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Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System and a controller
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System and a controller.
Developer(s) Nintendo
Release Date(s) Japan
November 21, 1990
North America
August 23, 1991
Europe
April 11, 1992
Australia
July 3, 1992
Price(s) $210 USD
Colors Grey
Units Shipped Worldwide
49.10 million[1]
Japan
17.17 million[1]
North America
23.35[1]
Best-selling game Super Mario World 20.60 million[2]

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, abbreviated SNES; known in Japan as the Super Famicom (スーパーファミコン), is a video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan in 1990. The console was then released in other regions in 1991 and 1992.

The second console released by Nintendo, the console itself had global success. The system offered several new capabilities that the previous Nintendo Entertainment System could not meet, and was able to have new enchancement chips to give it an edge against Sega.

History[]

The SNES began its initial development sometime in 1987 with the TurboGrafx-16. Nintendo's NES console was already at a height in the markets and competition, but Nintendo believed that a new console could go even higher.

The console was finished and produced in Japan, as the Super Famicom, on November 21, 1990 and was sold initially at a price of $210 USD. The product was very successful in its initial years, and the SNES outsold its central rival of Sega with ease.

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Technical specifications[]

  • Processor: Ricoh 5A22, based on a 16-bit 65c816 core
  • Clock rates: (NTSC) Input: 21.47727 MHz; Bus: 3.58 MHz, 2.68 MHz, or 1.79 MHz
  • Clock rates: (PAL) Input: 21.28137 MHz; Bus: 3.55 MHz, 2.66 MHz; or 1.77 MHz
  • Buses: 24-bit and 8-bit address buses; 8-bit data bus
  • Additional features: DMA and HDMA; Timed IRQ; Parallel I/O processing; Hardware multiplication and division
  • Resolutions: Progressive: 256 × 224, 512 × 224, 256 × 239, 512 × 239; Interlaced: 512 × 448, 512 × 478
  • Pixel depth: 2, 4, 7, or 8 bpp indexed; 8 or 11 bpp direct; Total colors 32768 (15-bit)
  • Sprites: 128, 32 max per line; up to 64 × 64 pixels
  • Backgrounds: Up to 4 planes; each up to 1024 × 1024 pixels
  • Effects: Pixelization (mosaic) per background; Color addition and subtraction; Clipping windows (per background, affecting color, math, or both); Scrolling per 8 × 8 tile; Mode 7 matrix operations
  • Processors: Sony SPC700; Sony DSP
  • Clock rates: Input: 24.576 MHz; SPC700: 1.024 MHz
  • Format: 16-bit ADPCM, 8 channels
  • Output: 32 kHz 16-bit stereo
  • Effects: ADSR envelope control; Frequency scaling and modulation using Gaussian interpolation; Echo: 8-tap FIR filter, with up to .24s delay; Noise generation

Accessories[]

Super Scope[]

The Super Scope is a controller for the SNES that was released in September 1992. A light gun, the Scope was designed similarly to the NES Zapper. The accessory was bundled with Super Scope 6, a minor mini-game collection using the Super-Scope.

The Super Scope is a wireless controller that can be detected by a sensor, like the Wii Remote. However, it must be calibrated, like when using the Wii MotionPlus with the Wii Remote. To function, the Super Scope also needs 6 AA batteries. It consists of two trigger buttons and a button for jumping/using a rocket launcher, et cetera.

The following is a list of games that use the Super Scope:

  • Battle Clash
  • Bazooka Blitzkrieg
  • Lamborghini American Challenge
  • Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge
  • Operation Thunderbolt
  • Super Scope 6
  • T2: The Arcade Game
  • The Hunt for Red October
  • Tin Star
  • X-Zone
  • Yoshi's Safari

The Super Scope also appears in Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl as an item and trophy.

References[]

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