Nintendo has sold more than 49 million Super Famicom consoles, but not all consoles are created equal. Later hardware revisions improved the quality of the SNES’s video output, and more than thirty years later, one modder figured out a way to bring the same improvements to nearly every Super Nintendo game released.
Zach Henson, a console modder also known as Voultar, has created a DIY mod kit for older Super Nintendo consoles called the Edge Enhancer. The mod kit, expected to cost around $60, upgrades the console’s video output, making graphics appear sharper and colors more saturated.
Although Nintendo made several hardware revisions during the production of the Super Nintendo console, it’s important to retro gamers that there were essentially two versions of the SNES. The original version is now known as the SHVC or two-chip model, and later upgraded versions are known as the 1CHIP model, based on how Nintendo labels its motherboards.
The two-chip SNES had a video-to-analog converter in its graphics processing unit (PPU), which gamers later discovered couldn’t switch quickly between colors. This causes the video output to look soft or blurry, as there appears to be a halo or shadow around the graphics.
In the ’90s, when everyone was playing games on CRT TVs, this problem wasn’t as obvious, but when the Super Nintendo was connected to a modern monitor, the difference was even more pronounced.
For later 1CHIP versions of the Super Nintendo, the company merged the original two video chips and CPU into a single chip. It’s a cost-cutting move that reduces the console’s manufacturing costs, but the new components also result in clearer video output and significantly improved colors.
For retro gamers who prefer to play games on original hardware, the 1CHIP Super Nintendo console is now extremely popular, selling for well over $200. But demand may soon subside thanks to this new upgrade kit.
As YouTube’s Tito Perez of Macho Nacho Productions recently demonstrated in a video, installing Voultar’s Edge Enhancer mod is not for beginners. Not only did the SNES require complete disassembly, it also required a lot of soldering, and the original transistors, capacitors, and resistors had to be removed from the console’s motherboard.
Many problems can arise when installing the various components required for the mod. So while Voultar plans to eventually 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 to ensure the upgrade is done correctly.
Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but considering 1CHIP Super Nintendo consoles are becoming increasingly rare, the Edge Enhancer mod is still likely to be significantly cheaper, even taking into account the shipping costs of upgrading Super Nintendo boards.
