Nintendo Left Secret Message For Modders Inside Famicon Mini AKA NES Classic Edition
Nintendo must have known it was just a matter of time before "modders" started to crack into Famicom Mini. Twitter user “bakueikozo" discovered a secret message in the code of the console that appears to be intended for hackers.
The secret code stated, “This is the hanafuda captain speaking. Launching emulation in 3...2...1. Many efforts, tears and countless hours have been put into this jewel. So, please keep this place tidied up and don't break everything! Cheers, the hanafuda captain." Hanafuda are Japanese playing cards that are used to play a number of games. Nintendo produced its own hanafuda cards when it was founded in 1889, however, production was largely abandoned by the 1960’s.
The Famicom Classic Mini is the Japanese variant of the NES Classic Edition. Hackers were not content with the device’s sixty games. They recently found a way to load their own digital images of NES games by connecting the device to a PC. The Famicom Classic Mini runs on Linux and the source ROMs are readily available.
The NES Classic Edition was also recently hacked. According to users on Reddit, one of the hacks requires that users save a game in Super Mario Bros. in the first slot in order to load the custom kernel. Like the Famicom Classic Mini, the NES Classic Edition must then be connected to a PC. There are a number of other questionable steps in this process that will eventually allow hackers to upload their own ROMs.
The secret code stated, “This is the hanafuda captain speaking. Launching emulation in 3...2...1. Many efforts, tears and countless hours have been put into this jewel. So, please keep this place tidied up and don't break everything! Cheers, the hanafuda captain." Hanafuda are Japanese playing cards that are used to play a number of games. Nintendo produced its own hanafuda cards when it was founded in 1889, however, production was largely abandoned by the 1960’s.
The Famicom Classic Mini is the Japanese variant of the NES Classic Edition. Hackers were not content with the device’s sixty games. They recently found a way to load their own digital images of NES games by connecting the device to a PC. The Famicom Classic Mini runs on Linux and the source ROMs are readily available.
The NES Classic Edition was also recently hacked. According to users on Reddit, one of the hacks requires that users save a game in Super Mario Bros. in the first slot in order to load the custom kernel. Like the Famicom Classic Mini, the NES Classic Edition must then be connected to a PC. There are a number of other questionable steps in this process that will eventually allow hackers to upload their own ROMs.
There is always a chance that hackers will break their console. Nintendo has also stated, “Therefore, whether you have an authentic game or not, or whether you have possession of a Nintendo ROM for a limited amount of time, i.e. 24 hours, it is illegal to download and play a Nintendo ROM from the Internet.” It is probably best to respect hanafuda captain’s wishes and “keep this place tidied up and don't break everything”.大変！ファミコンミニの内蔵エミュレータの中身をのぞいていたらメッセージを発見したよ … ごめんキャプテン！！ズタボロに壊し始めちゃったｗｗｗｗｗｗ #ニンテンドークラシックミニ #開発者からのメッセージ #削るとなぜか動かない系とはちょっと違う pic.twitter.com/C2dvIQlEuU
— ひろみつ(85.1kg) (@bakueikozo) January 6, 2017
