Nintendo Switch Online, Nintendo's long-awaited online service for the Nintendo Switch, was hacked less than a day since it was launched.
No, that does not mean Nintendo Switch owners will be able to get free subscriptions to the service. Instead, hackers have discovered how gamers can play their own ROMs through the Nintendo Switch Online NES emulator.
Nintendo Switch Online Already Hacked
The Nintendo Switch Online release date was set for Sept. 18, marking a one-and-a-half-year delay for the arrival of the service. However, within a day after its launch, Nintendo Switch Online was already hacked.
In addition to its main purpose of allowing online multiplayer, Nintendo Switch Online offers cloud saves and access to 20 NES games. Playing NES titles was viewed as a major part of Nintendo Switch Online, with Nintendo even releasing wireless NES controllers to make the experience more authentic.
Hackers have found that the emulators used by Nintendo Switch Online are similar to the ones found in the NES Classic Edition, which makes it possible for gamers to add their own ROMs of NES games into the service's library.
The Nintendo Switch hacker known as DevRin, within a day since the Nintendo Switch Online launch, uploaded a YouTube video that shows Battletoads running on the service's NES games app. Battletoads is not one of the 20 NES games offered by the service.
Modder KappucinoHeck confirmed that it is easy to load ROMs and play them through the Nintendo Switch Online NES emulator, which handles the NES games as plain .nes files through a database that lists all compatible titles. The database may be manipulated so that Nintendo Switch owners will be able to add their favorite NES games to the service.
Should You Still Subscribe To Nintendo Switch Online?
Nintendo Switch Online being hacked right away does not bode well for the service. While its subscription price is cheaper compared to Sony's PlayStation Network and Microsoft's Xbox Live, gamers are still expecting proper security against hackers.
However, it does not appear that the hack to add ROMs to Nintendo Switch Online is a sign that the rest of the subscription service will be easily compromised. This means that Nintendo Switch owners should not worry that their accounts will be hacked if they sign up.
In addition, adding NES ROMs to Nintendo Switch Online is not available to everyone. It required a hacked Nintendo Switch, which remains difficult to do and carries the constant threat of Nintendo banning the user's account.
