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[[File:RVTHReaderFront.png|thumb|The RVT-H reader. The front of it is red.]]

[[File:RVTHReaderFront.png|thumb|hi]]

The '''RVT-H Reader''' is a Wii development kit which loads titles from an internal hard drive in place of using discs or external disc emulation. Via a series of buttons on the console's front panel (in place of the disc drive) and a USB interface which can be used with PC software, the contents of the hard drive can be managed and the current emulated disc can be switched to the contents of any hard drive bank.

The '''Nintendo Switch''' is a video game console, developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. It is a hybrid console that can be used as a home console and portable device. Its wireless Joy-Con controllers, with standard buttons and directional analog sticks for user input, motion sensing, and tactile feedback, can attach to both sides of the console to support handheld-style play. They can also connect to a grip accessory to provide a traditional home console gamepad form, or be used individually in the hand like the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, supporting local multiplayer modes. The Nintendo Switch's software supports online gaming through Internet connectivity, as well as local wireless ad hoc connectivity with other consoles. Nintendo Switch games and software are available on both physical flash-based ROM cartridges and digital distribution via Nintendo eShop; the system has no region lockout. A handheld-focused revision of the system, called the Nintendo Switch Lite, was released on September 20, 2019.

The RVT-H Reader's deletion functionality does not actually delete the contents of the specified hard drive bank, so the data can be recovered.

The Nintendo Switch was unveiled on October 20, 2016. Known in development by its codename '''NX''', the concept of the Switch came about as Nintendo's reaction to several quarters of financial losses into 2014, attributed to poor sales of its previous console, the Wii U, and market competition from mobile gaming. Nintendo's then-president Satoru Iwata pushed the company towards mobile gaming and novel hardware. The Nintendo Switch's design is aimed at a wide demographic of video game players through multiple modes of use. Nintendo opted to use more standard electronic components, such as a chipset based on Nvidia's Tegra line, to make development for the console easier for programmers and more compatible with existing game engines. As the Wii U had struggled to gain external support, leaving it with a weak software library, Nintendo preemptively sought the support of many third-party developers and publishers to help build out the Switch's game library alongside Nintendo's first-party titles, including many independent video game studios. While Nintendo initially anticipated around 100 titles for its first year, over 320 titles from first-party, third-party, and independent developers were released by the end of 2017.

Earlier RVT-H Reader units used 40GB hard drives, while later ones used 80GB hard drives (presumably as 40GB hard drives were no longer being manufactured), although the bank size is the same so there is no functional difference between these models.

As an eighth-generation console, the Nintendo Switch competes with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The console shipped nearly three million in the first month of its launch, exceeding Nintendo's initial projection of two million and within a year of release achieved over 14 million units sold worldwide, outselling total lifetime sales of the Wii U. By the start of 2018, the Switch became the fastest-selling home console in both Japan and the United States. As of June 2020, the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite have sold more than 61 million units worldwide. Switch sales have been strongly tied to sales of Nintendo's first-party titles, with six games; ''The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'', ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'', ''Super Mario Odyssey'', ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', ''Pokémon Sword'' and ''Shield'', and ''Animal Crossing: New Horizons'' having sold over fifteen million units each.

 

The PC tool [https://github.com/GerbilSoft/rvthtool rvthtool] can be used to manage the contents of an RVT-H Reader without using official Nintendo software, in addition to functionality such as resigning/encrypting disc images and restoring 'deleted' data from an RVT-H Reader's hard drive.

 

RVT-H Reader units were intended for game testing, allowing developers to hold multiple game builds on a single drive and swap between them without having to burn discs.

 

Like [[NDEV]] units, RVT-H Reader units have a 128MB [[MEM2]].

 

Since RVT-H Reader units are the only Wii development kits which can store full disk images on the console itself, there is the possibility for unreleased games, internal tools and other software to be found on a RVT-H Reader; various game prototypes and other programs have been recovered in this way, such as The Last Story prototypes and [[RVL_DIAG]].

See also: [[RVT-R Reader]]

See also: [[RVT-R Reader]]