Developer ITotalJustice continues to update Sphaira , the evolved interface designed as an alternative to the traditional hbmenu for modified Nintendo Switch consoles .

This new version introduces numerous improvements and optimizations. Among the most notable new features, problems related to the installation of NCZ files and USB device management have been resolved, which now correctly sets both read and write permissions.

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The integrated Appstore has been enriched with options to view installed files and directly access the project website.

You can now customize the forwarder logo or GIF animation, change the layout of the side menus, and benefit from a fully multi-threaded zip compression and unzip decompression system, with significant performance improvements.

Application installation has been further optimized by downloading zip files directly into memory, parallelizing MD5 hash calculation and decompression.

For loading JPEG images, Sphaira now uses the oss-nvjpg library, which provides better performance than the previous solution. Additionally, a save menu has been introduced, which now allows data backup and restore.

Also improved zip file handling by increasing the buffer to reduce I/O operations and fixed a bug that prevented buttons in the file browser from responding to touch.

The update also includes patches and community contributions, including new translations (Chinese, French, and Russian), theme updates, and visual interface improvements.

Characteristics

Sphaira ‘s main menu automatically lists all files .nroin the directory /switch/, allowing you not only to launch them, but also to sort them, delete them, and create direct links to them.

From the program you can access other sections, such as the file browser or the app store, using the and keys .

The file browser, accessible via , offers functions such as cut, copy, delete and rename, also allowing multiple selection via the button . In addition, it is possible to create forwarders for files that have a predefined association.

Sphaira also integrates an app store based on the hb-appstore API , ensuring compatibility between the two platforms. Applications can be downloaded and manifests installed in the same directory used by hb-appstore , avoiding conflicts.

Another interesting feature is the support for custom themes. Sphaira includes three predefined themes, Abyss , Black and White (still in progress), but it also allows users to add other custom themes by placing them in the directory /config/sphaira/themes/.

Each theme can include music files in format BFSTMand detailed visual specifications. Additionally, new themes can be downloaded via the “Themezer” feature, with installation managed via NXThemes Installer .

The forwarder functionality is particularly versatile: Sphaira allows you to create direct links for files .nroand associated files, such as emulated game ROMs.

For example, if a Game Boy Advance game is placed in the directory , while the mGBA/roms/gba/ emulator is already installed on the console, it will be possible to create a forwarder that uses the game’s icon and an automatically generated name.

The file association system allows you to link specific extensions to certain applications, making the user experience seamless and customizable.

For example, files with the extension .gbaor .gbccan be associated with emulators such as mGBA or Gambatte . This system supports both single ROMs and ZIP archives, where Sphaira automatically detects the contents to determine the icon and file association.

For the nostalgic, Sphaira also supports the use of GBS files, which contain audio tracks from Game Boy games. These files are played randomly as background music, with a maximum duration of 45 seconds per track, until silence is detected.

Sphaira also includes a number of additional features such as a built-in (albeit limited) web browser, support for nxlink for developers, an “InfaRed Sensor” application to use the Joy-Con’s infrared camera, and the ability to replace hbmenu as the default launcher, creating an automatic backup for restore.

Changelog

Fixed crash when installing NCZ files.
Fixed an issue with usbds now properly setting zlt for both reading and writing (instead of just writing).
Added option to view installed files in Appstore.
Added option to visit project website in Appstore.
Added support for forwarder customization via GIF/logo files.
Introduced option to swap left and right side menus.
Zip/unzip compression and decompression now handled in multi-threading.
Further optimized installation from the Appstore: zip files are downloaded into memory instead of files, and both MD5 hashing and decompression are now multi-threaded.
Used nxtc for title caching.
Used oss-nvjpg for loading JPEG images (improved performance over stbi ).
Added a menu for saves: backup and restore are now supported.
Further optimization of zip/unzip handling code by increasing file buffer, reducing I/O operations.
Fixed action buttons in the file browser not responding to touch.
Portuguese patch by @ninstar in commit #157 .
Added default theme and updated screenshots from @ninstar in commit #160 .
Updated theme and new strings by @Yorunokyujitsu in commit #156 .
Updated Chinese language files by @Johnluckygogogo in commit #163 .
File update fr.json(French) by @chronoss09 in commit #162 .
Fixed too long strings and missing translations by @rashevskyv in commit #164 .