73
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
$45.00
Released August, 1991
The Pros:Reliability. Game Selection. Controller comfort.
The Cons:Nintendo censored games (Mortal Kombat). Dusty Cartridges. 2 controllers Maximum (without external accessories).
Released in Japan in 1990, North America in 1991 and the rest of the world in 1992, the Super Nintendo Entertainment system marked Nintendo's second foray into the home video gaming industry. The system was active with many games released for it in the North American market until the mid 90s as Nintendo's successor console, the Nintendo 64, was delayed by two years.
Many classic franchises such as that are still relevant today, such as F-Zero and Star Fox, started their life on the SNES.
Despite a later release date than the Sega Genesis the Super Nintendo emerged from the 16 bit era as the victor. As a result of its late launch the SNES contained better technology than its chief rival. The central processing unit is actually comparatively slow, however the dedicated graphics, and sound processors allowed the SNES to produce better graphics and crisper sound. The sound chip was actually designed by Sony's Ken Kutaragi the "father" of the Playstation. The SNES' capabilities could be further extended through the addition of extra chips located on the cartridges themselves, this includes the Super FX chip that made Star Fox's and Stunt Race FX's 3D polygonal graphics possible.
Configurations
In different regions and times the Super Nintendo had different external forms while retaining the same internal processing components. A key difference between the different consoles resulted in the cartridges being region-specific. Only North American games could work in NA Super Nintendos, Japanese in Japanese, etc. This limitation could be bypassed through special adapters, however further modification is required to play the games since region encoding is found inside the chips themselves.
In 1997 Nintendo released an update to the SNES imaginatively called the SNES 2. Despite its "next-generation" name, the only differences between the two versions was the form factor. The SNES 2 is smaller than the original Super Nintendo with a curvier look.
SNES in Modern Times
Nintendo ceased production of the Super Nintendo in the late 90s in North America, and early 2000 in Japan; however its significance is still felt through the industry. Emulation technologies allow people to play old Nintendo classics on a variety of devices, including computers, PSPs, and Xbox. Nintendo continues to re-release its old classics on a variety of platforms such as the Gameboy Advance and most recently the Wii Virtual Console. Through the VC system people can download old SNES games onto the Wii's internal memory.
User Reviews (31)
Pros & Cons
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28
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27
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19
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14
Selection of RPG games, including classics like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI
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7
Has old school games like Mario
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11
Nintendo censored games (Mortal Kombat)
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5
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5
2 controllers Maximum (without external accessories)
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-5
left and right trigger buttons would break after prolonged usage.
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Comments (11)
keatsta:
#super_nintendo_entertainment_system A titan of video game history. Few consoles can hold a candle to the variety and quality of titles that the SNES had. The controller was comfortable and the d-pad was especially well designed. The number of amazing games I can name for it without trying boggles my mind. A cornerstone of my childhood.
Nov 11, 09
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GT-D:
#super_nintendo_entertainment_system My parents wouldn't ever buy me a system for ages... eventually caved and got me a Game Gear :/
The SNES was a great system though - I had one friend at the time who had a SNES and the other lived next door with a sega genesis... so had the bases covered.
Sep 11, 07
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Erik:
#super_nintendo_entertainment_system This was my third video game system that I owned (Atari 2600 -> NES -> SNES). I'm not sure if I've racked up more time on the SNES or the NES, but together they took up a lot of my childhood/teenage life.
Sep 9, 07
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