) – Unplayable (Both regions have an input bug. Both in the main menu & in-game, when you press a directional key (Joystick or D-Pad, both are affected), the game responds to the input VERY rapidly, even with a very light press. It ultimately makes the game unplayable)
  • Sega Ages: Power Drift – Almost Perfect (Minor Graphical issues: vehicle disappears when you’re on/under a bridge)
  • Saturn Bomberman (USA) – Perfect
  • Shinrei Jusatsushi Taroumaru (Japan) – Perfect
  • Sonic 3D Blast (USA) – Perfect
  • Sonic Jam (USA) – Unplayable (Crashes at “Press Start” screen)
  • Sonic R (USA) – Almost Perfect (Minor audio cracks at random times, I was able to finish a race with no issues.)
  • Steamgear Mash (Japan) – Perfect
  • Virtua Fighter 2 (USA) (RE) – Somewhat Playable (The game has a consistent amount of slowdown it seems, I would say it’s in the 40-50fps range if I had to guess)
  • Virtual On: Cyber Troopers (USA) – Perfect? (For some reason the game initially makes you confirm 2 controllers before the start screen. However, you can progress as normal in a single-player after this. No other issues)
  • Willy Wombat (Japan) – Perfect

 

GBATEMP member Levine91 posted a important update!

4MB RAM and Stretched Widescreen is possible with a minor change to the .ini config!!!

Decrypted Configuration File

I have gone ahead and attached the decrypted .ini config, courtesy of @cucholix
download the attached “Config_Switch.zip” file, which contains the .ini file you’ll need.
I would recommend editing the .ini config using Notepad++, but regular Notepad will work also.

—!!! IMPORTANT !!!—
Make sure to delete your save file after making any changes to the .ini config, otherwise the changes will not take effect!!
Additionally the .ini config will work with any of the 3 core games, you just need to rename the attached .ini config to the corresponding title.
– “Cotton2_Switch.ini”
– “CottonBoomerang_Switch.ini”
– “GuardianForce_Switch.ini”

Config Cheat Sheet
– WideScreen=”0″ (Widescreen OFF | DEFAULT)
– WideScreen=”1″ (Widescreen ON)

– CartridgeID=”00″ (No RAM Cartridge)
– CartridgeID=”21″ (Backup RAM Cartridge)
– CartridgeID=”5a” (1MB RAM Cartridge | DEFAULT)
– CartridgeID=”5c” (4MB RAM Cartridge)

Hiding the “Options” icon.
Thanks once again to @cucholix we are also able to hide the “Options” icon from the bottom left corner of the screen.
Attached is a “Texture.zip” file that contains the custom “Texture.tex” file you’ll need.
Just simply replace the existing file in your /romfs/ folder with this one.
The options menu itself will still work upon pressing ” – ” on your controller.

Examples (also provided by @cucholix

 

Source

 

A tutorial on how to inject the images can be found here

P.S: You must have an unpatched Switch to do this.

About dujuandrocker

I've been a gamer ever since Nintendo first came out with their home console. I've always been intrigued by video games and electronics. The first game I beat was super Mario Bros. I'm in my mid 30s but you are never too old to play video games. I can see myself at 80 years of age still playing video games. I'm always reading and catching up on the latest gadgets, hacks and mods. I'm a family man with a wife and three beautiful daughters, life is what you make it, have fun and enjoy it to the last breath!

Check Also

Must Read: Did Yuzu Stand a Chance? Nintendo Wins Big in Emulator Battle!

The Nintendo-Yuzu lawsuit has been making headlines recently, with Nintendo securing a significant victory in …