Recently, a video by pepsipu went viral on social media. This is a California Institute of Technology student and security researcher who, using artificial intelligence capabilities, managed to hack the Nintendo Switch 2.
This is not a full kernel hack, but a tethered jailbreak (i.e., it will not persist after a console reboot), however, even this was enough to modify Mario Kart World.
pepsipu not only boasted about the hack and showed gameplay of the modified Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, but also published a detailed blog describing the hacking process in detail. Nintendo clearly read it, as shortly after this publication, the company took action.
To hack the Nintendo Switch 2, SmileBASIC was used — this is an application for the first Switch that also works on the new console. AI found a vulnerability that allowed, under certain conditions, to overwrite data and gain access to memory.
Nintendo acted very simply: SmileBASIC began to be removed from digital stores. However, the company has not yet commented on the Switch 2 hack and the disappearance of the application. It is unknown whether the developers have plans to release a patch, or if SmileBASIC will not be returned.