60FPS and FPSLocker Guide

About

This guide will show you how to use and install 60FPS cheats and FPSLocker on your modded Nintendo Switch system to make games run at higher framerates.

Overclocking Disclaimer

All overclocking is unsafe as you are pushing the system outside of its original design, however the level of risk is dependent on how much you overclock and stay within the limits of the chip and the hardware. This guide will cover Nintendo Switch overclocking that is minimal/low risk, referred to as 'safe'. Overclocking is required for the vast majority of 60FPS modifications to gain enough performance for games to run at that target framerate. For this guide sys clk or EOS (formerly EOS) can be used, if using EOS (recommended) read my Starter Guide as there are more risks involved.

Installation Guide

  • For any of the below steps when asked to download .zip from GitHub, DO NOT download the source code
  1. Ensure your atmosphere installation (https://github.com/Atmosphere-NX/Atmosphere) and hekate installation (if using hekate to boot) (https://github.com/CTCaer/hekate) are update to date. Extract the contents of their latest releases to your SD Card.
  2. Download each .zip file from the latest release of each Github Repo listed below and copy the contents of them to your SD card, overwriting files when asked.
    https://github.com/HamletDuFromage/aio-switch-updater/releases
    https://github.com/retronx-team/sys-clk/releases
    https://github.com/WerWolv/nx-ovlloader/releases
    https://github.com/WerWolv/Tesla-Menu/releases
    https://github.com/masagrator/SaltyNX/releases
    https://github.com/masagrator/Status-Monitor-Overlay/releases
    https://github.com/proferabg/EdiZon-Overlay/releases
  3. Download either sys-clk or Switch OC Suite. If using sys-clk extract its .zip file and copy the contents of it to your SD card, overwriting files if needed
    https://github.com/retronx-team/sys-clk/releases
    OR
    EOS (Different install method, follow this guide - https://rentry.co/SwitchOCSuiteGuide1)
  4. Download each .ovl file from the latest release of each Github Repo listed below and copy them to 'switch/.overlays'. on your SD card, overwriting files if required.
    https://github.com/masagrator/ReverseNX-RT/releases
    https://github.com/masagrator/FPSLocker/releases
  5. Open up 'system_settings.ini' found in atmosphere/config on your SD card in a text editor. If this file does not exist copy 'system_settings.ini' from 'atmosphere/config_templates' to 'atmosphere/config'. Comment out '; dmnt_cheats_enabled_by_default = u8!0x1' by removing the ; and change 'u8!0x1' to 'u8!0x0'. Comment out '; dmnt_always_save_cheat_toggles = u8!0x0' by removing the ; and change 'u8!0x0' to u8!0x1'. This will make it so that all cheats aren't automatically enabled when opening Edizon and Edizon will remember toggling on cheats between game launches when opened again. (DO NOT USE NOTEPAD FOR THIS STEP, USE A BETTER TEXT EDITOR LIKE NOTEPAD++).
  6. (Optional - Do this if you do not want to connect to the internet) Download main.zip from the 60FPS cheat repo, extract it and copy the contents of the 'titles' folder to atmosphere/contents (Do not copy the titles folder itself, only the contents)
    https://github.com/ChanseyIsTheBest/NX-60FPS-RES-GFX-Cheats/archive/refs/heads/main.zip
    This step needs to be repeated when new cheats are released in the repo
    This step will overwrite all cheat files for games that you already have cheats for
  7. (Optional - Do this if you do not want to connect to the internet) Download main.zip from the link below which contains all FPSLocker-Warehouse Patches. Extract this .zip file and copy the SaltySD folder to the root of your SD card, overwriting files if recorded
    https://github.com/masagrator/FPSLocker-Warehouse/archive/refs/heads/main.zip
    *This step needs to be repeated when new FPSLocker patches are released
  8. Ensure that NX-FPS.elf and ReverseNX-RT.elf from SaltySD/plugins folder do not exist. If they do exist, delete them. They can cause crashes.
  9. This step is required if you are using transferring files using MacOS, but is likely not required if you are using Windows. Boot hekate, select tools, select Arch bit • RCM • Touch • Pkg1/2 then select Fix Archive Bit. This can fix incorrectly set archive bits that cause issues.

Using sys-clk and Status Monitor

  1. To open the Tesla Menu press the combination L + D-Pad Down + Right Stick Click simultaneously and choose sys-clk from the menu.
  2. Ensure 'Enable' is set to on.
    Edit app profile allows you to edit the clocks of the application/game you are currently in. When no application/game is booted it will allow you to adjust the clock speeds of the home menu. Temporary overrides will allow you to override any clock set except if those would go over the safe limits on battery (460Mhz GPU Erista/614Mhz GPU Mariko)

Use Status Monitor located in Tesla Menu in order to tell what clockspeed to increase for better performance. To exit Status Monitor once in a overlay mode press the combination of L + D-Pad Down + Right Stick Click simultaneously. Increase RAM value to the max first as it gives the CPU and GPU more headroom. If the CPU or GPU is approximately above 80% increase the clockspeed and check if the framerate has increased. Keep increasing the frequency as required until you hit you desired performance level.

