Before the Nintendo Switch was launched, it was reported that it would run on Android. The company chose to run a different OS instead after they failed to get Android to run its hardware. Yep, that's right, the operating system powering the Nintendo Switch was almost built by a former Android mod team and now Android company. The company in question was Cyanogen Inc.
This was confirmed by a now-deleted tweet from none other than Cyanogen boss Kirt McMaster. In the tweet, McMaster claimed that Nintendo had approached his company in its early days. What was his response? Apparently, McMaster told the Japanese company to "stick it." The company Cyanogen has been around since 2009.
However, according to GamesBeat, the development takes a few years before it became established. McMaster's now-deleted tweet reads:
"In the early days of Cyanogen, Nintendo wanted us to create an OS for a certain portable.
I told them to stick it."
After deleting the tweet, Cyanogen boss reaffirmed that the Android OS "was under consideration" for the Nintendo Switch. He also stated that the console's current operating system was actually built using "bits of Android."
If this is the case, then there are still bits of Android DNA in the current version of the console in question. Now the hardware powering the Switch is a modified version of the NVIDIA Tegra X1 hardware. It also powers the NVIDIA Shield, which is an Android device itself.
This is another reason the Nintendo Switch seems to be the likeliest of Nintendo's system to have the probability to run on Android OS. See the tweet below.
@kynprime @dnaltews @rebelleader It would have been awesome to see Android on the Switch
— Romain Guy (@romainguy) March 21, 2017
Unfortunately, McMaster's company had ceased operation in December last year. It is not difficult to think of the opportunities Cyanogen Inc. has gotten if they accepted Nintendo's request.
Keep checking back on Auto World News for more updates. In the meantime let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
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