WTF?! Previous {hardware} sometimes slows down over time as newer software program turns into much less optimized and elements degrade with age. Nevertheless, speedrunners and researchers have found the other impact on the SNES. Whereas the phenomenon is intriguing, its affect on gameplay stays purely theoretical.
Tinkerers and speedrunners have lately found that the audio processors in lots of growing old Tremendous NES consoles at the moment are operating at barely increased clock frequencies. Whereas the distinction is presently just some hundred hertz, analysis suggests the impact might turn into extra pronounced over time.
Alan “dwangoAC” Cecil, a developer of speedrunning instruments, first raised consciousness of the anomaly final month. To research additional, he collected information from over 100 SNES house owners utilizing a flash cartridge and a diagnostic ROM. The outcomes point out minor however constant pace will increase, which can be influenced by warmth.
Primarily based on 143 responses, the SNES DSP charge averages 32,076 Hz, rising 8 Hz from chilly to heat. Heat DSP charges go from 31,965 to 32,182 Hz, a 217 Hz vary. Due to this fact, temperature is much less vital. Why? How does it have an effect on video games? We have no idea. But. See docs.getgrist.com/fpwWkqDcnxXR… for extra.
– TASBot (@tas.bot) March 6, 2025 at 6:10 PM
The SNES’s SPC700, a secondary CPU that controls the console’s Sony audio processor, formally runs at 32 MHz. Nevertheless, Cecil’s examine discovered frequencies reaching as much as 32.3 MHz, with proof suggesting this phenomenon has been steadily intensifying for over 20 years.
Third-party documentation from 2003 recorded the SPC700 operating at 32.04 MHz, which matched the pace utilized by SNES emulators within the early 2000s. Cecil notes that the common frequency has since risen to 32.076 MHz. The possible trigger is the SPC700’s ceramic resonator, which might fluctuate primarily based on temperature.
For many collectors nonetheless utilizing growing old, yellowed SNES consoles, the impact is minor – probably inflicting solely a slight change in audio pitch if the processor runs round 200 Hz quicker than anticipated. Nevertheless, the implications for emulation accuracy and speedrunning stay a subject of debate.
A quicker sound processor might save gamers a number of frames every time a sport hundreds audio or different information, probably shaving fractions of a second off lengthy speedruns and placing longstanding data in danger. Whereas Cecil doubts the impact is critical sufficient to affect data, variations between consoles might complicate the event of emulation instruments striving for excellent accuracy.
Analysis into the phenomenon continues to be in its early phases. As extra SNES items are analyzed, researchers will possible acquire a clearer understanding of its causes and results. Moreover, uncovering extra historic information might decide whether or not the console is steadily accelerating or if the SPC700 has all the time operated inside these frequency variations on account of its low-precision design.
