SysDVR is a free, open-source sysmodule — a small piece of background homebrew — by exelix11 that streams your Nintendo Switch gameplay, video and audio together, to a PC, Mac, Linux machine or Android phone over USB or your local network. No capture card is involved. Installing it takes about five minutes: copy the release files to your microSD card, reboot the console, and the sysmodule runs quietly in the background while you play.
This guide covers the console side of the setup for the current release, SysDVR v6.3. Once the sysmodule is installed you will also set up the SysDVR-Client app (or a plain video player) on the receiving device — guides for every platform are linked at the end. One requirement is absolute: your Switch must already be running custom firmware. SysDVR does not work on a stock console, with no exceptions.
Before you start
Gather these first and the install itself is uneventful:
- A hacked Nintendo Switch running CFW. The latest version of Atmosphère is recommended; other CFWs are not supported by the author.
- A way to move files to the microSD card: a card reader, a USB connection, or an FTP/homebrew file manager on the console.
- The SysDVR release files. Get them from our download page, which links the official GitHub release, so you know you have the genuine current build (v6.3).
- A receiving device — a Windows, macOS or Linux computer, or an Android phone — on the same local network as the Switch if you plan to use a network mode.
An honest word about bans: community reports suggest SysDVR itself does not seem to cause bans, but that is a community observation, never a guarantee, and running any CFW carries its own risks. Decide for yourself before installing homebrew.
Step 1 — Choose the full build or the USB-Only build
The release comes in two console builds. The full build, SysDVR.zip (about 3 MB), supports every streaming mode and includes the SysDVR Settings homebrew app for switching modes. The USB-Only build, SysDVR-USB-Only.zip (a tiny 28 KB download), streams over USB only and uses roughly half the memory — about 500 KB versus slightly under 1 MB for the full build.
| Build | Streaming modes | Settings app | Memory used | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full (SysDVR.zip) | USB + both network modes | Yes | Slightly under 1 MB | Almost everyone |
| USB-Only (SysDVR-USB-Only.zip) | USB only | No | About 500 KB | Consoles already running several sysmodules |
Unless you have specific memory requirements, install the full version regardless of how you plan to stream — that is the author’s own recommendation. USB-Only exists for setups where too many heavy sysmodules run at once; if Atmosphère ever refuses to boot after an install, trimming down to USB-Only is one of the standard fixes.
Step 2 — Copy the files to the microSD card
- Download SysDVR.zip (or SysDVR-USB-Only.zip) from the download page and extract the archive on your computer.
- Copy the extracted folders to the root of your microSD card, merging with the folders already there. The important one is
atmosphere/contents/00FF0000A53BB665/— that folder is SysDVR itself. The archive also adds aconfig/sysdvr/folder and the settings homebrew underswitch/. - If you transferred the files over FTP instead of removing the SD card, reboot the console afterwards so the new files are actually picked up.
Do not rename the 00FF0000A53BB665 folder. That hexadecimal name is the sysmodule’s title ID, and Atmosphère only loads it under exactly that name. (Some older third-party guides print a different folder name — it is wrong.)
Step 3 — Reboot and confirm SysDVR is running
Reboot the console into CFW. Then wait: the full build takes roughly 20 seconds after boot to start, so a “not running” message in the first moments is normal impatience, not an error. Open the Homebrew Menu and launch SysDVR Settings. If the app reports the sysmodule as running, the install worked. The USB-Only build has no settings app at all — it simply starts streaming over USB, and there is nothing to confirm on screen.
Step 4 — Pick a streaming mode
By default SysDVR starts in Simple Network mode. There are three modes in total, and with the full build you can switch between them at any time in the Settings app:
- Simple Network (RTSP) — the default. The console serves a stream that any compatible video player can open, no client app needed. See the Simple Network (RTSP) mode guide.
- TCP Bridge — the recommended mode for client users: low-latency network streaming through the SysDVR-Client app, with automatic console discovery. See the TCP Bridge mode guide.
- USB — the lowest-latency option, streamed over a cable. It does not work while the console is docked. See the USB streaming setup guide.
Step 5 — Run the capture-button test
SysDVR taps into the console’s built-in video recording service, so out of the box it can only stream games that support native video recording. Testing a game is easy: launch it and long-press the capture button. If the console saves a short video clip, that game can stream with SysDVR. Two limits follow from the same design: the stream is fixed at 720p and 30fps with 16-bit 48 kHz stereo audio — a hardware limit of the recording service, not a setting — and the system UI, Home menu and settings screens are never captured, so a black screen there is expected. Homebrew can be streamed by launching a compatible game with title takeover (hold R while launching it).
Games that block recording entirely can often be enabled with the author’s dvr-patches, which are matched to your console firmware — that is covered in the dvr-patches and game compatibility guide.
Versão em português: como instalar o SysDVR — guia de instalação em português.
Next steps
- Set up the receiving side: SysDVR Client on Windows, on macOS, on Linux, or the Android client.
- Browse the full SysDVR setup guide hub for mode walkthroughs, streaming to Discord or Twitch, and recording clips.
- Something not working? The client can’t find your console and black screen fixes cover the two most common first-run problems.