NEW YORK, May 16, 2026, 11:14 EDT
- A modder slashed the Prusa MK3S 3DBenchy print time from roughly 90 minutes down to just 8 minutes and 41 seconds, all by running Klipper on a jailbroken Nintendo Switch.
- This isn’t really about the Switch. Klipper hands off motion planning from the slower printer controller to a quicker host computer.
- This test arrives just as Bambu Lab, Elegoo, and Prusa push faster desktop printers onto the scene, putting pressure on owners of older machines to consider firmware upgrades rather than shelling out for a brand-new model.
In a demonstration posted this week, a 3D-printing YouTuber managed to slash the 3DBenchy test print on an old Prusa MK3S from roughly 90 minutes to just 8 minutes and 41 seconds, all by running the printer through a jailbroken Nintendo Switch. The 3DBenchy—a tiny tugboat used by makers to gauge speed and print quality—served as the benchmark for the mod.
This demo highlights just how much more speed older desktop printers can squeeze out, provided their motion planning—the calculations that turn a sliced model into actual motor steps—gets offloaded from the hardware’s basic control board. Here, it’s all about software and computing power, not the console itself.
It’s arriving just as entry-level consumer 3D printers are getting a speed boost. Tom’s Hardware’s 2026 picks feature Bambu Lab, Elegoo, and Prusa models, highlighting Elegoo’s Centauri Carbon with a 500 mm/s max speed and 20,000 mm/s² acceleration. Those numbers turn up the heat on older bed-slingers like the MK3S.
Reports indicate Cocoanix 3D Printing managed to get Klipper—the open-source 3D printer firmware—running on a Nintendo Switch after installing Linux. The term “jailbroken” here refers to tweaking the console so it can run software that isn’t part of Nintendo’s standard system. PC Gamer
According to Klipper’s documentation, the software relies on a general-purpose computer—typically a Raspberry Pi—paired with one or more microcontrollers. The host machine handles stepper-motor timing calculations, passing those off to the printer’s controller for the basics: actually driving the motors.
The MK3S hit speeds of 400 mm/s and an acceleration rate of 17,000 mm/s² during the Switch test, according to Tom’s Hardware, which referenced footage from the trial. The modder pointed to print quality improvements linked to Klipper features, noting input shaping—a vibration-damping method that sharpens up printed surfaces.
Hackaday cut to the chase: there’s “no special magic” in Nintendo’s hardware. The Switch worked well running Klipper, though it’s hardly unique—Raspberry Pi or similar compact computers usually handle the job. Hackaday
Cocoanix seemed to nod to the gimmick. PC Gamer quoted the modder saying, “for most people, a Raspberry Pi is a better choice,” but also described Klipper as “one of the best things you can do for an old printer.” PC Gamer
This isn’t your straightforward consumer swap. Pulling it off takes a modified Switch, Linux, a Klipper setup, and you’ll need to flash the Prusa as well. Even then, the resulting Benchy print came out rough; the printer hit fresh barriers with its hotend, extruder, cooling, and the bed-slinger design now posing the main constraints.
Prusa’s shifted past the MK3S+ series. Back in 2024, the company announced it would phase out MK3S+ kits and only sell assembled models until inventory ran out. Support and parts would stick around, though, with almost 100,000 MK3S+ printers under warranty at that point.
The Switch build isn’t exactly a template for the average user—it’s more a marker pointing to the hobby’s next phase. Those hanging on to older hardware have options: update the firmware, add some inexpensive compute, and squeeze out more speed. For anyone buying new, many of these features now come straight out of the box.
Nintendo’s commercial incentive isn’t obvious here. Prusa and its competitors, though, are getting a different takeaway—when the limitation isn’t the hardware frame but the processing brain, even older machines can seem newly relevant.
