Every fact on this page applies to update 1.0.6.1267, the one version tested. Other versions may behave differently.
No emulator needed: DAVE THE DIVER runs natively on the Apple chip. How nxnative compares with emulators
Running through nxnative
How DAVE THE DIVER runs
DAVE THE DIVER plays on the Mac at 30 fps, the rate the game asks for, from a new game through the first dive to the sushi bar. No iPhone or iPad app has been built yet.
How it runs
On the Mac, the add-on content notices, the title, a new game, the opening, the first dive with its tutorial (swimming, the knife, the harpoon, catching fish and the oxygen warning), the boat and the sushi bar up to Cobra's first lines there all run. After a restart, Continue loads the save. Testing stopped before serving customers.
Frames stay at a steady 30 fps from the title through the sushi bar. Running it at 60 fps has not been tried.
From the title to the sushi bar, memory peaked at about 2.55 GB, plus 0.80 GB of graphics memory. Later areas and days, and the In the Jungle add-on, have not been measured.
Bring update 1.0.6.1267
Tested with update 1.0.6.1267, together with the game's add-on content, which the game recognises. Put the update in the same folder as the base game before you Pack. The base game without the update has not been played.
Controls
The Packed app starts in the 2D touch layout.
- Many confirmations need a held button, not a tap. Hold A to start the game from Normal Start on the starting point dialog and to skip the opening credits; hold X to dive and to open the boat's destination menu. A tap of B leaves the dialog.
- On the title, press A once for each of the five add-on content notices, then A on New Game.
- In the water, the left stick swims and B uses the knife. Hold A to aim the harpoon with the left stick, and press ZR to fire; the right stick does not aim.
- Continue resumes from the last autosave; a save made on the first boat restarts the boat dialogue.
Good to know
- A tap on Normal Start does nothing, so the game can look stuck at that dialog; hold A for about three seconds instead.
- Tapping X on Skip to Jungle did nothing; holding it there was not tried.
Known issues
- No iPhone or iPad app has been built or tested yet.
- Sound has not been listened to, and input has only gone through scripted presses, not a controller or keyboard.
- The five add-on content notices come back on every start, even with a save.
- Testing stopped at the sushi bar, so serving customers, everything after the first evening and the add-on stories are untested.
Packing command
Run this in your nxnative folder on the Build Mac. Replace the game folder and the keys path with your own. Add --platform mac-app to get a Mac app instead of an iPhone and iPad app.
python3 scripts/build_ipa_from_nsp.py ~/Games/dave-the-diver -k ~/keys/prod.keysFAQ
Does DAVE THE DIVER work with nxnative?
Yes. DAVE THE DIVER is tested with nxnative on update 1.0.6.1267.
Which iPhone, iPad or Mac do I need to play DAVE THE DIVER?
An iPhone 15 Pro or newer (A17 Pro chip or later) or an iPad with an M1 chip or later, on iOS or iPadOS 26 or later, or a Mac with Apple silicon. iPads with the A17 Pro chip (iPad mini) have the iPhone 15 Pro's chip but are untested by nxnative. Packing needs a Mac with macOS 26.6 or later and Xcode 27.2.
Is DAVE THE DIVER included?
No. Neither this site nor nxnative includes any game. You Pack DAVE THE DIVER from your own copy of the game, with keys dumped from your own Switch.
Does online play work in DAVE THE DIVER?
Online play in DAVE THE DIVER is not confirmed to work, so do not count on it.
