Hidden Nintendo Switch game suggests Virtual Console will get motion controls

Since the Wii, every Nintendo console has included a Virtual Console, which lets you buy and play retro games from old consoles. 

We know that one is coming to the Switch, but so far Nintendo hasn't confirmed exactly what form it's going to take. 

However, code unearthed by SwitchBrew has produced a NES game running on the Nintendo Switch, and interestingly the game appears to be included on literally every single console. 

Retro games meet motion control

According to the analysis, the game, called 'Flog', has existed on the console's firmware since version 1.0. It appears to be a version of the NES game 'Golf' which was originally released on the console in 1984. 

More interesting than the game being included on every console is the fact that it also appears to include motion controls, a first for a virtual console title. 

It's unclear where the game has come from or why Nintendo has included it on the system. We don't even know how the game would ever be launched on the console. 

However, if the code is legit (and with no way of verifying it ourselves, we can't be 100% sure that it is) then this suggests motion-controlled virtual console games are a possibility for the Switch. 

The latest rumors suggest that the Switch's virtual console is set to be its most expansive ever, adding GameCube games for the first time

However, with no official confirmation from Nintendo it's unclear when we'll find out the full details of the virtual console for ourselves. 

Jon Porter

Jon Porter is the ex-Home Technology Writer for TechRadar. He has also previously written for Practical Photoshop, Trusted Reviews, Inside Higher Ed, Al Bawaba, Gizmodo UK, Genetic Literacy Project, Via Satellite, Real Homes and Plant Services Magazine, and you can now find him writing for The Verge.