This $60 chip fixes a long-standing Super Nintendo flaw

Nintendo has sold more than 49 million Super Nintendo consoles, but not all are created equal. A later hardware revision improved the quality of the SNES’ video output, and more than three decades later, a modder discovered a way to bring those same improvements to almost every Super Nintendo ever released.

Zach Henson, a console modder who also goes by the name Voultar, has created a DIY modification kit for older Super Nintendo consoles called Edge Enhancer. Expected to sell for around US$60, the mod kit upgrades the console’s video output, making graphics appear much sharper and colors more saturated.

Although Nintendo made many revisions to the Super Nintendo’s hardware during the console’s production, for retro gamers, there are essentially two versions of the SNES that matter. The original, which is now known as the SHVC or two-chip model, and an updated version that came later, known as the 1CHIP model based on how Nintendo labeled its motherboard.

The two-chip SNES featured a digital-to-analog video converter in its image processing unit (PPU) that gamers have since discovered was not capable of quickly transitioning between different colors. This resulted in video output that tended to appear soft or blurry because the graphics appeared to have a halo or shadow around them.

The problem wasn’t as noticeable in the 90s, when everyone played on CRT TVs, but with a Super Nintendo connected to a modern display, the differences are more obvious.

For the later 1CHIP version of the Super Nintendo, the company merged the original’s two video and CPU chips into a single chip. It was a cost-cutting measure to make the console cheaper to manufacture, but the new components also resulted in much sharper video output with noticeably improved colors.

For retro gamers who prefer to play on original hardware, 1CHIP Super Nintendo consoles are now in high demand and can sell for well over $200. But demand may soon diminish thanks to this new upgrade kit.

Installing Voultar’s Edge Enhancer mod is not for beginners, like Tito Perez from YouTube Macho Nacho Productions recently demonstrated in a video. Not only does the SNES need to be completely disassembled, but a lot of soldering is also required and you need to remove the original transistors, capacitors, and resistors from the console’s motherboard.

A lot can go wrong when installing the various components needed for the mod. For now Voultar plans to sell a DIY Edge Enhancer kit once documentation and tutorials are finalized, it will initially only be available as part of a more expensive installation service that will ensure updates are done correctly.

Pricing has not yet been revealed, but given that 1CHIP Super Nintendo consoles are becoming increasingly rare, the Edge Enhancer mod could still be much cheaper, even with the cost of shipping a Super Nintendo motherboard for an upgrade. .