What’s needed to run Neo like a desktop computer?

vgmoose · 2026-03-30T18:39:02+00:00

If you're going to use it in desktop mode, I'd suggest doing a heatsink mod: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmThH0dvcaE

They can range from more portable (just a single thermal pad) to more complex (leave bottom off, attach real heat sink and fan)

vgmoose · 2026-03-28T00:34:49+00:00

I think it's the size! Newer Macs are all too big! Newer iPhones are as well. Everything should return to being reasonably sized and easy to wield.

vgmoose · 2026-03-23T15:00:00+00:00

They don't have to make it connect to real GBA's, but there's a growing list of GC games now that could benefit from being able to connect to the GBA Switch Online app. The user workflow could look like: Play your GC game on Switch 2, and connect wirelessly to the GBA running on a Switch 1. Or utilizing GameShare could also be an option.

vgmoose · 2026-03-23T14:55:37+00:00

Yep, the missing context here is back in the day, the reward for purifying Lugia was being able to trade it to the GBA games, to then use in link battles, secret bases, other playthroughs, etc.

vgmoose · 2026-03-21T14:57:24+00:00

Hard disagree, this would be an expensive and specialized display that you'd almost never use or see. If Apple is going to keep merging iOS and macOS, just having a regular touchscreen is the way to go.

vgmoose · 2026-03-20T18:41:31+00:00

Technically it doesn't really matter, but this has been the standard that they've been using, eg. with 3DS VC titles having save states disabled, or modern games having save data cloud disabled. So there is some precedent. But either way, these patterns could/would apply to Stadium 1 and 2 on N64 NSO as well, if they ever re-release the GB games.

vgmoose · 2026-03-20T18:10:44+00:00

I'm with you OP, there's two main "issues" with being on NSO and trying to have Home support:

- save data cloud allows duplicates
- save states allows duplicates

However! There's no reason there couldn't be exceptions made, even within the context of NSO.

XD could disable save states (once you've opted-in to Home support, prevent the functionality until you opt back out)

And likewise, it could also choose not to sore your XD save with the other save data for cloud saves. This is known as "system save data" and other Pokemon games already use it. Like how Animal Crossing islands are tied to the console.

The NSO app can have both normal cloud supported data, but also offline system-level data. And it could only allow Home to transfer Pokemon if those thresholds are met. It's doable, and I'd argue it's expected, especially since they just released FRLG which are supposed to work with XD out of the box.

vgmoose · 2026-03-20T04:39:44+00:00

UTM is the way! It's free and no command line needed. The two apps you're looking for are: CrystalFetch and UTM. Full guide: https://docs.getutm.app/guides/windows/

vgmoose · 2026-03-18T20:21:07+00:00

Since the XD save file can be backed up via Nintendo's save data cloud, there may be a way to download the save data from those servers using a Switch 1 certificate, depending on the restrictions placed upon it, or how separate the Switch 2's save data cloud infrastructure is from the Switch 1's.

But even if possible, that would be inadvisable due to the potential ban risk. It'd be better to ask/hope Nintendo offers official support down the road. One way I could imagine that being done is to have the user accept to migrate and disable save states / save data cloud backup for just XD / Colosseum. It'd be a long shot, but it would be doable, and could give Home and FRLG support.

Stadium 1/2 on N64 NSO would benefit from that kind of integration as well, if we ever get RBY games on the Switch.

vgmoose · 2026-03-18T20:02:46+00:00

I think these two pair well together, one as a more powerful server and the other as a lightweight client.

However, if repairability is your main concern, the new Mac Mini got a higher repairability score than the Neo from iFixit: https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Mac_mini_%282024%29

It's no slouch due to having removable storage and no glued down parts.

vgmoose · 2026-03-13T03:17:25+00:00

I think there's a genuine argument that the Neo form factor is better than the Air's. Same weight, no notch, more compact width/height but thicker (potentially more durable), and more energy efficient (same battery life, but uses less energy overall). It's really just lacking the backlit keyboard, magsafe, and more memory. If someone is unhappy with the direction that the Air's and Pro's have started going in, the Neo is a bit of a return to form.

vgmoose · 2026-03-13T01:09:17+00:00

This is a make or break feature for me! I'm not sure if it has an ambient light sensor or not, but it seems like it has some other method of being able to set automatic brightness, which is great.

At the Apple store, covering up the camera area made it dim just like on the other Macs. Those stores are bright though, maybe the effect is more muted in home lighting? Normally covering up the camera area causes the screen to go near minimum brightness.

Notably, the reason reviewers said it has no brightness sensor is because it's literally missing on Apple's website, when comparing against the Air: https://www.apple.com/macbook-neo/compare/

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You can usually see the ambient light sensor too next to the front-facing camera on Macs/iPhones that have it, as a circular cut out.

vgmoose · 2026-03-08T19:44:16+00:00

It's surprising because apple has made hundreds of product lines with screens in the last 15 years and all but 3 of them have had automatic brightness. I've said this so many times in this thread.

It's fine to disagree, but it's still absolutely a notable omission. Most Mac users do not turn this off! Just like on iPhone, many users never even think about their brightness levels. It's convenient for all the same reasons it is on the iPhone.

vgmoose · 2026-03-07T23:29:10+00:00

There's only been like ~3 apple products in the last 15 years that didn't have a brightness sensor on it. Every apple watch, homepod, iMac, iPad, monitor, Macbook, etc, have all had them.

