The Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition (Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System in Europe) proved to be a festive hit for Nintendo, with demand for the retro system surprising the big N. Though the tiny little console is emulating a fixed list of 30 games, it's doing so in a typically charming and irresistible 'Nintendo' way.
Compared to the company's consoles and portables, though, the budget system is pretty easy to hack, with those keen to use the tiny box for more games finding a way within weeks, rather than the months or years similar efforts can take on other Nintendo consoles. Rather quickly there were people finding ways to add their own games, to the point that the whole NES library came into play. Of course, hacking the system is legally questionable - due to the use of unofficial ROMS etc - and has the potential to disrupt it further.
In any case, we seem to have gone down the rabbit hole now, as some have found a way to run a well-known bit of emulation software. It's not pretty in terms of user interface, but as the video below shows the NES Mini is capable of running Game Boy, Mega Drive and SNES games, albeit there are occasional choppy moments with the 16-bit titles; this may improve as the hackers work on the exploit further.
Considering the nature of the NES Mini, itself a well-polished and official machine used for emulation, these mods and hacks are no surprise. Beyond the legal sketchiness of this it's also a reminder that, should Nintendo desire, it shouldn't be hugely difficult to produce more 'Mini' systems of its retro hardware. The big N's quality control naturally requires more effort than hacks to run emulators, but in theory iterations and improvements on the core of the tiny NES can be a firm foundation.
What 'Mini' system would you like to see next from Nintendo?
Comments 54
Behold the greatNESs of the hackers!
Seriously, kudos to the hackers for working it out so quickly. Very impressive!
How do they play Mega Drive and SNES with only the 2 buttons though?
Mini SNES next though. Hopefully this year...after they make more of the NES available.
@Baker1000 Maybe you can use the wii classic controller pro?
Impressive
NL, stop reminding me the NES mini existed at one point until it exists once more on store shelves. >_<
Jk, but seriously, I wish Nintendo would be more descript about their plans for the system. A simple deadline, such as "by the end of Summer 2017" would suffice.
Even though this is neat, I still highly dislike hackers doing this just because they can... it's a never ending debate so that's all I will say.
Tempting
Well done to them.
I myself being a collector couldn't bring myself to do this, especially since they're as easy as hens teeth to find.
NES.
Nintendo
Emulation
System.
TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine Mini next, please, PLEASE?
Well done to the hackers. The best thing to happen to the PSVITA was the HENKAKU Hack. I know not everybody is into hacks but they r here to stay.
snes mini next surely? hopefully this year, considering how well the nes mini has done they should strike soon while theres still a buzz. maybe add more games and some new features to the snes model? maybe unreleased games or something exciting
do snes games play good though
Ah Retroarch <3. Where doesn't it run!?
@NintySnesMan really wanna hack my Vita but find it confusing on where to start. Haven't updated the system in about a year and a half. Edit: also have the Vita TV that I never use, god, Sony and Nintendo make a fortune on selling hardware to me lol.
Fair play to the lads for getting all those systems onto the nes mini! Nintendo will sell more of that hardware for it.
I'd pay for a backlit GBC with rechargeable battery loaded with all the great GB/GBC games:
Pokémon Yellow
Pokémon Silver
Mystic Quest
Super Mario Land 1-3
Links Awakening DX
MGS
Fortified Zone
Metroid 2
Oracle of Ages/Seasons
If they launched that in June just as summer was rolling in for £50 it would make a fortune.
@readyletsgo
Hey. What firmware is your vita running u can check this in the settings. Does it have Fw 3.60
@NintySnesMan Yup it's on 3.60 as far as I remember. It's such a lovely system that I sadly rarely use.
I think I tried to follow someone's guide on YouTube last year and I got a little lost in the wording and jargon names of software that I just gave up and went back to my PSP lol. But if I can hack the WiiU I should be able to hack the Vita, just confusing.
@RadioHedgeFund I would by that over the nes mini in a second!
@Baker1000
First thought to cross my mind
@readyletsgo
OK. Use the browser on vita and type https :HENKAKU.xyz. This will take u to a page where u can install it. It just 1 click of a button simple really. U will get options to download Gba snes many retro emulators plus many other things. Whatever u do DONT update the firmware from 3.60 or u will loose ability to use the hack because Sony sent out a stability patch to combat this hack
@lemonjellydude doubt it will be this year, not when the Switch is still fresh. The NES Mini was a fun stocking filler to help cover up that they had nothing much happening in the home console market for Christmas 2016. This year: not so much.
@gaga64 youre probably right they have a lot going on but its possible they may want to spread there profit across a number of platforms. People who buy a switch will probably buy a snes mini as well and some people might want a snes mini but not a switch etc etc cant see any harm in them releasing that as well as the Switch
Awesome but at this point why bother when you could already do this with a Retro Pi or a Raspberry Pi with no hiccups? I could understand hacking it to play other NES games but playing games other than NES is just over doing it and the concept is less interesting now.
