Details on how to install KDE Plasma haven't be revealed yet

Feb 20, 2018 04:05 GMT  ·  By

Hacking group fail0verflow‏ have managed to install a graphical user interface on the Nintendo Switch after announcing last week that the gaming console was hacked to run a Linux-based operating system.

Last week, the famous fail0verflow‏ hacking group made it possible to run the Debian GNU/Linux operating system on the Nintendo Switch gaming console through a vulnerability they discovered during intense research sessions to find hardware flaws in the device.

According to their findings, the hacking group said that the exploit they found could not be fixed by Nintendo through a firmware update as it was aimed at a flaw in the boot ROM. The vulnerability allowed them to install and run the popular Debian GNU/Linux operating system on the console.

Nintendo Switch as a full-fledged Linux tablet

Over the weekend, the fail0verflow‏ hacking group announced on Twitter that they went as far as to install a graphical environment on the Nintendo Switch in the form of the widely-used KDE Plasma desktop, thus transforming the gaming console into a full-fledged Linux tablet.

In the video they posted on Twitter (attached below), you can see the KDE Plasma desktop environment running on the Nintendo Switch, allowing users to adjust the display's brightness, easily zoom in or out on web pages using your fingers, as well as to scroll pages and write text with the on-screen keyboard.

While all these may sound great to Linux users who want a Linux-powered tablet, don't hurry to buy a Nintendo Switch just yet because the fail0verflow‏ team did not yet reveal any details on how to install a Linux-based operating system with a graphical environment on the gaming console.

Until the fail0verflow‏ hacking group decides to teach us all how to install Linux and KDE Plasma on the Nintendo Switch, we'll consider this a great achievement for the Linux community. Watch the video below to see KDE Plasma desktop running on the Nintendo Switch gaming console.