Nintendo’s NES Classic Edition has been hacked. A new tool enables users to add more game ROMs to the library of available titles since Nintendo kind of cut the whole thing off from being open for updates or allowing users to add new games.
YouTuber Weyay Studios put together a video tutorial explaining how to add more games to your NES Classic Edition using the hakchi2 tool that’s been circulating. The link to the file is in the description, along with a warning that your browser and anti-virus software will likely flag the file as malware, but some users have reported that it’s a false positive from anti-virus software.
In the video below, he explains that the only hardware you’ll need is the NES Classic Edition and a working computer. If you’re not reading this article on a smartphone or tablet, then you’re already set.
Plug the NES mini into the PC using a USB cable. You have to extract the files within the zip file. Open the executable. Click on the “Add more games” button, and load in the NES roms you want. For the box art, click the “Google” button and add the appropriate box art for the game.
Click on the “Upload Selected Game To NES Mini”.
Ensure that the NES Classic Edition console is turned off and is plugged up to PC. Hold down the reset button and turn on the system pressing the power button.
From there you’ll need to install the driver and it will upload the games to the NES mini console. The power will turn on and then turn off. Once the power on the NES mini is off, you can unplug it from your PC and hook it back up to your TV.
Power on the console and it’s good to go.
Some media outlets are wondering how Nintendo will respond to this, knowing that people are now actively adding games to the NES mini console’s library. Nintendo previously stated that they wouldn’t be updating or adding games to the NES Classic Edition, so you get what you get for suggested price.