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A copy of NES game ‘Golf’ is reportedly found hiding on the Nintendo Switch

By Garrett Hulfish September 18, 2017

Beginning with the Nintendo Wii, Nintendo has celebrated its history through the Virtual Console. The service has also existed on the Wii U and 3DS, but fans have been left eagerly awaiting its arrival on the Nintendo Switch. As it turns out, an NES emulator may have been on the console the whole time.

According to hacker YellowS8 (via Engadget), a hidden game called Flog (golf spelled backward) has been deep inside the

Nintendo Switch

‘s main binary. The Flog emulator was first discovered in July, but these screenshots mark the first glimpse at it. The screenshots that accompany the reveal look identical to the 1984 sports sim Golf. It is still unknown what triggers the title officially, but YellowS8 says it can be run using unofficial methods. Flog has supposedly been lurking inside the console since version 1.0.0 of the firmware.

Even more curious is the supposed inclusion of multiple control methods. As expected, the default controls scheme appears to use the Joy-Con control stick and face buttons. The screenshots suggest that by holding the ZL or ZR button activates motion controls. Users would be able to swing physically to play shots.

Nintendo has previously stated that Virtual Console is on its way to the

Nintendo Switch

, yet the company has never made any indication of adding motion controls. No prior official NES ROMs have used the control method and Nintendo appears to be tight-lipped on the subject.

In addition to the Virtual Console, Nintendo also touted the Classic Games Selection as part of next year’s online subscription for the Switch. These classics will include Switch-specific upgrades like online play.

With each iteration of Virtual Console, Nintendo has added more and more console emulators. On the original Wii, it was limited to NES, SNES, and Nintendo 64 titles. With the Wii U and 3DS, the service added Gameboy, Gameboy Color, Gameboy Advance, and Nintendo DS entries. The Nintendo Switch has been rumored to go even further, suggesting the addition of Gamecube games on Virtual Console.

While these rumored remain unconfirmed by Nintendo, its latest Direct stream revealed that classic Nintendo titles are incoming, starting with Mario Bros. later in September.

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Garrett Hulfish

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Garrett is the kind of guy who tells you about all the tech you haven't heard of yet. He also knows too much about other…

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A still from the intro cinematic for Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked.

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I'm talking about Rocket Knight Adventures, a 1993 release on the Sega Genesis, as well as its follow-ups on Genesis and SNES, separate titles both named Sparkster. These 2D platformers put players in control of an opossum named Sparkster, who wears a suit of armor with a rocket strapped to its back. These games aren't as widely remembered as many of their peers but are well worth the time of any platformer fan, so they are definitely worth checking out now through Limited Run Games and Konami's Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked, which came out right in the middle of Summer Game Fest this year.

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All upcoming Switch games: 2024, 2025, and beyond

The Nintendo Switch is one of the most popular consoles Nintendo has ever produced, with a wide variety of games to choose from and plenty of unique features. We’ve already gotten to play new entries across the Zelda, Super Mario, and Pokémon series on Nintendo Switch, but there are still plenty of great games on the way for the hybrid console. These include exclusive games developed internally by Nintendo, as well as third-party titles and ports of games that are also available on other platforms.

Here's our list of the best upcoming Nintendo Switch games for 2024 and beyond. Of course, some titles without release windows could skip the Switch entirely and wind up on the Nintendo Switch 2 (or whatever it ends up being called). And if you're looking at future releases on multiple consoles, don't forget to check out what's upcoming on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC this year.
Upcoming Switch games 2024
The games listed below either have 100% confirmed release dates or solid release windows that we expect them to hit this year. Anything that's up in the air due to more vague launch predictions or previous delays will be listed below confirmed launches.

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Zelda stares at a landscape in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.

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Now, I'm eating my words. And I'm happy to do it.