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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.

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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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