SNES Consoles Speed Up Over Time: APU Frequency Boosts by up to 182 Hz After 35 Years

Alan Cecil, a security consultant and the brain behind TASBot, stumbled upon an intriguing discovery about Super Nintendo consoles: they’re getting marginally faster with age, thanks to one of their chips. As reported by 404 Media, it turns out the beloved SNES houses a Sony SPC700 audio processing unit (APU) designed to operate at a rate of 32,000 Hz. However, back in 2007, SNES emulator developers noticed the chip was actually running at a slightly quicker pace of 32,040 Hz. To keep the games from malfunctioning, they adjusted to this increased speed in their programming.

The SPC700 works with a ceramic resonator set at 24,576 Hz to control its frequency. This crucial electronic component is sensitive to changes, with factors like heat impacting its performance over time.

In February, Cecil turned to Bluesky to share his hypothesis through the TASBot account, inviting SNES enthusiasts to contribute their data. Early findings show a noticeable pattern: as the SNES ages, the SPC700 seems to gain speed. The highest frequency recorded so far clocks in at 32,182 Hz. While this uptick is under 1% of the original figure, it’s enough to potentially impact audio playback and disrupt some games.

Now, you might wonder whether this tweak in frequency affects gameplay. Generally, it doesn’t mess with your gaming experience, especially if you’re playing on mute. But for speedrunners and those creating bots for precise tasks, this could mean something. When you finish a stage and the screen goes dark, the console hustles to prepare all necessary data for what comes next — audio included. If the APU transfers this data to the CPU even slightly quicker than before, it could shave some time off loading phases.

While this might mean faster transitions for casual gamers, it throws a wrench in the works for speed-running aficionados and their meticulously timed records. The good news? This minor boost doesn’t impact human competitors just yet.

Cecil points out, “We’re still unsure of the full impact on extended speed runs. But we know it does tweak the speed data shuttles between the CPU and APU.”

On the flip side, TASBot’s precise playthroughs might not fare as well under the new conditions given its reliance on millisecond accuracy. Cecil remains committed to gathering more insights into how aging affects these consoles. Understanding how these changes unfold in aging devices will be key to keeping the classics we love playable and preserved for future generations.