It was only a mere few hours since the Nintendo Switch online service was launched and it was hacked, leading to users being able to upload and play any NES game they want that wasn't already available on the hybrid console.

No quarter spared

Yesterday evening, Nintendo rolled out a paid subscription model for the once free online service available to Nintendo Switch owners, as intended. As such, current users would now have to put up with three subscription options that include a one-month period costing $3.99, a three-month period for $7.99, and a 12-month period for $19.99.

However, those who were willing to put up with this paywall were guaranteed some benefits including access to 20 classic NES games with online multiplayer support.

Unfortunately, Polygon would soon break the news that hackers were able to exploit the NES marketplace to substitute illegal NES ROMs for the currently available ones. As proof, the video below was uploaded last night by YouTube user DevRin and demonstrates the ROM swapping whereas Battletoads, an illegal NES ROM is substituted for Mario Bros. Arcade Classics Series over its selectable icon in the NES marketplace.

The situation doesn't get any better for Nintendo as Polygon reported another source that claimed that the hack can be performed easily due to the elimination of modification, allowing just about anyone the convenience of giving the NES marketplace a makeover with little effort.

One Twitter user added, 'Ok so this is incredibly basic but it shows that fully custom games ARE possible!" The tweet is shown below:

The online service already irrelevant

Nintendo Switch's paid online service was already marred by controversy.

Besides dropping free accessibility for a paywall, the service was also being savaged by consumers for its shortcomings. These included a small NES games library, an unintuitive voice chat app, and a cloud save backup feature available only to select games. Now, users who are at odds with the NES collection especially are now given an easier choice with their guilty pleasure even if it will make them resort to hacking.

Due to this embarrassing development and the consequences that it could have on the Nintendo Switch, The future of the hybrid console and its service are now in question. Nintendo could make the necessary adjustments now, but the fact that such a simple hack exists is enough to make many distrust the service from here on out.
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