Hackers Unlock NES Classic, Upload New Games Via USB Cable (arstechnica.com) 86
Just because Nintendo doesn't officially let their tiny replica NES receive new games doesn't mean hackers won't find a way to add their own. This week, hackers in Japan and Russia figured out soft-mod solutions to adding new games to the NES Classic, meaning you don't need to grab a screwdriver or a soldering iron to mod your own console. Ars Technica reports: According to the whiz kids at Reddit's NESClassicMods community, the solution won't work until you've created a save file in Super Mario Bros' first slot. (Chances are, you've already done this just by playing the game, since creating game saves is so easy with this system.) Once you've done that, connect your NES Classic Edition to a computer via a micro-USB cable, then boot the NES in "FEL" mode. This is done by holding down the system's reset button while pushing down the power button from a powered-off state. While you're booting, you should also run a "sunxi-FEL" interface on your computer. (An open-source version of compatible "USBBoot" software can be found here.) The rest of the steps land firmly in "operate at your own risk" territory, as they require copying your NES Classic's internal data to your computer, then modifying and adding files via an application made by hackers. Doing so, by the way, includes the dubious step of supplying your own ROM files, which you may have either dumped from your own cartridges or downloaded from other Internet users. One tool linked from that Reddit community, however, comes with two open-source NES ROMs that are in the legal free-and-clear to upload to your hardware. 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. Do all of those steps correctly, and you'll see every single game you've added appear in the slick, default interface.
Nice (Score:2, Insightful)
Good job. You probably don't want to update it with any official Nintendo firmware update after that.
Re: Nice (Score:2)
And safe to bet that the next batch Nintendo ships won't be vulnerable, better get me one now! :)
Re: Nice (Score:5, Informative)
Or just build a RetroPie and you don't have to worry about this. Rasberry Pi + 2 USB game pads + RetroPie boot ROM + torrent of 6000+ ROMs that you can load as you please over WiFi and you've got every NES game, every SNES game, every Genesis game, every TurboGrafix 16 game, every atari game, every N64 game, etc. Cost about $80. My four year old and I have been having a blast playing TMNT IV, Bubble Bobble, Golden Axe, etc.
Re: Nice (Score:4, Informative)
I think they're these: https://www.amazon.com/Gtron-R... [amazon.com]
They feel fine and work great. But the cords are only 4ft long so I got USB extension cords. If you want to play N64 games there are also pads with the analog stick, etc, but I haven't bothered with that. My goal was to play simple games with my kid because vidya games these days on the Xbox One and such are way too complicated.
Re: (Score:2)
PS3 controllers, either wired or with the built-in Bluetooth, FTW.
Re: (Score:2)
8bitDo controllers are really good. I've also been recommended Buffalo's fauxSNES controllers but I've not tried them myself.
Re: (Score:3)
It's not that hard at all to setup. If you think it is then you're probably on the wrong site.
Friends and family of /. users (Score:2)
A lot of Slashdot users have friends and family members who don't belong on this site by your criterion. They lack the time to set up RetroPie individually for each of them. Besides, I thought an RPi board, case, and controller already cost as much as this Nintendo product, and that's without ROM licenses.
Re: (Score:2)
The MSRP for the Nintendo Classic is $59.99, however, the going price (at Walmart for example) is $239.71 currently due to restricted stock.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nin... [walmart.com]
http://www.nintendo.com/nes-cl... [nintendo.com]
Re: (Score:2)
It took me about an hour, and now I just turn it on and it goes. If you can't figure it out...man wtf are you doing on slashdot?
Re: (Score:2)
you obviously were doing something completely wrong
You just grab the retropi image, flash it to an sdcard following the instructions for your OS
pop it into the pi, let it boot, expand the image
plug in keyboard, setup wifi, etc
your done
You now have a retropi running with visible samba shares and can copy whatever roms you want over. If it took you more than that, you fucked up
Re: (Score:2)
Retropi is ready to go right away. Controllers are plug and play. The hardest part for non tech people would be flashing the sdcard and expanding the file-system, both of which are well documented procedures with tons of video and text guides. Use a pi3 and your wifi will even work "out of the box"
Don't be scared, retropi is an easy and fun bonding experience for the whole family.
