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digdat0 edited this page Jul 24, 2026 · 4 revisions

Welcome to the HaulNX wiki.

HaulNX is a homebrew ROM downloader for the Nintendo Switch: it pulls collections from archive.org repos you configure and organizes everything under sd:/roms/<console>/ (for example sd:/roms/snes/, sd:/roms/gba/). HaulNX is only the downloader — it doesn't play anything; this wiki covers pointing each popular emulator at that library so your downloads Just Work.

Quick links

Best effort: these guides are community-maintained and may lag behind emulator updates. Each emulator's own website is the authoritative source for setup — consult it if anything here doesn't match what you see.

One library: sd:/roms is the central ROM library, and every guide here configures the emulator to read from it. Keep it that way — point each emulator at sd:/roms rather than moving HaulNX's downloads to suit one emulator, and your whole collection stays shared between all of them.

Emulators

Each emulator gets its own page with install steps, where it expects ROMs, and how to line that up with HaulNX's folders.

Emulator Systems Runs as ROM path notes
RetroArch Nearly everything (cores) Homebrew NRO Scans any folder — point playlists at sd:/roms
TICO Multi-system frontend Homebrew NRO Set its ROM path to sd:/roms in TICO's settings
SCCM-Retro Multi-system (Linux build) Linux partition ROMs live on the Linux partition — copy or sync from sd:/roms
Lakka Nearly everything (RetroArch/Linux) Linux partition Same partition caveat as SCCM-Retro
PPSSPP Sony PSP Homebrew NRO Built-in file browser — just navigate to sd:/roms/psp
mGBA GBA, GB, GBC Homebrew NRO File browser — sd:/roms/gba, sd:/roms/gb, sd:/roms/gbc
melonDS Nintendo DS Homebrew NRO File browser — sd:/roms/nds; needs BIOS/firmware files
DraStic Nintendo DS Homebrew NRO sd:/roms/nds; needs BIOS; reads zips; won't run in applet mode
Raikopon Nintendo 3DS Homebrew NRO Set the ROM folder to sd:/roms/3ds; most active 3DS option
Dekopon Nintendo 3DS Homebrew NRO Paths › Rom folder → sd:/roms/3ds
pFBN (Final Burn Neo) Arcade, Neo Geo, CPS Homebrew NRO Wants unmodified romset zips — sd:/roms/fbneo, sd:/roms/neo-geo
pSNES / pNES SNES / NES standalones Homebrew NRO File browser — sd:/roms/snes, sd:/roms/nes
MAME (MAME-NX) Arcade Homebrew NRO Romset version must match the MAME build — sd:/roms/arcade
Flycast Dreamcast, NAOMI, Atomiswave Homebrew NRO Disc images in sd:/roms/dc; NAOMI/Atomiswave need BIOS
DuckStation Sony PlayStation Homebrew NRO sd:/roms/psx; needs BIOS — or use RetroArch's PCSX core
Yaba Sanshiro Sega Saturn Homebrew NRO sd:/roms/saturn; heavy — expect misses on Switch
NetherSX2 Sony PlayStation 2 Homebrew NRO sd:/roms/ps2; needs BIOS; won't run in applet mode
Cemu Nintendo Wii U Homebrew NRO sd:/roms/wiiu; needs keys; brand new, expect rough edges
Experimental: GC / Wii GameCube, Wii Homebrew NRO Not realistically playable — read before trying

Not sure which to pick? Start with RetroArch — one install covers almost every console HaulNX can download for, and its playlist scanner understands the sd:/roms/<console> layout with zero per-file work.

Reference guides

Cross-cutting guides the emulator pages link to — worth reading once if you're setting up CD-based systems or the demanding ones:

  • BIOS Files — which systems need console firmware, the exact filenames, and where each emulator expects them.
  • Overclocking — safely raising the Switch's clocks for N64, Dreamcast, Saturn, PSP, DS, 3DS, and PS2.
  • Disc Images & Multi-Disc Games — .cue/.bin/.chd/.gdi explained, and how to handle multi-disc games with .m3u playlists.
  • Troubleshooting — "I downloaded a game but the emulator doesn't see it," black screens, slow games, missing saves.

HaulNX itself

  • App Utility — building collections on a PC, sending them to the console over Wi-Fi, and updating the app.
  • Configuration — dl_sources.json, credentials, and every file HaulNX keeps on the card.
  • Building from Source — the devkitPro toolchain, the build, and a map of the source tree.
  • Contributing — translations and code.

HaulNX folder names

These are the folder names HaulNX creates under the ROM root. Emulator pages refer to them by slug.

Slug System Slug System
nes / fds NES / Famicom Disk System psx / ps2 / psp PlayStation / PS2 / PSP
snes Super Nintendo pc-engine / pc-engine-cd / supergrafx / pc-fx NEC systems
n64 Nintendo 64 neo-geo / neo-geo-cd Neo Geo AES/MVS / CD
gb / gbc / gba Game Boy line neo-geo-pocket / neo-geo-pocket-color Neo Geo Pocket
nds / 3ds DS / 3DS atari-2600 / atari-5200 / atari-7800 Atari consoles
gc / wii / wiiu GameCube / Wii / Wii U atari-lynx / atari-jaguar Atari handheld / Jaguar
virtual-boy / pokemon-mini / game-and-watch Nintendo oddballs wonderswan / wonderswan-color Bandai WonderSwan
sg-1000 / master-system / game-gear Sega 8-bit colecovision / intellivision / odyssey2 Early consoles
genesis / sega-cd / sega-32x Sega 16-bit vectrex / channel-f / supervision Early consoles
saturn / dc Saturn / Dreamcast 3do / cd-i CD-era oddballs
atomiswave / naomi Sega arcade arcade / fbneo Arcade romsets

A note on expectations: the Switch (especially unclocked) comfortably emulates up through the 16/32-bit generations, PS1 (DuckStation), and most handhelds. N64, Dreamcast (Flycast), Saturn (Yaba Sanshiro), PSP, and DS range from "great" to "depends on the game" — an overclock matters for these. 3DS is newly playable via Raikopon or Dekopon, game-dependent. PS2 has become genuinely possible for lighter titles via NetherSX2, with a hard ceiling above them, and Wii U has a brand-new and unproven option in Cemu. GameCube/Wii folders exist mainly for library organization — see Experimental for what's technically possible, but nothing on Switch runs those well.

Legal note

HaulNX ships with no collections and no games. These pages assume you're using your own legally obtained backups.

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