Intel Arc iGPU · Core Ultra · Windows 11
Switch 2 emulator for Intel Arc integrated graphics
Intel Arc laptops and handhelds are the chip this emulator is tuned on. Here is what is measured on the Arc 140T, what is only reported by others, and the setup that matches the numbers.
Status by Intel Arc generation
| GPU | Example devices | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Arc 140T (Arrow Lake-H) | Core Ultra 9 285H laptops | Tested by the maintainers: 14.75 to 22.83 game fps in Hyrule Field |
| Arc 140V (Lunar Lake) | MSI Claw 8 AI+ | Community report: 22-24 fps in gameplay, third-party build, not verified by us |
| Arc (Meteor Lake) | MSI Claw A1M, Core Ultra 7/9 H laptops | Untested |
| Arc B390 (Panther Lake) | Arc G3 handhelds | Untested |
What we measured, and on what
One machine: Core Ultra 9 285H laptop, Intel Arc 140T, driver 32.0.101.9175, 120 Hz OLED, 32 GB RAM, plugged in. Game: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. “Game fps” counts only frames the game renders, never generated ones.
| What | Before | After | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Hyrule Field, one shader fix (EDEN_NX2_GM=11), frame generation off | 14.8 game fps | 22.8 game fps | Shipped in v20; on by default for Ocarina of Time only |
| Foliage mesh draw, same runs | 15.7 ms GPU | 5.8 ms GPU | Shipped in v20 |
| Frame pacing, title screen: frames within 2 ms of the median interval | n/a | 100% | Next release |
| Same measure, Hyrule Field | 33-54% | 75% | Next release |
| Headless shader warm-up | n/a | 4,515 pipelines in 155 s | Next release |
Method and caveats: benchmarks. Every row is one laptop. Other games, scenes, drivers and machines will give other numbers.
Setup that matches the measured laptop
Driver
Use a current stable Intel driver and note the version. Ours is 32.0.101.9175.
Power
Plugged in, highest performance mode. On battery the power budget drops and so does the speed.
Settings
Enable Frame Generation, multiplier 3, target 60. The shader fix and extrapolation are already on for Ocarina of Time. Keep Windows page file generous.
Report
One device report turns an “untested” page into data. Include the driver version, power mode, build, and game fps measured after the scene settled.
Two things to know: the Intel pipeline-cache crash (workaround), and that the first visit to any area compiles shaders.
Questions people ask
Is there a Switch 2 emulator that runs on Intel Arc integrated graphics?
Yes. Guarana is tuned for Intel Arc iGPUs first. On a Core Ultra 9 285H with Arc 140T (driver 32.0.101.9175), one shader fix took Ocarina of Time's Hyrule Field from 14.8 to 22.8 game fps with frame generation off. That is one laptop and one scene.
Which Intel Arc GPUs have been tested?
Only the Arc 140T (Arrow Lake-H, Core Ultra 9 285H laptops) by the maintainers. The Arc 140V (Lunar Lake, MSI Claw 8 AI+) has a third-party report of 22-24 fps in gameplay on another build. Meteor Lake Arc and the Arc B390 (Panther Lake) are untested.
Which Intel graphics driver should I use?
A current stable one. Our numbers use 32.0.101.9175. Intel drivers differ in shader compilation speed and have a pipeline-cache crash with a fix in progress, so put your exact version in every report.
How much RAM do I need on an Arc laptop?
The GPU shares system memory, and Switch 2 titles use a large guest memory layout. 16 GB is below the comfortable floor; close other programs and enlarge the page file. Our laptop has 32 GB.
Does frame generation work on Intel Arc?
Yes, the extrapolating frame generation runs on the iGPU and was measured on the Arc 140T. Pacing has improved in the next release: 100% of frames within 2 ms of the median on the title screen and 75% in Hyrule Field, against 33-54% before.
Why do Arc laptops hitch when I enter a new area?
Intel's driver spends about 0.4 to 1 s compiling each pipeline the first time. They are cached afterwards. Shader warm-up (4,515 pipelines in 155 s on our laptop, headless) ships in the next release.
Play it, then help it get better
Guarana is free and open source (GPL-3.0-or-later). It ships no keys, firmware or games: you bring your own, dumped from hardware you own.
- Download: the latest release is the only official download.
- Stuck? Ask in the Discord (bugs and device reports stay on GitHub so they are tracked).
- Test: a device report needs no code and puts your device on the leaderboard.
- Contribute with your AI agent: one sentence gets Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor or Copilot to a pull request. Start at the agents page, or see open wins with numbers.
Related
- Play Ocarina of Time on PC in 5 minutes
- Fix stutter
- Handhelds: ROG Ally, Legion Go, Claw, Steam Deck
- All device pages
Updated 2026-11-13. Home · FAQ · Benchmarks · Legal