The speedrunning community is buzzing over a fascinating technological phenomenon: it appears that the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) is 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 worldwide might now be performing better than when they were new. This intriguing theory implies that classics like Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and Star Fox could be experiencing enhanced performance over time, rather than the expected degradation.
The notion that a video game console could improve its efficiency as it ages might sound far-fetched, yet Cecil's research points to a specific component: the SNES's audio processing unit (APU) SPC700. According to official Nintendo specs, the SPC700's digital signal processing (DSP) rate is set at 32,000Hz, controlled by a ceramic resonator running at 24.576MHz. However, enthusiasts have observed that the actual DSP rates can vary slightly, influenced by factors such as temperature. These variations affect how audio is processed and sent to the CPU, subtly altering game speed.
Cecil's call for SNES owners to record data from their consoles has led to over 140 responses, revealing a trend of increasing DSP rates. Where the average DSP rate was recorded at 32,040Hz in 2007, Cecil's recent findings show it rising to 32,076Hz. While environmental factors like temperature can cause fluctuations, they don't account for the overall upward trend in DSP rates observed over the years. This suggests that the SNES might indeed be processing audio faster with time.
In a follow-up Bluesky post, Cecil shared detailed data, noting that "Based on 143 responses, the SNES DSP rate averages 32,076Hz, rising 8Hz from cold to warm. 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."
Despite these intriguing findings, Cecil acknowledges that further research is necessary to understand the extent and cause of this phenomenon. Historical data from the console's early years is scarce, making it challenging to pinpoint exactly when and why these changes began. Nonetheless, as the SNES approaches its 35th anniversary, it seems to be aging gracefully.
The speedrunning community is particularly interested in how this might affect their records. If the SPC700 is indeed processing audio faster, it could potentially shorten load times in games, impacting leaderboard standings. However, the relationship between APU speed and visual game speed isn't straightforward, and even the most significant changes might only shave off less than a second from a typical speedrun. The community is still in the early stages of understanding these implications, but for now, there's little cause for concern among players.
As Cecil continues to explore what drives the SNES's performance, the console remains a robust and intriguing piece of gaming history. For those interested in its legacy, you can find where the SNES ranks on the list of best-selling consoles of all time.
