NES Clone Chip ROM Dumped by Preservationist

In the retro gaming scene, even the cheapest hardware can matter. A low-cost NES clone built into a phone case has had its internal VT369 chip ROM dumped, a useful result for hardware preservation and reverse engineering.

The work was carried out by Poking Technology, who opened up the device and found a mystery resin blob chip alongside an external ROM chip. The external ROM was dumped first, but the harder task was getting at the code hidden inside the main chip itself.

The chip was identified as a VT369 NES-on-a-chip, with a 4 kilobyte internal ROM that could not be read through normal methods. By injecting code and manipulating the backlight, Poking Technology was able to control the chip’s behaviour and flash the internal ROM data out.

That makes this more than a curiosity about a knock-off console. It adds another data point for people who document NES-compatible hardware, from official Nintendo boards to low-end clone systems that were sold widely for years. For readers following preservation work, it is a reminder that even disposable hardware can hold information worth keeping.

The dump may also help with future emulation and with identifying other chips that behave in a similar way. It does not change the fact that this is a cheap clone, but it does help build a fuller picture of the NES family and its unofficial offshoots.

For more retro hardware coverage, see our News tag. You can also follow the original write-up at Hackaday and read more about the history of the Nintendo Entertainment System.