New Discovery Leaves Speedrunners Puzzled: SNES Speeds Up With Age

The speedrunning community is buzzing with excitement over a peculiar phenomenon: it appears that the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) is running games faster as it ages. In early February, Alan Cecil, a user on Bluesky known as @tas.bot, sparked interest by suggesting that the nearly 50 million SNES units sold worldwide might now be performing better than when they were new, potentially enhancing gameplay in classics like Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and Star Fox.

The notion that a video game console could improve its performance over time 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 specifications, the SPC700's digital signal processing (DSP) rate is set at 32,000Hz, controlled by a ceramic resonator running at 24.576MHz. However, retro console enthusiasts have noticed that these specs are not always accurate, with DSP rates varying based on environmental conditions like temperature. This variability affects how audio is processed and sent to the CPU, subtly influencing game speed.

Cecil's investigation took a deeper turn when he asked SNES owners to record data from their consoles. The responses, totaling over 140, revealed a trend of increasing DSP rates over time. Earlier measurements averaged around 32,040Hz in 2007, but recent data collected by Cecil shows an increase to 32,076Hz. While temperature does play a role in these fluctuations, it alone cannot account for the observed changes, suggesting that the SNES is indeed processing audio faster as it ages.

In a follow-up post on Bluesky, Cecil detailed the findings, noting that the DSP rate averages 32,076Hz across 143 responses, with a rise of 8Hz from cold to warm conditions. The warm DSP rates range from 31,965 to 32,182Hz, a 217Hz variance, indicating that temperature's impact is less significant than initially thought. The underlying reasons and the effects on game performance remain unclear, but the trend is unmistakable.

While the exact cause of this phenomenon is still under investigation, the implications for the speedrunning community are significant. A faster SPC700 could potentially shorten load times and subtly impact game performance. However, Cecil emphasizes the need for further research to understand the full extent and cause of these changes. Data from the console's early years is scarce, making it challenging to draw definitive conclusions.

Despite these uncertainties, the possibility of the SNES improving with age has captured the attention of gamers and speedrunners alike. Even if the most extreme scenarios might only reduce speedrun times by less than a second, the community is eager to explore how different games might benefit from these changes. As Cecil continues his research, the SNES, now approaching its 35th anniversary, seems to be defying expectations and running better than ever.

For more information on the SNES, you can explore its ranking among the best-selling consoles of all time.