A new update has been released for Hekate , the custom graphical bootloader for Nintendo Switch consoles , firmware patcher and various tools.

This new version introduces full support for firmwares 20.0.0 and 20.0.1, thus remaining compatible with the latest versions of the console’s operating system.

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Among the main changes, the introduction of the key pkg3in the configuration stands out, which it replaces fss0while maintaining the same functionality.

fss0remains compatible for now, but has been deprecated, so users are advised to update their configurations.

Also introduced is a new key called pkg3kip1skip, intended for advanced users only, as well as the renaming of the key atmosphereto kernelprocid, to better reflect its operation.

Some minor fixes addressed issues with file parsing system_settings.ini, particularly USB3 activation, and a rare bug that could cause a black screen when booting into stock mode.

On the Linux (L4T) front, the SC7exit firmware has been updated and a new key has been added sld_typeto manage continuous display, also offering an option to revert to the old coreboot method.

The Nyx interface, updated to version 1.7.0, has also received support for firmware 20.0.0. The SD and eMMC card benchmark now displays industry-standard 95th and 5th percentile IOPS information, with a more compact window designed to make it easier to share screenshots.

Color-coded indicators have been introduced to verify correct SD card support for the A2 specification, as well as immediate reporting of any SDMMC errors.

emuMMC has also been updated to support firmware 20.0.0, with improvements to real RAM detection, backup and restore, and Android residual partition management.

Nyx now checks for file existence nyx.binbefore reloading, avoiding unnecessary errors.

Finally, at the low-level (BDK), alphabetical directory sorting has been introduced, SDMMC memory management has been improved to avoid out-of-bounds accesses, support for performance extensions has been added, and memory allocation in critical modules such as SE and DISPLAY has been optimized.

Characteristics

Fully configurable and graphical with support for touchscreen and Joycon input.
Startup style, background themes and color .
HOS Bootloader (Switch OS) — For CFW Sys/Emu, OFW Sys, and Stock Sys.
Bootloader for Android and Linux .
Payload launch .
eMMC/emuMMC Backup/Restore Tools .
SD Card Partition Manager : Prepare and format SD card for any combination of HOS (Sys/emuMMC), Android and Linux.
emuMMC Creation & Manager : Can also migrate and fix existing emuMMC.
Change Android and Linux flasher .
USB Mass Storage (UMS) for SD/eMMC/emuMMC — Converts Switch into an SD card reader.
USB Gamepad — Converts Switch with Joycon into a USB HID Gamepad.
Hardware and peripheral information (SoC, fuses, RAM, display, touch, eMMC, SD, battery, power supply, charger).
Many other tools like Archive Bit Fixer, Touch Calibration, SD/eMMC Benchmark, AutoRCM enabler and more.

The bootloader can be configured via the configuration file bootloader/hekate_ipl.ini(if present on the SD card). Each ini section represents a boot entry, except for the special section ‘config’ which controls the global configuration.

There are four possible types of entries. ” [ ] “: Boot entry, ” { } “: Caption, ” # “: Comment, ” newline “: .ini cosmetic newline. A template can be found here .

Changelog

Hekate v6.3.0 Changes

Added HOS 20.0.0 support.
Configuration: Added support for the key pkg3, which replaces fss0while maintaining exactly the same functionality.
- fss0will continue to work for compatibility reasons, but is now deprecated .
- It will become obsolete at some point fss0, so be sure to update your configurations to use pkg3it instead.
- Configuration templates have been updated to use pkg3.
Configuration: Added support for the pkg3kip1skip. Advanced users only: read the README file.
Configuration: The key atmospherehas been renamed kernelprocidto better reflect its function.
- Only advanced users who do not use fss0/pkg3are affected by this change.
Configuration: The key fss0experimentalhas been renamed to pkg3ex.
Fixed file parsing system_settings.inifor USB3 enablement. Thanks to @new-waifu for the reminder.
Fixed an issue that could cause a black screen during standard boot in some rare cases (related to kernelldr).
L4T: Firmware SC7exitupdated to the latest version.
L4T: Added key sld_typeto disable “seamless display”.
- Or use the deprecated method coreboot.
Various fixes and improvements.

emuMMC changes

HOS 20.0.0 support .
- As always based on https://github.com/m4xw/emuMMC

Changes for Nyx v1.7.0

HOS 20.0.0 support .
The SD/eMMC benchmark now displays industry-standard 95th and 5th percentile IOPS information. It also now uses the spec-compliant A2 test size.
- Additionally, the window has been made more compact so that the information underneath is still visible for sharing screenshots.
- It is best to compare SD cards using the same updated benchmark, due to changes.
- The top 95% hits generally represent expected performance.
- The worst 5% of accesses indicate degraded NAND parts or copies from SLC/MLC NAND to TLC/QLC NAND, large cache flushes, poor controller management, firmware bugs, etc.
SD info now checks whether the card has the correct A2 support or not. Green: Full support, Yellow: Needs fixes, Red: Corrupted.
SD Info will now immediately show SDMMC errors before calculating free space in FAT partition.
Fixed an issue where emuMMC might not be found during backup or restore.
Fixed an issue where emuMMC might not run properly during backup.
Real RAM capacity detection is now more robust.
Made Nyx a little faster.
Fixed an issue where the size of the Android Reserved partition could be calculated incorrectly on the HOS remnant slider.
Fixed an issue where a window could not be closed with the Joy-Con B button.
Restarting Nyx will now check if nyx.binit still exists and not reload, so the user can fix the issue by using UMS again.
Various fixes and improvements.

BDK Changes

DIRLIST: Now uses alphabetical sorting instead of ASCII-based sorting.
SDMMC: Do not allow out-of-bounds access, as a power cycle is required to clear the error.
SDMMC: Added support for performance extension log parsing.
UITLS: Added comparison functions qsortfor int, charand charcase insensitive.
SE: Support for SHA256 hashing of size 0.
The SE and DISPLAY drivers no longer use heap memory.
Various fixes and improvements.