Every fact on this page applies to update 1.0.3, the one version tested. Other versions may behave differently.
No emulator needed: Portal runs natively on the Apple chip. How nxnative compares with emulators
Running through nxnative
How Portal runs
Portal plays on the Mac at 60 fps. The project developers have built the iPhone app, about 2.6 GB, but have not yet tested it on a device.
How it runs
On the Mac, testing covered the opening movie, the title menu with its 3D background, a new game and test chamber 00, including the view through the portals. The pause menu and saving worked, the sound played, and the log stayed free of errors. The game used about 1.5 GB of memory in the chamber, and on an M4 Pro the GPU needed only about 6 ms per frame.
The Switch version is Valve's Source engine split into 28 separate modules that the game loads as it starts. At first this made nxnative's packing script mistake Portal for an OpenGL game. The detection is fixed, and the game now packs like any other.
Controls
Portal is a first-person game, so the Packed app starts in the 3D touch layout: move with the left stick and look around with the right. The right stick is not drawn; touch the right third of the screen where there is no control.
Good to know
- Later chambers, with energy balls, turrets, water and the escape, have not been tested yet.
- Tested with update 1.0.3. Other versions may behave differently.
Known issues
- The iPhone app is built but has not been tested on a device yet.
- Only the first test chamber has been played; later chambers 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/portal -k ~/keys/prod.keysFAQ
Does Portal work with nxnative?
Yes. Portal is tested with nxnative on update 1.0.3.
Which iPhone, iPad or Mac do I need to play Portal?
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 27.1.
Is Portal included?
No. Neither this site nor nxnative includes any game. You Pack Portal from your own copy of the game, with keys dumped from your own Switch.
Does online play work in Portal?
Online play in Portal is not confirmed to work, so do not count on it.
