The NES emulator on Nintendo Switch Online was hacked when it was just released

Nintendo Switch Online was hacked just hours after launch, and players already know how to play their own ROM games as well as the 20 NES games bundled with the service. The process to do this is so easy that the vast majority of users can imitate it, if instructions are given.

The first video shows a user running a game that is not on the official list of games to launch on Nintendo Switch Online. You can see it below.

In addition, you can see a short clip of the ROM that has been uploaded and run below.

ok so
this is incredibly basic but it shows that fully custom games ARE possible!
hakchi for NES Nintendo Switch Online when?#NintendoSwitch #NintendoSwitchOnline #NES pic.twitter.com/OBYn3dLOtV

— kapu | the Gay. (@KapuccinoHeck) September 19, 2018

It appears that the emulator software used for these NES games is a direct port of the software used on the NES Classic Edition, making this very hackable. The NES and SNES Classic Edition have been allowing new games to be installed for a while now, and it’s easy to do, thanks to software called hakchi.

good lord #NintendoSwitchOnline‘s NES games are plain .nes files
GUI appears to be entirely LUA much like the S/NES Classic so people are gonna be able to go to town on this

The “database” file that contains a listing of all valid games is plaintext,- pic.twitter.com/bO8M4B7U5e

— kapu | the Gay. (@KapuccinoHeck) September 19, 2018

So how easy is it to add ROMs to Nintendo Switch Online?

“For those who have no experience running Switch mods, the first time setup will be a bit difficult, but it is not difficult if there are clear instructions. After the initial setup, you’ll find it super easy to swap out ROMs and add brand new games.”

kapu said the fact that players can easily add mods is a side effect of Nintendo’s aim to make it easier to add new games.

“I don’t think this is a flaw, I’m just saying it’s a side effect that makes it easier to add new games when they’re officially released, thereby making it easier for modders to work with,” he explained. prefer.

It feels pretty much like an afterthought. The most work that went into it was likely the UI. There aren’t any fancy patches for individual games or anything, the online multiplayer aspect uses the exact same networking code as any other Switch game, such as Splatoon 2 or MK8D.

— kapu | the Gay. (@KapuccinoHeck) September 19, 2018

The question is whether Nintendo can, or will, ban console moderators from posting their own apps on their Switch.

kapu said. “Nintendo is very unpredictable when it comes to these matters, so for now I want to emphasize that people should not do this.”

In short, you probably shouldn’t get into it if you don’t know what to do. Crucially, it’s doable, and the Nintendo Switch Online hack looks like it won’t stop there.

According to polygon