Something unusual is happening with older Super Nintendo (SNES) consoles: a specific component is running just a bit faster as time goes by. This strange development caused a stir in the speedrunning community recently. People began to wonder if these changes could affect game completion times and disrupt years of speedrunning records. Although this concern seemed alarming, it has been deemed unlikely to have a significant impact.
The discussion began with a post by Alan Cecil, known as dwangoAC, who runs TASbot, a robot designed for tool-assisted speedrunning. He made an interesting observation on Bluesky about the SNES seemingly getting faster with age. Cecil started gathering data from SNES enthusiasts to explore this theory further. So far, he’s found two key points: SNES consoles appear to be running faster with age, but the speed changes are minor and probably won’t affect most speedruns.
So, what’s causing this increase in speed? At the heart of the SNES’s speed is its audio processing unit (APU), the SPC700, a coprocessor that was created by Sony for Nintendo. Official documentation stated that the SPC700 should operate at a digital signal processing rate of 32,000 Hz, using a ceramic resonator running at 24.576 MHz. This technicality means that the materials in the resonator can alter how accurately it processes data, especially as it ages and responds to heat and other conditions. Research has shown that these ceramic components can resonate differently as they undergo changes over time.
Interestingly, as early as 2007, users of SNES emulators noticed that some consoles were operating faster than intended. Nowadays, many emulators are programmed to run games at 32,040 Hz to better mimic the gameplay experience. Cecil’s data suggests that the various SNES models are becoming faster over the years, revealing that the oldest consoles might even operate at a rate of 32,182 Hz. This trend is backed up by user contributions and technical analyses shared within the gaming community.
Even temperature seems to play a role in these speed changes. Cecil conducted an experiment by placing his SNES in the freezer overnight, and sure enough, he saw a difference in the processing speed afterward.
If the SPC700 is functioning faster, that suggests it could send audio data to the CPU more quickly. This may slightly speed up processes like transitioning between rooms in games such as Super Metroid. For example, when you shoot a door to enter a new room, the console has to load that data, including audio. If this loading happens a bit quicker, it might help reduce overall game completion time. However, Cecil explained that even with these speed advantages, it’s unlikely that human speedrunners would notice a meaningful difference in their times.
While these minor speed changes likely won’t disrupt traditional speedrunning, they could affect tool-assisted speedruns where every frame counts. Cecil is dedicated to continuing his research into how SNES consoles change over time, as understanding these trends could help enthusiasts preserve and emulate these classic games better in the future.
This ongoing exploration into aging technology reflects a unique trend in gaming, sparking interest in how the past interacts with the present. As more gamers share their findings, the community continues to learn more about these iconic consoles and their capabilities.
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