Hacker uploads, tests new games on NES Classic

Once you’ve added your own game files, which should also include custom JPGs that will appear in the NES Classic’s “box art” GUI, you’ll have to repack the hardware’s kernel, then fully flash the hardware yourself. (Again, we remind you, these kinds of technical steps can result in a bricked NES Classic if anything unexpected happens.) Do all of those steps correctly, and you’ll see every single game you’ve added appear in the slick, default interface.

As this exploit has only been in the wild for less than a day, we’ve yet to confirm exactly how many commercial and homebrew games are compatible with the NES Classic’s default emulator. But proof-of-concept videos have already shown classics such as the Mega Man series running without a hitch. (Interesting choice of game there, considering how badly Capcom butchered a nostalgic Mega Man launch this week.) Nintendo could have coded this emulator with the most basic routines, after all, as opposed to supporting the system’s full array of capabilities and abnormalities.

Modders have yet to discover the limits of the Classic’s memory or interface. So far, players who’ve exceeded the system’s shipping default of 30 haven’t reported issues with adding more; the above video shows a system with 25 additional titles, including beloved third-party hits like Contra and Battletoads.

Still, this isn’t a surprising development, at least in terms of public interest in squeezing the most out of this cute hardware. But the mod’s apparent elegance and efficiency does suggest a particularly strong emulator here—which may very well drive enthusiasts to the hardware, if Nintendo ever replenishes stocks (and chooses not to block this modding method in future hardware revisions). If you never do find your own NES Classic Edition, of course, there are other ways to enjoy a similarly small-and-tidy dive into retro-gaming nostalgia.