You can now hack your SNES Classic Mini to get more games

The SNES Nintendo Classic Mini comes with 21 great games, but seeing as the original SNES had over 1,750 official games available, there are many classics that aren’t available on the new mini-console. Thankfully, just as with the NES Mini, it’s fantastically easy to hack your way into the SNES Mini.

Nearly immediately after release, the console was blown wide open. Since it basically uses the same architecture as the NES Mini, it’s very easy to modify – meaning with the Hackchi2 hacking tool and a tiny bit of work, you can blow open the SNES Mini’s library to your heart’s content.

And, if you’ve missed out on picking up a SNES mini, Nintendo is back in stock once again.

SNES Classic Mini games

Just for reference, here are the games you already get bundled into the SNES Classic Mini: 

How to hack SNES Mini: Is it legal?

If you’re worried about the legalities of hacking the SNES Mini, it’s a legal grey area. First up, by hacking into your SNES Mini, you completely void its warranty so, for something that’s as rare to obtain as the SNES Mini, you may not fancy doing that so soon after release

Interestingly, there are suggestions that Nintendo fully expected people to hack the SNES Mini after launch as there’s an Easter egg tucked away within its firmware. Since it uses the same architecture as the NES Mini, which was hacked too, Nintendo must have known that people would manage it again.

READ NEXT: SNES Classic Mini review

How to hack SNES Mini: What does hacking get you?

 By hacking the SNES Mini with the Hackchi2, you’ll be able to tap into the 300MB internal storage reserved for save games to drop in game ROMs to use. The ROMs you use are automatically converted to the same file format that the SNES Mini uses so it’s blissfully straightforward

If you’re worried about running out of space, don’t be. Tales of Phantasia is, apparently, the largest SNES game released and that takes up a whopping 6MB of space. Your average RPG game ROM should clock in at about 3MB, with many others coming in well under the 2MB mark

Using Hackchi2, you’ll also gain access to all the features the SNES Mini brings to all of it’s pre-installed games. This means suspend/resume functionality, along with save states, rewinds and filters. There’s also a button-only way to reset the console so you don’t have to get up to press it on the front of the console

How to hack SNES Mini: Installing Hackchi2

To use Hackchi2 with your SNES Mini, you first need to download the software from Github and have a Windows PC to hand

Once you start up the Hackchi2_web_installer.exe, it should walk you through the process of installing it onto your SNES Mini and getting games over to the micro console. It really is that simple

How to hack SNES Mini: What could go wrong?

If you plan to hack your SNES Mini with Hackchi2, there’s a couple of things you should keep in mind:

• It doesn’t support all SNES games, its creator estimates compatibility with around 75% of titles
• You should download and install US-language ROMs instead of UK or EU titles to avoid clashes between UK and US refresh rates
• Make sure you keep file folders tidy and streamlined, users report slower boot times when they have multi-branching folder structures
• There are some complex tools built into Hackchi2 so it’s worth not poking around with them unless you understand what you’re doing – you don’t want to brick your SNES Mini

Related Posts

The Most Classic Memes of All Time How to Get the Classic Start Menu in Enjoy a Bird’s Eye View With the Best Mini Drones How to Add Games to Discord Library How to Play Steam Games on an ​​Oculus Best Racing Games on PS4 2022: 10 Driving Sims and Arcade Racers You Should Try Some Great Games to Play When Bored The Best Free Online 2 Player Games The Best Multiplayer VR Games