Re: Nice (Score:2)
Got one of those (PI 3b) for Christmas and that's what I did with it. Works really well for NES and SNES. N64 is hit or miss and nothing works past that console, but it's a fun project. Haven't tried other brand consoles yet.
Re: (Score:2)
What would be a neat hard hack IMO is to buy a NES classic, gut its motherboard, and put a Pi 3B in it instead with multiple console emulators and enough SD card space for all of the complete GoodSet rom collections (i.e. GoodNES, GoodSNES, GoodGen, GoodN64, etc) available on torrent sites (64GB would be plenty.) That basically makes the NES classic a $60 shell for the rpi, which isn't a bad deal considering that really ugly looking ones made of 3d printer filament will cost you roughly $30 in materials, as
Re: (Score:2)
Nintendo should have made the unit with the less built-in games and sold mini-NES cartridges at different prices, i.e. Zelda (1 and 2), Mega Man collection (all the NES Mega Man games), etc. The collectors alone would have paid a lot to have an official miniature Zelda gold cart.
Re: (Score:2)
They're different things, I don't even think the're competitors.
You can certainly do what you suggest, I did. Let's not pretend however that everyone in the real world can get hold of the roms, that knows how to edit a config file in nano when the sound doesn't go down hdmi properly or that is comfortable with copying via samba and flashing SD cards.
The Mini NES is for those people but also is just such a gorgeous device in itself and one people just "get" that it's for different people. I own one because
Re: (Score:2)
1) This thread is about how you can hack the mini NES so you can use it to load copied ROMs.
2) Copyright infringement isn't theft, this is slashdot, and you're a faggot.
Re: (Score:2)
Of course, and I suspect this was largely your point, those people are also not the people who are reflashing the NES.
1. Yes. I think assembling a RetroPie is easier than the instructions for reflashing the NES. You can even buy complete kits off Amazon where all you need to do is snap the Pi into a case.
2. I'm also posting on slashdot, which used to be a website for l33t computer h4xx0r types who would have no problem doing any of this. I didn't think I would need to qualify who the audience for comment was to my audience, I also forgot this is slashdot, where everyone is a pedantic nitwit.
Re: (Score:2)
So instead teach them the delusion of artificial scarcity? I'd think lying to them like that might be some kind of child abuse.
Also you're on slashdot faggot.
No copy protection? (Score:3)
Doesn't look like there is any copy protection. The steps are, basically, copy the system image to a PC over USB, modify it, copy it back.
Re:Hackers? (Score:4, Informative)
Hackers write code. Anyone writing code without having previously written a flow chart and and the entire algorithm before actually putting it into the whatever development platform they're using, is hacking. It is not breaking into other computers, that is cracking.
You know, like a safe cracker. I'm sure you've heard of that from the pre-computer days. I'm also sure you've heard of writers being called hacks in the pre-computer days as well. If you haven't heard that, just stream some classic movies.
Re: (Score:1)
So you're saying that the hacks have hacked "hack", then? Why don't they just hack up a hairball and put that on the page and call it progress? It would make as much sense.
Hack means what it meant. Morons with a limited vocabulary and an inability to use language don't get to dictate changes to everyone else.
The only acceptable time for "hack" and "crack" to be interchangeable when talking about computer intrusions is when there was a need for some new software to be written in order to allow the intrusion.
Re: (Score:2)
I think we lost this fight.
Re: (Score:1)
Surprising. (Score:5, Insightful)
Given Nintendo's historical opposition to basically anything they don't explicitly allow happening on their consoles, it seems like a real surprise that this one cheerfully accepts being reflashed with a modified system image. Does Nintendo just not care in this case? Are they doing console lockdown almost as retro as the games being emulated?
Re: (Score:2)
They got people to purchase old games running on an emulator for $60. Which you can get for free.
Doing it without your ISP threatening to shut off your connection for copyright infringement isn't "for free". Doing it on your living room TV as opposed to your computer desk in another room isn't "for free". A gamepad isn't "for free" either.
