Iwata Continues to Watch Over Nintendo With Hidden Golf Switch Game
Recently reports have come about of the NES game Golf being hidden on every Nintendo Switch unit. The game and a NES emulator are baked directly into the console’s firmware itself, and even come with motion controls. Though the only way to access it currently is via unofficial means.
Golf is notable as a NES game coded by Satoru Iwata himself during his time at HAL Laboratory. Iwata, the former President of Nintendo, sadly passed away in 2015, while he was working on development of the Nintendo Switch with the rest of the company.
It would seem that a proper way of accessing the game does exist, according to the below YouTube video that allegedly shows it being performed. The console must be set to a specific date, the day of Iwata’s passing, and his distinctive hand gesture from his celebrated Nintendo Directs must be performed.
In any case, the game’s inclusion in the firmware seems to be a direct tribute to the beloved CEO himself. Justin Epperson of localisation company 8-4 reports that the Japanese internet have been referring to the game as an “omamori”, a Japanese protection charm.
In Japanese culture omamori are bought at shrines for various reasons, if you keep one close to you it will protect you or give luck
— Justin Epperson (@sprsk) September 20, 2017
So the idea is Nintendo imbedded Iwata’s game to watch over every unit and thats fuckin me up good rn. That man was loved.
— Justin Epperson (@sprsk) September 20, 2017
It’s a touching inclusion in the Nintendo Switch, made all the more so by how much of a success the console has been, and how everyone has taken to it. Perhaps Mr. Iwata is truly still looking after the console.