Downloading and deleting cheats with AIO Updater

  1. Hold R when booting a game to access the homebrew menu, then select AIO Updater
  2. Go to download cheats then select download graphics enhancing cheats ensuring you are connected to the internet, for all applicable games on your system graphics cheats will be downloaded from https://github.com/ChanseyIsTheBest/NX-60FPS-RES-GFX-Cheats
  3. If the cheats do not show up in Edizon after downloading them for applicable games, go into select Tools -> Cheat Menu and select Delete all existing cheat codes (This will delete all cheat files from your system) and repeat step 2 again.
  4. (Optional - Do this if you do not want to connect to the internet), go into Tools -> Cheat Menu and select Delete orphaned cheat codes. This willl clean up your contents folder by deleting all cheats that do not have applicable games on your system.

Using ReverseNX-RT

ReverseNX-RT is used to force games into handheld mode so they run better as the majority of 60FPS patches and cheats cannot be used in docked mode with acceptable performance even with high overclocking.

  1. Boot into a game, then open the Tesla Menu with the combination L + D-Pad Down + Right Stick Click choose ReverseNX-RT from the menu.
  2. The game will be in the default mode of the system (If you are in handheld mode, game has handheld graphics, if you are in docked mode, game has docked graphics), so if you are in handheld mode and want 60FPS you do not need to change anything. To change the mode from handheld to docked or vice-versa select 'change system control', then select 'change mode'.

Using Edizon

  1. Boot into a game that you know to have cheats after downloading them, then open the Tesla Menu with the combination L + D-Pad Down + Right Stick Click choose Edizon from the menu.
  2. Enable and disable cheats by pressing A, a cheat is enabled if it says 'On'. Sometimes cheats may require turning them on and off for them to work. Ensure you disable cheats you are not using i.e. disable the 30FPS cheat if using the 60FPS cheat or disable the 720p cheat if using a 1080p cheat.

Using FPSLocker

Many games will work at a higher framerate with no additional patch by just using the increase FPS target option but a patch first should be checked for and applied if possible in Advanced settings and the steps below explain the process.

  1. Boot into a game, then open the Tesla Menu with the combination L + D-Pad Down + Right Stick Click and choose FPSLocker from the menu.
  2. Ensure you are connected to the internet, select Advanced settings and choose Check/download config file. If a patch for the game is not available, error 404 will display. If it is successful and the patch is download select Convert config to patch file.
  3. Reboot the game and check in Advanced settings and check if the text 'Plugin applied patch to game' appears.. Then adjust the framerate target to your liking.

FPSLocker setting explanation:
Disable custom FPS target lets the game control the framerate cap again and used when not using a custom FPS target.
There are various options in FPSLocker. The large number in the top right is the current framerate. Increase and decrease FPS cap respectively in increments from 15 to 60.

NVN set buffering - any changes made to these settings only apply on next game boot and saved to applied with save settings.
Games can use double or triple buffer (or very rarely quadruple) and all games can be forced to double buffer. The benefit of this is one or two less frame of input lag and potentially better frame pacing however any framerate drops will cause the framerate directly from 60 to 30 to 20 if the target cannot be met.
Due to triple buffer needing more RAM space, patches need to be created on a per game basis to turn double buffer games into triple buffer game. Many FPSLocker patches include a triple buffer patch in them as 60FPS is much more demanding and prone to framerate drops.

When a game is not running FPSLocker can be opened and all games or individual games can be selected to delete their saved settings or patches.

Troubleshooting

Where can I find what games have cheats and FPSLocker patches?

All my cheats automatically enable when I open Edizon in a game.

  • Repeat step 5 of the installation guide, 'dmnt_cheats_enabled_by_default' was not successfully changed.

My cheats aren't activating after I open a game that have previously opened and enabled cheats for with Edizon.

  • You need to open Edizon every time you start a game for cheats to enable - This is because SaltyNX interferes with the cheat engine process.

My games are crashing with an error when I open them.

  • Remove NX-FPS.elf and ReverseNX-RT.elf from SaltySD/plugins folder to fix the issue

The database has a cheat in it but it isn't downloading to my Switch.

  • This is one of three issues either:
  1. The cheat has been uploaded less then 24 hours ago, it takes up to 24 hours for AIO Updater to process new cheats. You need to manually copy the file over.
  2. The TID or BID of the cheat do not match your game version, you can check those by opening Edizon when running the game and comparing them to the TID and BID on the games list (https://github.com/ChanseyIsTheBest/NX-60FPS-RES-GFX-Cheats/blob/main/GAMES.md)
  3. Sometimes AIO doesn't like downloading cheats when you already have cheats on your system, repeat step 3 in 'Downloading and deleting cheats with AIO Updater'

I need extra help or just want to talk about 60FPS cheats and patches and be on the cutting edge.

Edit
Pub: 07 Dec 2023 07:29 UTC
Edit: 24 Mar 2024 02:16 UTC
Views: 2954