@Blister probably. I know it has the same connection but didn't know if it was usable. Anyone tried playing NES games with it?
Amazing!
So it is a Raspberry Pi now? They are pretty much making their PC emulators and rom library into a portable version to play on TV, huh?
I love emulators, I'd be lucky to even find a NES Mini..but its still cool to see it done.
Because 30 games doesn't cut the mustard...
@NintySnesMan awesome! Thanks very much for that. I'll give it a go over the weekend.
Nooooice, can't wait to get my hands on my friend's NES Mini. Fwahahahaha!
Wow, I knew that the NES Mini internals were more or less drawing parts from a similar or same pool of resources as DIY boards like the Raspberry Pi, but I didn't realize that it was practically a modified version of the Raspberry Pi Zero! Just wait, someone will eventually slap/solder those NES Mini plastic pieces onto one just to prove it...
@ZurapiiYohane64 Oh yeah, been around for the better part of 6-7 months. And you can play psp backups and homebrew by installing something called Adrenaline. Pretty much installs a PSP on your Vita. Run it and your vita becomes a PSP, similar to vWii on the Wii.
@ZurapiiYohane64 You can add ALL the things. Adrenaline released the ePSP bubble installer 2.0 just yesterday. This program allows PSP homebrew to be run, and ePSP bubbles to be installed for ISO's/CSO's. (Be kind, rip your own from the disc or digital copy through a PSP!) It's an easier process now, since you no longer need a spare PS3 system and PSP game in order to activate the Vita.
@PlywoodStick It's been out for a couple months.
@MajinCubyan Bubble Installer? Or something else in particular? (Sorry, my phone does things, have to constantly edit...)
Hackers do what Nintendon't
@PlywoodStick Oh, thats what you meant. Yeah, thats newer, but Adrenaline itself as been out for a couple months. Bubble Installer is just a more simplified method and you don't need a psp game or mini as a base to install Adrenaline into.
@lemonjellydude it's true they can easily manage the message of having multiple systems on the go simultaneously, I just think that at this point they would want to focus their ad budget etc on the one key system. At this point i would imagine it's pretty important for the Switch to be a success, and doubt they would want to divert any of their marketing staff to a support system. Next year maybe, when the Switch is established and the 3DS is starting to decline
Psp is the handheld emulation king. I think the vita has taken the role now
Hacking other systems' emulators onto the NES mini harms the retro appeal of it. It's one thing to expand the NES library but adding additional consoles just for the hell of it is taking it too far. It's not even that great of an emulator box compared to alternatives really. Hakchi2 is great, easy to use, and polished but when modded the system gives too many C8 and C2 errors and the quality of the emulation of the games is not as good as the more established emulators available on Wii Homebrew such as FCE Ultra. Plus there are a lot of mappers that the Classic doesn't support and that translates into more than a few games that don't work.
@ZurapiiYohane64
Yes the vita got a jailbreak hack last year. Yes it has all psp games and ps1. It also has SNES GBA GBC NES N64 plus many old classic PC games like Doom Quake Heretic and Hexen plus homebrew games
"hacker"
Gameboy color!
I am very pleased with what hackers have accomplished, removing my greatest complaint with the NES Mini (that you couldn't add more NES titles to the system), and 3rd party companies (specifically 8bitdo) have managed to make a fantastic wireless controller. Nintendo didn't address either issue directly, but others got the issues resolved, that's pretty cool.
I would love a mini SNES with more than 30 games!
I'm not hacking my nes mini. But got retropie on my raspberry pi with all nes, snes, master system n megadrive games.
Will still buy snes mini, gameboy mini and n64 mini if they make them...
This is so cool. 😎
I guess you have to plug in a Classic Controller Pro to play the SNES games and some GEN games.
Snes mini this Christmas and n64 mini the next 🤞🏼
@lemonjellydude like star fox 2 for the SNES I meen thares a prototype of the game out thare
Definitely want a 64 mini. It would probably only have 10 or 15 games though. The right 10 would be amazing though. Especially if it stays at $60.
It's not surprising.
The thing is nothing more than a raspberry pi running Linux, and using nothing more than a Nintendo styled front end.
Okay it's not an ACTUAL raspberry pi, but it's basically the same thing.
So i'm not surprised by this at all.
I'm waiting for someone to dump everything the NES Mini uses so it can be applied to an actual raspberry pi.
I hope for a SNES Mini, if only for the SNES controller, so long as I can use it on my Wii same as the NES controller. I know a Sega Genesis Mini is out of the question, which is a same, because that Wii-compatible controller would make my retro collection complete.
@retro_player_22 Totally agree. There's something wrong with playing Genesis games on a Mini NES, and why bother putting up with the poor 16-bit emulation and UI when a much better experience can be had on your PC, RPi, or even mobile phone.
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