The speedrunning community is buzzing over a surprising development: the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) appears to be running games faster as it ages. In early February, Alan Cecil, known on Bluesky as @tas.bot, sparked curiosity by suggesting that the nearly 50 million SNES units sold could be performing better now than when they were new. This intriguing phenomenon could impact classics like Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and Star Fox, suggesting that these consoles are not just holding up but actually improving over time.
The notion of a gaming console improving with age might sound far-fetched, but Cecil's research points to a specific component: the SNES's audio processing unit (APU) SPC700. According to official Nintendo specs, the SPC700 operates at a digital signal processing (DSP) rate of 32,000Hz, controlled by a ceramic resonator at 24.576MHz. However, enthusiasts have noted that these rates vary slightly based on external conditions like temperature, affecting how audio is processed and sent to the CPU, which in turn influences game speed.
Cecil called on SNES owners to record data from their consoles, leading to over 140 responses that show a clear trend of increasing DSP rates. Previously recorded averages in 2007 were around 32,040Hz, but recent findings indicate an increase to 32,076Hz. While temperature does affect these rates, it doesn't account for the overall rise observed over time. "Based on 143 responses, the SNES DSP rate averages 32,076Hz, rising 8Hz from cold to warm," Cecil noted in a follow-up Bluesky post with detailed data layout. "Warm DSP rates go from 31,965 to 32,182Hz, a 217Hz range. Therefore, temperature is less significant. Why? How does it affect games? We do not know. Yet."
While the cause of this increase remains a mystery, Cecil emphasizes the need for further research to understand not just how much faster the SNES is processing audio, but why. Historical data from the console's first decade is scarce, yet the SNES seems to be aging gracefully as it approaches its 35th anniversary.
This phenomenon has significant implications for the speedrunning community. A faster SPC700 could theoretically reduce load times in games, potentially affecting long-standing leaderboard records. However, the impact on actual game speed is not straightforward. Even under the most extreme conditions, the difference might only be less than a second in a typical speedrun. The community is still in the early stages of understanding how these changes might affect different games, but the consensus is that there's little cause for alarm.
As Cecil continues to explore the inner workings of the SNES, the console remains a fascinating subject. For more on the SNES, check out the list of best-selling consoles of all time.
