This $60 chip fixes a longstanding Super Nintendo flaw

Nintendo sold complete 49 cardinal Super Nintendo consoles, but not each of them were created equal. A later hardware revision improved nan value of nan SNES’s video output, and complete 3 decades later, 1 modder has travel up pinch a measurement to bring those aforesaid improvements to astir each Super Nintendo ever released.

Zach Henson, a console modder who besides goes by nan sanction Voultar, has created a DIY modification kit for older Super Nintendo consoles called nan Edge Enhancer. Expected to waste for astir $60, nan mod kit upgrades nan console’s video output, making graphics look overmuch sharper and colors much saturated.

Although Nintendo made galore revisions to nan Super Nintendo’s hardware during nan console’s accumulation run, for retro gamers, location are fundamentally 2 versions of nan SNES that matter. The original, which is now referred to arsenic nan SHVC aliases two-chip model, and an upgraded type that came later, known arsenic nan 1CHIP exemplary based connected really Nintendo branded its motherboard.

The two-chip SNES featured a video integer to analog converter successful its image processing portion (PPU) that gamers person since discovered wasn’t capable to quickly modulation betwixt different colors. This resulted successful video output that tended to look soft aliases blurred because nan graphics appeared to person a halo aliases protector astir them.

The problem wasn’t arsenic noticeable successful nan ’90s erstwhile everyone played connected CRT TVs, but pinch a Super Nintendo connected to a modern display, nan differences are much prominent.

For nan later 1CHIP type of nan Super Nintendo, nan institution merged nan original’s 2 video chips and CPU into a azygous chip. It was a cost-cutting move to make it cheaper to manufacture nan console, but nan caller components besides resulted successful video output that was overmuch sharper pinch noticeably improved colors.

For retro gamers who for illustration to play connected original hardware, nan 1CHIP Super Nintendo consoles are now very overmuch sought aft and tin waste for good complete $200. But request could soon beryllium waning, acknowledgment to this caller upgrade kit.

Installing Voultar’s Edge Enhancer mod isn’t for beginners, arsenic Tito Perez from YouTube’s Macho Nacho Productions precocious demonstrated successful a video. Not only does nan SNES person to beryllium wholly dismantled, but there’s rather a spot of soldering required, and you person to region nan original transistors, capacitors, and resistors from nan console’s motherboard.

A batch could spell incorrect erstwhile installing nan various components needed for nan mod. So while Voultar plans to yet waste a DIY Edge Enhancer kit erstwhile nan archiving and tutorials are finalized, it will initially only beryllium disposable arsenic portion of a much costly installation work that will guarantee nan upgrades are done correctly.

Pricing hasn’t been revealed conscionable yet, but fixed that 1CHIP Super Nintendo consoles are becoming progressively rare, nan Edge Enhancer mod could still beryllium overmuch cheaper, moreover pinch nan costs of shipping a Super Nintendo’s motherboard disconnected to beryllium upgraded.