Breaking locked-down game consoles, and manufacturers can't stop it

Developers are using AI to probe and sometimes bypass restrictions on supposedly locked-down gaming consoles, according to a report focusing on “software-only” jailbreak work. Researcher Sammy Hajhamid (pepsipu) used OpenAI’s Codex coding agent to build and test a jailbreak for the Nintendo Switch 2, called ns2jb. The work involved finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities by running an automated testing setup that let Codex interact with the console, send controller commands, observe outputs, and restart after crashes. The tethered exploit reportedly enabled unauthorized homebrew code and even modifications to games until reboot. To demonstrate impact, Hajhamid modified Mario Kart World with characters not meant to be in the game, including Peter Griffin and Cinnamoroll, requiring access to SmileBASIC 4, extra equipment and a supported firmware version.