Category Archives: nintendo hacks

Thinking Inside The (Cardboard) Box With Nintendo Labo Hacks

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Fernando Gomes

Cardboard is one of the easiest ways to build something physical, far easier than the 3D printing and laser cutting we usually write about here. So when Nintendo released their Labo line of cardboard accessories, it doesn’t take a genius to predict the official product would be followed by a ton of user creations. Nintendo were smart enough to provide not only an internet forum for this creativity to gather, they also hold contests to highlight some of the best works.

The most impressive projects in the winner’s circle combined the one-of-a-kind cardboard creations with custom software written using Toy-Con …read more

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Posted in cardboard, cardboard box, contest, contests, joy-con, Labo, nintendo, nintendo hacks, Nintendo Switch, switch | Leave a comment

N64 Emulated in VR Makes Hyrule go 3D

Posted on July 10, 2018 by Fernando Gomes

The Nintendo 64 had some groundbreaking and popular 3D games, and [Avaer Kazmer] felt it was only right to tamper with things just enough to trick an emulator into playing Ocarina of Time in VR, complete with stereoscopic 3D. The result is more than just running an emulator on a simulated screen in virtual reality; the software correctly renders a slightly different perspective of the world of Hyrule to each eye in order to really make the 3D pop in a way the original never could, and make it playable with VR controllers in the process. The VR emulator solution …read more

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Posted in emukit, exokit, Games, mixed reality, n64, nintendo, nintendo hacks, ocarina of time, Virtual Reality, Vive, vr | Leave a comment

Nintendo Switch Gets Internal Trinket Hardmod

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Fernando Gomes

If you haven’t been following the Nintendo Switch hacking scene, the short version of the story is that a vulnerability was discovered that allows executing code on all versions of the Switch hardware and operating system. In fact, it’s believed that the only way to stop this vulnerability from being exploited is for Nintendo to release a new revision of the hardware. Presumably there are a lot of sad faces in the House of Mario right about now, but it’s good news for us peons who dream of actually controlling the devices we purchase.

To run your own code on …read more

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Posted in adafruit, Games, hardware, nintendo hacks, Nintendo Switch, recovery mode, trinket m0 | Leave a comment

Reverse-Emulating NES: Nintendception!

Posted on May 31, 2018 by Fernando Gomes

This is a stellar hack, folks. [Tom7] pulled off both full-motion video and running a Super Nintendo game on a regular old Nintendo with one very cute trick. And he gives his presentation of how he did it on the Nintendo itself — Nintendo Power(point)! The “whats” and the “hows” are explained over the course of two videos, also embedded below.

In the first, he shows it all off and gives you the overview. It’s as simple as this: Nintendo systems store 8×8 pixel blocks of graphics for games on their ROM cartridges, and the running program pulls these up …read more

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Posted in nes, nintendo hacks, Raspberry Pi, snes, SNES emulator | Leave a comment

Beat This Mario Block Like it Owes You Money

Posted on April 25, 2018 by Fernando Gomes

People trying to replicate their favorite items and gadgets from video games is nothing new, and with desktop 3D printing now at affordable prices, we’re seeing more of these types of projects than ever. At the risk of painting with too broad a stroke, most of these projects seem to revolve around weaponry; be it a mystic sword or a cobbled together plasma rifle, it seems most gamers want to hold the same piece of gear in the physical world that they do in the digital one.

But [Jonathan Whalen] walks a different path. When provided with the power to …read more

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Posted in mario, nintendo hacks, prop building, vibration sensor | Leave a comment

Gamecube Dock For Switch Mods Nintendo with More Nintendo

Posted on March 16, 2018 by Fernando Gomes

[Dorison Hugo] let us know about a project he just completed that not only mods Nintendo with more Nintendo, but highlights some of the challenges that come from having to work with and around existing hardware. The project is a Gamecube Dock for the Nintendo Switch, complete with working Gamecube controller ports. It looks like a Gamecube with a big slice out of it, into which the Nintendo Switch docks seamlessly. Not only that, but thanks to an embedded adapter, original Gamecube controllers can plug into the ports and work with the Switch. The original orange LED on the top …read more

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Posted in mod, nintendo, nintendo hacks, Nintendo Switch | Leave a comment

Nintendo Switch Gets Making with Labo

Posted on January 20, 2018 by Fernando Gomes

Over the years, Nintendo has had little trouble printing money with their various gaming systems. While they’ve had the odd misstep here and there since the original Nintendo Entertainment System was released in 1983, overall business has been good. But even for the company that essentially brought home video games to the mainstream, this last year has been pretty huge. The release of the Nintendo Switch has rocketed the Japanese gaming giant back into the limelight in a way they haven’t enjoyed in a number of years, and now they’re looking to keep that momentum going into 2018 with a …read more

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Posted in ir camera, Labo, motion control, nintendo, nintendo hacks, Nintendo Switch, peripherals hacks, toy hacks | Leave a comment

Reverse Engineering A Pirate Nintendo Arcade Board

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Fernando Gomes

The Nintendo VS. System was a coin-op arcade system based on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) hardware. By being so closely related to the home console, it made it easy to port games back and forth between the two. Being an arcade system, there was significant financial incentive to pirate the boards and games, and many years later such a pirate board landed on the desk of [kevtris], who decided to reverse engineer it for our viewing pleasure.

The board in question runs Super Mario Brothers, and rather than using actual Nintendo hardware it instead relies on a standard MOS …read more

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Posted in nes, nintendo, Nintendo Entertainment System, nintendo hacks, vs system | Leave a comment

The King of All Game Genies In An Arduino

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Fernando Gomes

While Nintendo is making a killing on nostalgic old consoles, there is a small but dedicated group of hackers still working with the original equipment. Since the original NES was rolled out in the 80s, though, there are a few shortcomings with the technology. Now, though, we have Arduinos, cheap memory, and interesting toolchains. What can we do with this? Absolutely anything we want, like playing modern video games on this antiquated system. [uXe] added dual-port memory to his ancient NES console, opening up the door to using the NES as a sort of video terminal for an Arduino. Of …read more

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Posted in memory, nes, nintendo, nintendo hacks, rom | Leave a comment

Reverse Engineering the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Fernando Gomes

The Switch is Nintendo’s latest effort in the console world. One of its unique features is the Joy-Cons, a pair of controllers that can either attach directly to the console’s screen or be removed and used individually. But how do they work? [dekuNukem] decided to find out.

The reverse engineering efforts begin with disassembly. Surprisingly, there is no silkscreen present on the board to highlight test points or part numbers. This is likely to conflate community efforts to work with the hardware, as different teams may create their own designations for components. Conversely, the chips inside still have their identifying …read more

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Posted in joy-con, joy-cons, joycon, joycons, nintendo, nintendo hacks, Nintendo Switch, reverse engineering, switch | Leave a comment