Sammy Hajhamid, a security researcher who goes by pepsipu online, has released ns2jb, a software-only jailbreak for the Nintendo Switch 2 that runs on the latest 23.0.1 firmware. To show it off, Hajhamid modded Mario Kart World, a Switch 2 exclusive, and also dropped Peter Griffin, Hatsune Miku, Cinnamoroll, and Red from Angry Birds into the roster. It looks like OpenAI's Codex did a good chunk of the heavy lifting here. Hajhamid hooked a Switch 1 and a Switch 2 up to two JetKVMs, plus a Bluetooth light switch flicker that presses the power button whenever the console crashes, so the AI agents could keep at it on their own. An early attempt through the Switch 2's WebKit browser didn't pan out. The working chain instead starts with a 32-bit integer overflow in SmileBASIC 4, a roughly $25 Switch 1 programming app that still runs on the Switch 2, and then moves to a buffer overflow in the console's filesystem service.

The end result lets users run native code with the permissions of ordinary system modules, which opens the door to homebrew, game mods, save backups, and reverse engineering. However, the jailbreak is tethered, so it has to be run again after every reboot, and there's no kernel exploit or custom firmware yet. Fellow researcher Gezine, who disclosed a separate Switch 1 and Switch 2 userland exploit in July, said the work "seems legit." Nintendo hasn't commented so far, though given how aggressively it has gone after Switch piracy and emulators, a firmware patch seems likely, and SmileBASIC 4 might even vanish from the eShop.

Today Japan's Sega Sammy Holdings Incorporated declared its intention to fully acquire Finnish development studio Rovio Entertainment Oyj in a buyout valued at a cool $776 million. The Helsinki-based developer, responsible for creating the Angry Birds video game franchise, has agreed to Sega Sammy's terms - and Rovio share values have climbed as a result of this announcement. The deal is expected to be finalized in the late summer or early autumn of this year, and signals an ambition on Sega's part to gain prominence in the mobile gaming world. Rovio had previously turned down a proposed takeover by Playtika - an Israeli company specializing in digital entertainment - for $735 million, late last month.

Angry Birds was the first mobile game to be downloaded one billion times, according to figures released by Rovio, so Sega has acquired a solid intellectual property that has also expanded into the movie world (two animated features) and endless merchandising avenues (toys, clothing and other accessories). Commenting on the buyout, Haruki Satomi, President and Group CEO, Representative Director of Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. said: "Among the rapidly growing global gaming market, the mobile gaming market has especially high potential, and it has been Sega's long-term goal to accelerate its expansion in this field."