NES Pod With Built-In Wi-Fi Brings Online Multiplayer To An Old Nintendo Console

A new custom cartridge called Super Tilt Bro. is carrying online connectivity to the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), 40 years after its original release.

Although most kids who grew up with the NES didn’t learn about the Internet until the 1990s, the Japanese version of the console, the Famicom, offered limited connectivity through the Family Computer Network System that debuted in Japan in 1988.

Through a modem that plugged into the Famicom console’s cartridge slot, users could access weather reports, stock information, and even game cheats. However, it was not a commercial success.

As it explains gizmodo, Super Tilt Bro. uses a custom board that has been upgraded with an ESP8266 Wi-Fi chip, a Wi-Fi antenna, and an FPGA to allow an unmodified NES console to interface with wireless hardware.

Super Tilt Bro. It’s Super Smash Bros.

The platform fighting game, which looks like a simplified recreation of Super Smash Bros., includes all wifi settings within the title menu system itself. In addition, it offers match settings that allow players to compete for fun, for rank, or even create their own tournaments by sharing private passwords with friends.

For those who prefer to compete locally, Super Tilt Bro. also offers a local game mode. Plus, there’s even a single-player story mode, though you don’t need to buy the Wi-Fi-enabled NES cartridge if you’re not going to take advantage of that innovative upgrade.

The creators of Super Tilt Bro., Broke Studio, are looking to fund their project through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. Although the game and cartridge are complete, the crowdfunding campaign is used to cover the manufacturing costs of the hardware.

The cheapest donation to get one of the cartridges, expected to ship in April 2024, is around $61. Donors also receive a proper box and manual, access to a digital comic, and a copy of the game’s soundtrack.

With a donation of $89, you can opt for the Collector version of the gamewhich features a cartridge with a translucent casing that shows off the additional Wi-Fi hardware.