Over the last few months, rumors have suggested that Nintendo Switch Online subscribers would gain access to games that originally released on Game Boy and Game Boy Advance. Those rumors seem to have gained a lot more steam, as Nintendo-developed emulators have apparently been discovered for the system. According to Twitter user @Trashbandatcoot, four files were leaked to 4chan, including a Game Boy emulator with the codename "Hiyoko" and a GBA emulator going by "Sloop." The emulators were seemingly created by NERD, which stands for Nintendo European Research & Development, a team that has handled other emulators used on Switch.

According to @Trashbandatcoot, these emulators are "both functional, albeit with a few bugs." The Tweets from the poster can be found embedded below.

...called Sloop, and the 7z archive is called Hiyoko, which is a Game Boy emulator, with all Game Boy games being separate applications. These emulators are developed by NERD (Nintendo Europe Research & Development), and are both functional, albeit with a few bugs. (2/?) pic.twitter.com/RRUAVvz2BX

— Trash_Bandatcoot (@trashbandatcoot) April 18, 2022

At this time, readers should take this with a grain of salt, as Nintendo has not offered any official confirmation. However, this seems to be the strongest evidence so far that Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games will be added to Nintendo Switch Online. Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing whether these would be included in the basic subscription model, or as part of the more expensive Expansion Pack (though the latter seems much more likely). The basic subscription tier gives users access to games that first released on NES and SNES, while the Expansion Pack currently offers games that first released on N64 and Sega Genesis.

The Game Boy and Game Boy Advance both featured a number of beloved games over the years, and the emulators seem to point to several classics potentially coming to the platform. A leaked image shared by @trashbandatcoot shows Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, Golden Sun, Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, and more. If Nintendo truly is bringing these games to Nintendo Switch Online, it's unclear how many would be available at launch, and which ones would be added over time. Hopefully Nintendo will offer some kind of official announcement in the coming days, but this is certainly exciting news, regardless!



Posted: Apr 20, 2022 10:16 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/nintendo-switch-lite-oled-leak-game-boy-advance-gba-games-coming/