Speedrunners Left Scratching Their Heads After New Discovery Suggests the SNES Works Faster as It Ages

The speedrunning community is buzzing with excitement and curiosity over a peculiar phenomenon: the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) appears to be running games faster as it ages. This surprising development was first brought to light by Bluesky user Alan Cecil (@tas.bot) in early February, suggesting that the nearly 50 million SNES units sold worldwide might now offer enhanced performance 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 that could be responsible for this unexpected boost: the SNES's audio processing unit (APU) SPC700. According to official Nintendo specifications, the SPC700 operates at a digital signal processing (DSP) rate of 32,000Hz, controlled by a ceramic resonator running at 24.576MHz. However, retro console enthusiasts have noted that these specs aren't entirely accurate, with the DSP rate varying based on environmental factors like temperature.

In an interview with 404 Media, Cecil explained that he asked SNES owners to record data from their consoles after observing higher DSP rates than previously documented. The responses from over 140 participants revealed a clear trend of increasing DSP rates over time. For instance, the average DSP rate recorded in 2007 was around 32,040Hz, but Cecil's recent findings show an increase to 32,076Hz. While temperature does influence these rates, it doesn't account for the significant rise observed.

Cecil shared further insights in a follow-up Bluesky post, stating, "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."

While the exact cause of this phenomenon remains a mystery, the implications for the speedrunning community are significant. A faster SPC700 could potentially shorten load times in games, affecting leaderboard rankings and records established over the past three decades. However, the impact on game speed isn't straightforward. Even under the most extreme conditions, the new findings might only reduce a speedrun by less than a second. The extent to which different games could benefit from this altered audio processing is still under debate, and the speedrunning community's research is just beginning.

As Cecil continues to investigate the inner workings of the SNES, the console is defying expectations by seemingly improving with age. For more on the SNES, you can explore its ranking on the list of best-selling consoles of all time.