# FreeBSD run Nintendo Switch outsells the Wii



## drhowarddrfine (Feb 5, 2022)

Nintendo Switch uses a modified FreeBSD operating system. A recent post, here, talked about the lack of use of FreeBSD and no one switches to FreeBSD. Another update of an example of a company that, just five years ago, built another new product around FreeBSD.



> The Nintendo Switch had a relatively strong holiday quarter, with 10.67 million units shipped between October and December despite the global semiconductor shortage. That brings the system’s lifetime total to 103.54 million units shipped, meaning it took just under five years to overtake the Wii’s 101.63 million.


----------



## CuatroTorres (Feb 5, 2022)

Somewhere, I read that Nintendo Switch is not really based on FreeBSD[1]. It seemed official. The article doesn't mention anything about it. I'll try to find my reading [done], while you could indicate the source about the relationship between the company with the operating system, if you have one. Thanks.
By the way, the Wii was a resounding failure.

[1]: 








						Nintendo Switch system software - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


----------



## zirias@ (Feb 5, 2022)

That's of course because of the huge crowd of FreeBSD fans among gamers


----------



## Menelkir (Feb 5, 2022)

CuatroTorres said:


> Somewhere, I read that Nintendo Switch is not really based on FreeBSD. It seemed official. The article doesn't mention anything about it. I'll try to find my reading, while you could indicate the source about the relationship between the company with the operating system, if you have one. Thanks.
> By the way, the Wii was a resounding failure.


Yes, horizon (the switch OS) it's a microkernel with some extra chimichangas. To be more exact, Horizon is pretty much an evolution of 3DS System Software, which is not a FreeBSD based OS either.


----------



## CuatroTorres (Feb 5, 2022)

Zirias said:


> That's of course because of the huge crowd of FreeBSD fans among gamers



_It's the license, friend!_


----------



## zirias@ (Feb 5, 2022)

CuatroTorres said:


> _It's the license, friend!_


Oh, the irony 

The license is a possible reason for companies to pick (Free)BSD as a base for their product, sure. Not so much one for success of this product at the market. Besides that, my remark wasn't all too serious


----------



## drhowarddrfine (Feb 5, 2022)

Apparently it's not while parts of FreeBSD are an important part of the Horizon operating system though this information is from reverse engineering only and not any inside information.


> Horizon is not largely derived from FreeBSD code, nor from Android, although the software licence[14] and reverse engineering efforts[15][16] have revealed that *Nintendo does use some code* from both in some system services and drivers. For example, *the networking stack in the Switch OS is derived at least in part from FreeBSD* code.[15] Nintendo's use of FreeBSD networking code is legal as it is made available under the permissive BSD licence, and not even particularly unusual – notably, the Microsoft Windows TCP/IP stack was originally derived from BSD code in a similar fashion.


----------



## CuatroTorres (Feb 5, 2022)

There are many other systems, if they chose FreeBSD it will be on its own merits of course.


----------

