10 Amazing Hidden Console Details You Didn't Know

9. The Switch's Golf Game

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Nintendo

One of the first games late President Satoru Iwata worked on as a programmer at Nintendo was the prosaic though pragmatically titled Golf. Shortly after the Nintendo Switch launched, hardware hackers discovered this 1984 NES title - deviously labelled 'flog' in the code - secreted away on the system.

When the arcane method to unlock the game was deciphered, it became clear the Easter egg had been included as a touching tribute to the Kirby creator, who sadly passed away at the age of 55 on 11 July 2015.

The club-swinging sports sim could be teed off by setting the Switch's clock to July 11, and then thrusting both arms out with Joy-cons in hand. This was the gesture Iwata endearingly made his own through many a Nintendo Direct. What's more, this would only work on a Switch which had never connected to the internet - making it the most secret of secrets.

Nintendo neither confirmed nor denied even the existence of the plaid-panted homage, and in a December 2017 Switch update, it was quietly wiped from the console.

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.