Touch controls: 2D and 3D
Tap 2D or 3D at the top of the screen to switch the touch layout. The app remembers your choice. Some games start in 2D, for example Celeste and Cuphead; most others start in 3D. The project's Playing page lists the 2D starters.
In the 3D layout the right stick, which is the camera in most games, is not drawn. Swipe on the right third of the screen, starting anywhere off the buttons. In a few games other touches do other jobs: in Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 they move the pointer, and in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker they touch the game's screen.
Using a game controller
A connected game controller hides the touch controls and keeps every button. Connect it the way you connect any controller to your iPhone, iPad or Mac, then start the game. Nothing needs rebuilding.
Rumble
Game vibration uses the iPhone's haptic engine or a compatible connected controller. Controllers with separate left and right haptic outputs keep those effects separate. On the settings screen, Game rumble and Rumble strength control it independently of Touch feedback, which is the vibration of the on-screen buttons.
The project is open about the limits: phone rumble approximates the Switch's effects, and the physical feel and controller compatibility still need device testing. See Settings for the full list.
Motion (gyro) and shaking
A controller that supplies gyro data through Apple's controller support, such as a DualSense or a DualShock 4, drives the game's motion controls on the Mac and the iPhone. Aiming and tilt puzzles in games that read motion use it, for example Breath of the Wild with its Motion Controls option on. A controller without a gyro, such as a Backbone One or Razer Kishi that the phone mounts in, uses the iPhone's own gyro, like a Switch in handheld. Motion follows the controller in docked mode, which is the default.
Switch Pro Controller gyro on the Mac is not working yet: the project says it still needs HID support that is being developed.
Shaking: shake the iPhone to shake the controller in games that read its motion. Super Mario Odyssey's motion moves, such as the cap throw, need it, and only in its default docked mode. A light bump does not count; a sharp flick does.
If motion misbehaves, pack the app with --no-motion (the command builder has a switch for it), or put DM_MOTION=0 in env.txt to turn all motion off, or DM_PHONE_MOTION=0 to stop only the phone's gyro. The env.txt generator helps with the file.
Saves, logs and reinstalling
Saves and logs are in the Files app, under the game's name: a save/ folder and log.txt. The previous run is log.prev.txt. When something goes wrong, send log.txt to the project.
Some sideloading tools give a reinstalled app a new data folder. Before you reinstall, copy save/ and pso_user.tsv out of the old one so you can put them back and keep your progress.
On a Mac app, the log is at ~/Library/Logs/nxnative/<title ID>.log and the settings file at ~/Library/Application Support/nxnative/<title ID>/env.txt.
Facts on this page were checked against the official nxnative commit bfc70881 (31 Oct 2026). The project changes often, so the official repository always wins.
This is an unofficial guide based on the project's public documentation. Use only games you own. For the latest details, check the official repository.