The ‘Mario Game & Watch’ has been hacked before its official release

Hours before the system was available publicly

The Mario Game & Watch that comes out later today has already been hacked, hours before its official release.

Mario Game & Watch is a retro-styled system that comes bundled with Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels, Ball and a digital clock. YouTube user StackSmashing received the handheld console a day early and quickly got to work dismantling the system to see if it could be hacked, covering his findings in a lengthy Twitter thread.

StackSmashing claimed that the device could easily be dismantled using a specific screwdriver and showcased the internals of the system. He spent the first half of the thread diving into the internals, looking at the processor, RAM and wiring.

Advertisement

Around halfway through the thread, StackSmashing posed a question to their followers asking whether he should bypass the Mario Game & Watch ROM encryption. After a majority ruling saying yes, StackSmashing continued to modify the internals.

After an hour with the system, he discovered that the system loads a Super Mario Bros NES ROM into RAM and proceeded to hack it further before finally delivering a successful final verdict. He plans to release a video in the next few days, outlining how it works.

The Mario Game & Watch was one of several reveals for the iconic Nintendo mascot’s 35th anniversary. A remastered collection of numerous 3D Mario games was announced for the Nintendo Switch, a Mario themed battle-royale also for the system, and a real life Mario Kart based in augmented reality.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars quickly became the third fastest selling game of the year in the UK, residing just behind The Last Of Us Part II and Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Advertisement

Nintendo’s last biggest release of the year is scheduled to launch next week in the form of Hyrule Warriors: Ages Of Calamity. The game is set 100 years before the events of The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and has a gameplay style similar to the Dynasty Warriors series.

You May Also Like

Advertisement

TRENDING

Advertisement

More Stories