Introducing LDN3 - Now featuring ldn_mitm support!

Introducing LDN3 - Now featuring ldn_mitm support!

It's been nearly two years since the initial release of LDN2, the second iteration of our core LDN functionality, which added LAN connectivity with Nintendo Switch consoles in supported titles. Two years of stability, performance and feature improvements shifted the landscape all the way to our previous release: LDN2.5.

With the addition of certified LDN wizard TSRBerry to our development ranks, progress on some very cool things have been greatly accelerated. One such advancement is ready for prime time and finally gives us an excuse to bump up to a full fat LDN3 release!

What on earth is ldn_mitm?

Everyone is here!

Prior to this update, only games that had a "LAN mode" could communicate across Switch and PC hardware; this is unfortunate as only about a dozen or so titles actually support this feature. That barrier is removed with ldn_mitm. Games such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, showcased above, can now achieve interconnectivity with a hacked Nintendo Switch when the ldn_mitm submodule is used.

Because of this, there are now a lot of different ways to play with friends. A new option now exists in the Ryujinx settings window:

  • Disabled - Multiplayer functionality is disabled. If you're planning on using this, that's a sign you should just use our latest regular build instead.
  • Ryujinx LDN - Classic LDN which you know and love. This enables standard connectivity with Ryujinx users ONLY.
  • ldn_mitm - New flavour. Enables connectivity with a CFW Nintendo Switch AND other Ryujinx users on the same network.

The 'same network' is important here and is technically exploitable to allow long-distance communication, if you have a way to connect over VPN. This is currently not a recommended configuration, though we have confirmed Ryujinx-to-Ryujinx connectivity over ZeroTier with a 1500 MTU. Remote connectivity between CFW Switch and Ryujinx would require some VPN/relay expertise, and we currently know that lan-play.com does not work in this scenario.

For most users, this feature simply enables all those non-LAN compatible games such as Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros, Pokémon Scarlet/Violet, Mario Party and many other titles to connect to their PC (or Steam Deck!). On the other hand, if you're a professional network engineer and/or have a spare PC lying around, then we're sure you can think of some ingenious ideas!

General improvements

LDN3 also brings the build up to par with Ryujinx version 1.1.368. This means better performance across all titles and a multitude of bug fixes since LDN2.5, which was based on 1.1.223. The main changes that impact popular multiplayer titles are:

  • Pokémon Scarlet & Violet no longer have a white/yellow filter in gameplay.
  • Pokémon Scarlet & Violet will have greatly improved performance.
  • Splatoon 3 is now playable on AMD GPUs on Windows and Linux.
  • Splatoon 3 scoring and other gameplay elements are no longer affected by resolution scaling.
  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons no longer requires a save file to avoid crashing on the intro.
  • Pokémon Sword & Shield have improved performance when using Vulkan.
  • General performance and stability improvements for most other titles.

Closing words

We'd like to express our sincere gratitude to spacemeowx2 and the other ldn_mitm maintainers who graciously provided us with a project license exemption, allowing all this to be possible!

To download LDN3, absolutely for free, then head over to the patreon co-announcement where the builds for Windows and Linux are being hosted. You do not need to be a patreon supporter to download or use LDN, but we wouldn't be opposed if you wanted to donate!

Until next time!