LunarNX vs Sunshine
LunarNX
github.comSunshine
app.lizardbyte.devSide by side
| Figure | LunarNX | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game Remote Play Software | 8.0 (#10) | 7.4 (#19) |
| Purpose | LunarNX is an unofficial Nintendo Switch homebrew client for Xbox and PlayStation game streaming. | Sunshine is a self-hosted game stream host for Moonlight with low-latency cloud gaming server capabilities. |
| Support | Users can get community support through a QQ group and Discord, or report issues through the GitHub repository. | LizardByte says Discord is its preferred support method and GitHub Discussions can be used for support, feature requests, and general discussion. |
Plans
In their own words
LunarNX
LunarNX is free, open-source Nintendo Switch homebrew software for Xbox Remote Play, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and PlayStation Remote Play. It connects Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles, paired PS4 and PS5 systems, and the Xbox Cloud Gaming library with recent titles, search, and playback. PlayStation functions include local discovery, pairing, console wake-up, and remote PS5 discovery through PlayStation Network. Xbox and PlayStation sessions offer 720p, 1080p, and 1080p HQ profiles, hardware-accelerated H.264, and low-latency audio; PS5 also supports HEVC. Controls include separate button mappings, PlayStation touchpad gestures, Switch motion forwarding, and supported rumble or DualSense haptics as Switch vibration. The interface supports English and two Chinese variants. A homebrew-capable Switch, Homebrew Menu title-override/full-memory mode, and stable 5 GHz Wi-Fi or wired networking are required. Streaming depends on account permissions, console settings, NAT, network quality, and service availability.
Sunshine
Sunshine is a free, self-hosted game-streaming host for Moonlight clients, running on your own hardware. It supports AMD, Intel, and Nvidia hardware encoding, with software encoding also available. A web interface lets you configure the host and pair clients from a browser, including on mobile devices. Moonlight clients are listed for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Xbox, and more. Sunshine emulates Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series, DualShock 4, DualSense, and Nintendo Switch Pro controllers. Host compatibility includes FreeBSD, Linux, macOS, and Windows, with features varying by system. Listed maximums are 4K resolution and 120 fps. Minimum requirements include 4 GB RAM, a supported GPU, and 5 GHz 802.11ac networks for host and client. Sunshine is GPL-3.0 licensed and distributed through several package sources.