Melonx is a Nintendo Switch emulator designed for iPhone and iPad. On the project9s official site it is described as a mobile solution to run Switch titles on Apple devices, with a focus on players in Canada and the United States.
Developers say the emulator already handles popular games such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Super Mario 3D World. These references come directly from the Melonx project site, and real world testing within North America has pointed to similar outcomes across devices.
Benchmarks show strong performance on several devices, though results vary. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on an iPad Pro with the M4 chip can push beyond 20 frames per second in certain scenes. On a tablet powered by the M2, the same title may dip to around 11 FPS during intense moments. In contrast, Super Mario 3D World can reach 40 to 60 FPS on an iPhone 15 Pro with the A17 Pro, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe often mirrors this level of smoothness on the iPad Pro with the M4. These figures are reported by the Melonx project site and depend on game mode, texture settings, and background activity.
The Melonx project draws inspiration from Ryujinx, a well known desktop emulator, and has been tuned to work on Apple mobile hardware. A core factor behind the smooth gameplay is Just-In-Time compilation support, which translates emulated instructions into native code as they run, helping to keep frames steady in many titles.
Getting Melonx up and running involves extra steps. Initially, users must sideload the app using a computer and third-party tools such as AltStore or Sidestore. They also enable the JIT compilation option through additional utilities before launching the emulator. The process may require configuring trusted certificates and adjusting device settings to permit sideloaded apps. The Melonx team notes these steps are needed because the app is not distributed through the official App Store.
Developers stress the importance of respecting copyright law. For legal use, owners should possess legitimate copies of games and the Switch console, and ROM images should be created from the user9s own hardware. This approach aligns with the project guidelines and general software rights in Canada and the United States.
Melonx can be used by anyone at no cost. In earlier discussions, there were mentions tying Melonx to marketing for a rumored Nintendo Switch 2, but those associations remain speculative.