Aging SNES Consoles Show Improved Performance — APU Frequency Boosts by up to 182 Hz Over 35 Years

It turns out that some of our old gaming favorites might be running a bit differently than they used to. Alan Cecil, a security expert and the guy behind the Tool-Assisted Speedrun robot, TASBot, stumbled upon something interesting with the SNES. It seems that the Super Nintendo’s performance has subtly improved over the years, all thanks to one of its chips. A report from 404 Media reveals that the SNES uses a Sony SPC700 audio processing unit, which is supposed to run at 32,000 Hz. But back in 2007, folks who program SNES emulators figured out that these chips were actually operating a tad faster—specifically at 32,040 Hz—to ensure games wouldn’t glitch out.

The trick lies in the SPC700 coprocessor, which sets its frequency using a ceramic resonator tuned to 24,576 Hz. However, this delicate piece of tech is susceptible to changes caused by heat and other environmental factors.

Earlier this year, in February, Cecil took to Bluesky on TASBot’s account to share his thoughts and gather data from SNES enthusiasts. From what’s been gathered so far, it’s apparent that as these consoles age, the SPC700 chip’s speed increases. This change isn’t drastic—at most, it’s been clocked at 32,182 Hz—less than a 1% boost from the original. Still, it’s enough to potentially impact the audio of some games or even cause issues with specific titles.

Speedrunning into a Challenge: SNES Frequency Woes

So, what’s the big deal with this slight speed increase? For the casual gamer, not much. The SPC700 handles audio data, so you might not notice any difference unless your sound is on mute. But for speedrunners or those programming bots that rely on precise timing, even a small shift matters. Here’s where things get tricky: when a level ends and the screen fades to black, your console is busy loading up everything for the next stage, including the sound. If the SPC700 sends that data to the CPU quicker than before, it could trim your loading times.

This might sound great for everyday players, who’ll enjoy a snappier experience. Yet, for the speedrunning community, it could disrupt records and the performance of speed-running bots. Thankfully, these changes don’t seem to throw off human players speedrunning through these games.

Cecil weighs in, “We aren’t exactly sure of the full ramifications during a long speedrun. What’s clear is there’s a subtle change in the time it takes for data to move from the CPU to the APU.”

This change puts TASBot’s precision programming at risk since it needs to operate within millisecond accuracy. Cecil continues to collect data to explore how aging affects these consoles. Understanding these developments is crucial, not just for maintaining speedrunning integrity but also for preserving and accurately emulating the beloved classics of gaming’s golden era.