Nintendo Switch actually has a hidden NES emulator

Console makers have a love/hate relationship with emulators. On the one hand, emulators walk the thin line between innocent emulation of legally owned games and piracy. On the other hand, console makers themselves are now known to make use of that very same technology for their own benefit, from the Xbox One's backward compatibility to the tiny NES Classic. Now it seems Nintendo is yet again banking on emulation, this time for the Nintendo Switch as homebrew modders discover traces of one inside Nintendo's latest console.

When you think about it, it might not exactly be surprising that there is an NES emulator program inside the Switch. Nintendo has been advertising an upcoming feature of its Switch Online Service that would let owners download and install a classic NES game for free per month. How else, then, would those old games run on such a modern hardware?

Of course, Nintendo has always been silent about such matters, not that it really matters to those who have unearthed the truth. The discovery, or confirmation, is going to be a big thing for the Switch's homebrew scene, provided they manage to find a way to run and control it.

The Nintendo Switch definitely still has a lot of secrets to give up. Right after its launch, it was discovered to have a fully functional browser that could be used with a workaround. But such treasures are deeply hidden on purpose, and you can bet that Nintendo will do whatever it takes to keep it that way.

VIA: Nintendo Everything