Re: Surprising. (Score:4, Insightful)
Sony and Microsoft are also control freaks; and quite possibly better at it than Nintendo(they've made mistakes of their own, like the hilarious PS3 LV0 key leak; or the original Xbox's naive assumption that fast busses were enough to keep low end adversaries at bay even though FPGAs exist); but Nintendo has been at least attempting to keep things locked up nice and tight since before Sony and MS had even entered the market.
Re: (Score:3)
Given Nintendo's historical opposition to basically anything they don't explicitly allow happening on their consoles,
You must be thinking of Sony, or maybe Microsoft perhaps?
Nintendo has the longest, largest, and most voluminous history of going after fan sequels and the like of anyone. They also have done more to combat hacking than any other console developer, consistently, repeatedly, and even promptly closing holes in the Wii — sometimes in ways that rendered hacked consoles unbootable.
Re: (Score:2)
Nintendo has the longest, largest, and most voluminous history of going after fan sequels and the like of anyone.
Longer than, say, The Tetris Company?
promptly closing holes in the Wii
Sony did this first with PSP firmware cat-and-mouse.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
It's simply possible that Nintendo doesn't give a shit what happens after you buy it.
Re: (Score:2)
Given Nintendo's historical opposition to basically anything they don't explicitly allow happening on their consoles, it seems like a real surprise that this one cheerfully accepts being reflashed with a modified system image. Does Nintendo just not care in this case? Are they doing console lockdown almost as retro as the games being emulated?
Nintendo wants to sell consoles. Usually you do that by offering a locked down platform with anti-piracy features developers want to develop for, so they make games and users buy it for the games. In this case the games are already written. Who is going to start writing new games for the Nintendo Classic? Nobody. So why should Nintendo try to get between you and your favorite non-included classic? I'm pretty sure this means you'll quickly see "every game under the sun" classic boxes for sale on eBay. Which
Re: (Score:2)
Who is going to start writing new games for the Nintendo Classic?
Probably the same people who are still writing new games for the original NES in the first place: KHAN Games, Retrotainment, Rainwarrior, and the like.
Re: (Score:2)
You don't need 10NES chips, that was already cloned with the CIClone, which was based on the Tengen lockout chip interestingly enough.
Re: PC emulation (Score:1)
Where do you get these free PCs?
Re: (Score:2)
For one thing, the computer desk is usually in a separate room from the living room TV, and not everybody has the authority to pull HDMI and USB cables through the wall, especially if they rent or live in a jurisdiction that has made it a crime for anybody but a licensed electrician to pull cables through a wall. For another, a Windows PC usually* can't be used for web browsing or whatever other tasks while it is in use for NES emulation.
* Without paying extra for Remote Desktop and the like.
Re: (Score:2)
People who own only an iPhone, iPad, and game consoles. Apple's App Store Review Guidelines require iOS apps to be "self-contained", meaning an emulator must come with any required ROMs. In practice, this means only a game's publisher can publish an emulator on the App Store.
Re: (Score:3)
Office buildings around the place I live. It's strange, put on a boilersuit, put some PC-Company looking logo on it, when asked something grunt something back in a foreign language and show a sheet of paper that says you're supposed to pick up a PC, grab a PC and leave.
They should have just given us every game (Score:1)
Re: They should have just given us every game (Score:2)
They don't have the legal right to do that. They don't own the copyright on most games
Re: (Score:2)
DeplorableCodeMonkey was suggesting that Nintendo license said games from said companies.
But I agree with you that this wouldn't be practical. When Virtual Console was first announced, GoldenEye and Tetris were listed as examples of games that would be impractical to license. The NES doesn't have GoldenEye, but James Bond Jr. would have the same practical problems.
Re: (Score:2)
Goldeneye would share more licensing trouble in common with RC Pro Am than James Bond Jr.
I was referring to the Danjaq connection, which is why RC Pro-Am and Perfect Dark appeared in Rare Replay and GoldenEye didn't.
Nobody answered or asked this question yet (Score:2)
What is the internal capacity? Is there only enough for roughly 30 NES games or does it have enough space for 300? How about 3000?
Does it support all the mappers or only a few specific ones? (MMC3, VRC2, etc)