Nintendo SNES Classic Already Hacked To Add Even More Games To The Retro Console

The SNES Classic Edition game console launched to much fanfare and so far the system has proved so popular that many people still can't find one. Reviews for the SNES Classic have been very positive with lots of praise for its retro gaming prowess. The console came from Nintendo with 21 games preinstalled, but some hackers have found a way to add even more games to the system.

As of now the process is rather long requiring about 20 steps according to a video outlining the hack using a tool called HakChi2. You will also need some other software to load your own games to the SNES Classic Edition including Python 3.60, Notepad++, and the sfc2sfrom.py script. All of those required software programs can be downloaded online. You do need to have source ROM files to upload to the console saved with the .SFC extension.

After downloading the files, you start with HakChi2 and open all the files inside to your computer. From there you can run the file and launch the software on your machine, then you can follow the steps in the video to dump the kernel. After that, you will receive some instructions and you have to follow those exactly or you risk damaging your console. After the dump is complete you have a dump folder in the directory where you unpacked HakChi2. You do have to backup the dump file to allow restoring to stock in the future if needed.

You can then go back and choose "flash custom kernel" and upload a custom kernel. The next step requires Python to be installed and a folder for ROMs to be created, that custom python scriptsfc2sfrom.py file then goes into that folder. After that is done, you can find the ROMs that you want to add to the SNES Classic Edition.

Then drag the ROM, with the proper extension, into your ROMS folder. Open a command prompt and enter the path detailed in the video. If done correctly it will add a file to your ROMs folder. Then open the HakChi folder, open the games folder, and copy it and rename it.

The rest of the process is complex and requires files to be renamed and Notepad++ to be launched and setup. You then use it to edit files and game IDs. That is a long process detailed in the video. You can find box art and change the images in those folders to have the correct art in the menus if desired.

If you do it all correctly when you use the HakChi2 tool to sync games, your new ROM will be added. It's a long process, but as time goes by it will likely be streamlined making adding and removing games easier over time.