"New Discovery: Aging SNES Speeds Up, Puzzling Speedrunners"

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 be performing better than when they were brand new in the 1990s.

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 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 slightly based on environmental factors like temperature.

In an interview with 404 Media, Cecil explained that he noticed higher DSP rates in recent recordings and asked SNES owners to contribute data. The responses, totaling over 140, revealed a clear trend of increased DSP rates over time. For instance, the average DSP rate recorded in 2007 was around 32,040Hz, but Cecil's latest findings show an increase to 32,076Hz. While temperature does influence these rates, it doesn't account for the overall upward trend observed.

"Based on 143 responses, the SNES DSP rate averages 32,076Hz, rising 8Hz from cold to warm," Cecil shared in a follow-up Bluesky post, accompanied by a detailed data layout. "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. If the SPC700 is processing audio faster, it could theoretically shorten load times and impact game performance. This could potentially disrupt decades of leaderboard rankings and records. However, the effect on speedruns is not straightforward, as APU speeds don't directly translate to visual game speed. Even under the most extreme conditions, the impact might only shave off less than a second from an average speedrun.

As Cecil continues his research, the speedrunning community remains cautiously optimistic. The consensus is that while this phenomenon is intriguing, it's unlikely to drastically alter the competitive landscape. For now, the SNES is gracefully aging into its 35th year, seemingly performing better than ever. For more on the SNES, you can explore its ranking on the list of best-selling consoles of all time.