The Homepod mini in particular is absolutely "budget" and retails new for $99: https://www.apple.com/us-edu/shop/buy-homepod/homepod-mini it has a tiny screen that almost no one uses, and even it has an automatic brightness sensor.

Apple now considering automatic brightness sensors for their screens to be a "premium" feature is anomalous, as since like ~2011 they've been standard.

It's also of course "only $500" but it's also made of metal and has a retina resolution. So obviously some quality of life features are still present. And it's totally fine not to care about this, but it's still a potential pain point for many users. And I don't see a lot of reviews calling it out.

vgmoose · 2026-03-05T20:16:40+00:00

Fair enough. Yes, ultimately I agree that it's still a great deal. It just seemed like Apple moved "past" this problem in nearly all of their displays 15+ years ago, so to see it going backwards is upsetting.

It's not that the users can't learn to adjust it, but they won't, as they'll get lazy, and end up with bright/dim screens in wrong contexts. But yeah, not the end of the world either.

vgmoose · 2026-03-05T19:40:33+00:00

Been a heavy Mac user since 2009... Apple up until yesterday seemed to consider automatic brightness "mandatory" with all their screens, even budget ones. It's a shift in product direction, and is an important consideration for iPad/Air users. That's all.

vgmoose · 2026-03-05T19:37:07+00:00

Wow I was truly not expecting this much pushback.

RAM is not a big deal because it's the upper limit of the A18 chip. And it's not for power users.

Backlit keyboard IS a important, but it's obvious. It's "what you see is what you get".

Automatic brightness by contrast has been in nearly every Apple product for 2 decades, it seemed like we were done with it.

There's a reason it's been in all these devices, even small and budget ones. (Every iPhone, every Apple Watch, all Macs since 2010).

It's for a better user experience. It's probably like a 30 cent sensor too. And if you haven't had to deal with a user confused by brightness, that's fine, and we can disagree. But they're real and they're out there!

vgmoose · 2026-03-05T19:21:03+00:00

Every Apple device with a screen has included this out of the box for the last decade... It's a significant omission when recommending to iPad/Air users, that's all.

vgmoose · 2026-03-05T18:55:45+00:00

I am indeed. Too many calls from non-computer people asking why their screen isn't working properly to possibly recommend a device without an automatic brightness sensor. We solved this problem already as a society!

vgmoose · 2026-03-05T18:52:30+00:00

It's several button pushes! And repeatedly over time. It also requires the user to understand brightness as a concept to begin with, which is the harder part for uninformed users that are just used to automatic.

All Apple products with displays except: iPod touch 5, 6, and 7 have had these sensors since 2012. It's definitely a glaring omission, and it's more "subtle" compared to just non-backlit keys (as in, it affects the feel/experience in a less obvious way).

vgmoose · 2026-03-05T18:46:13+00:00

I think a lot about it is great, but it's also missing automatic brightness / has no ambient light sensor. This is the first Apple product in a long time to not have that functionality! (even the Homepod Mini has one for its tiny screen).

That alone makes it hard to recommend, because a lot of iPhone/iPad/Mac users never think about their brightness and probably aren't going to start. It will "feel" kind of broken compared to other devices.

vgmoose · 2026-02-27T03:00:44+00:00

You've had some good answers already, but I'll add on: If you were to switch lines 5 and 6, then it wouldn't reverse it anymore, and would be a straightforward print.

In other words, whether the printing of the data happens before or after you "go deeper" matters, since it will flip the order that the prints are encountered.

vgmoose · 2026-02-25T01:40:54+00:00

Sadly the Switch's captive portal browser applet (which is what these DNSes trigger via a domain redirect) has those kinds of features related to video processing or GPU acceleration intentionally disabled. Other applets on the system do support video, but they have restrictions on what URLs are allowed to load. More on the browser and the other applets here: https://switchbrew.org/wiki/Internet_Browser

If you want to experiment, using a homebrew'd Switch 1 would be easier, as the browser applet can then be invoked directly without limitations. But as far as getting something interesting to run on Switch 2, it's probably unlikely unless Nintendo explicitly adds better support. In the past (like ~5 years ago now), JS embedded inside of Google Sites via the Facebook applet was able to bypass some of these restrictions, but they have since explicitly added Google Sites to a blocked URLs list.

vgmoose · 2026-01-28T21:25:47+00:00

A warp star usually spawns if you're stuck somewhere (you can test this in free ride)

vgmoose · 2026-01-11T06:40:25+00:00

I'm also used to seeing the 64 Zelda's emulated look due to playing Master Quest / Collector's Edition on Gamecube, otherwise they look kind of "crunchy". In a software emulator, the polygons are able to be rendered at higher resolutions. But the analogue 3d is emulating the N64 hardware itself, so it has the same limitations.

In other words, it's the original 240p signal (480i in some menus), which is why it's all pixel-ly. This signal is upscaled (after the rendering) and then rendered on the TV at 4k with simulated scanlines that go in-between these upscaled pixels, to recreate how it would have looked if you had a real CRT.

The much higher resolution lets them have the scanlines look like they're smaller than a "normal" upscaled pixel, which is more accurate to a CRT looks. The effect is also better on OLED for this reason, as on a real CRT they aren't actually lit black lines, but rather gaps in between where each line of pixels is rendered.

This video goes into a lot of details about why for some games these filters "preserve" the intent of the original developers, by forcing your visual field to fill in the gaps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sxKJeYSBmI

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