NES Hub announced for Nintendo NES expansion port with Bluetooth controller support

RetroTime has presented a new project aimed at putting the 15-pin expansion port in the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) to use. In short, the NES' expansion port never had an official use, although there are numerous rumours and speculation about Nintendo's plans that never materialised. In effect, the NES had a vestigial expansion port because of the earlier Japanese Famicom that used it for accessories.

Nonetheless, RetroTime has developed the NES Hub to facilitate connecting additional controllers. Primarily, the NES Hub would negate the need to use the NES Four Score, a multitap accessory that brought four player gameplay to the system. However, RetroTime has not restricted the NES Hub to wired controllers. Thus, it should be possible to connect Bluetooth controllers, including Nintendo's re-released NES controllers (curr. $20.78 renewed on Amazon) or even a DualSense controller.

Moreover, RetroTime hopes to integrate Famicom accessories, as well as the Muramasa Disk System. Unfortunately, the NES Hub is only in beta for now with no firm plans for a public release. Please see RetroTime's twitter account for more updates. Alternatively, details about the expansion port itself can be found on a dedicated NES Dev wiki page.