← Tools ENJP
⚡
Tesla Menu
In-game overlay framework
GitHub ↗

Tesla Menu

~4 min read · Third-party project overview

Tesla Menu (by WerWolv) is the in-game overlay framework for Switch. By itself it has no features — it acts as a host for .ovl files (Status Monitor, sys-clk overlay, edizon overlay, etc.). If you use homebrew under CFW, this is effectively required infrastructure.

How to summon

Default shortcut: hold L + ZL + ↓ together. The menu appears as a translucent overlay on top of any running game without pausing it. The same combo closes it again.

Works in both handheld and TV mode. Detached Joy-Cons or pro controllers all register the chord.

Setup

  1. Have Atmosphère set up first.
  2. Grab ovlloader.zip + Tesla-Menu.zip from the GitHub releases.
  3. Extract to your SD root — drops /atmosphere/contents/420000000007E51A/ (the ovlloader sysmodule) and /switch/.overlays/ovlmenu.ovl.
  4. Reboot into CFW. In any game, press L+ZL+↓.

Adding overlays (.ovl files)

Each overlay is a standalone .ovl file. Drop it into /switch/.overlays/ and it shows up in Tesla Menu's list automatically.

Changing the shortcut

Edit /config/tesla/config.ini:

[tesla]
key_combo = L+ZL+DOWN

You can rebind to e.g. R+ZR+UP. In games that use L+ZL heavily (Apex etc.), pick something non-colliding like MINUS+DPAD_DOWN.

Power draw: the Tesla Menu sysmodule runs in the background. Idle overhead is tiny, but if you're squeezing every minute of battery, consider only loading it when needed.

Relation to the secretchat.tel loader

Tesla Menu and our loader both run under Atmosphère, so they coexist on one SD. You can run Apex via the loader while pulling up sys-clk or Status Monitor mid-game through Tesla. The loader has its own built-in HUD and option toggles, so Tesla Menu isn't required — but useful if you want other overlays alongside.

Related