Hackers unlock, add games to Nintendo NES Classic Edition

MOSCOW, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Hackers have found a way to add new games to Nintendo's NES Classic console, which comes with 30 preinstalled games -- a library the company didn't intend to be updated.

According to Ars Technica, hackers in Russia and Japan independently discovered strategies for hacking the Nintendo system. The softmod strategies don't require the system to be physically augmented; instead, hackers used software to unlock the machine.

Instructions were first posted in a forum on Russian retro gaming community site GBX. For those who prefer their hacking instructions in English, the workaround has been shared on a forum in Reddit's NESClassicMods community.

"It must be said that this is not a simple process -- not yet, at least," TechCrunch reported. "It involves booting the Linux-based NES into FEL mode, hacking the kernel, and injecting ROM files using a special tool."

Hackers have yet to find a limit to the console's memory available for new games. One YouTube video showed a console with 25 new games. Other videos showed the popular games Battletoads and Megan Man running seamlessly.