Alan Cecil, a security consultant and the person behind TASBot, a Tool-Assisted Speedrun robot, recently made an intriguing discovery about the Super Nintendo. It turns out some of these classic consoles have actually gotten a bit faster over time, all thanks to one specific chip. According to a report by 404 Media, the SNES uses a Sony SPC700 audio processing unit with a typical digital signal processing frequency of 32,000 Hz. However, back in 2007, SNES emulator developers noticed something unusual: these chips seemed to operate a tad quicker at 32,040 Hz. They had to adjust their emulation to this frequency to keep certain games running smoothly.
The SPC700 has a coprocessor utilizing a ceramic resonator, which clocks in at 24,576 Hz. Now, this is where things get interesting—this part is quite sensitive to its surroundings, like temperature changes, which can tweak its behavior a bit.
In February, Cecil reached out to SNES enthusiasts on Bluesky through TASBot’s account, inviting them to share their observations. Early data showed a surprising pattern: as SNES units age, the frequency of the SPC700 appears to increase. The latest data reported a high of 32,182 Hz, which, although less than a 1% increase from the original frequency, could potentially alter game audio and even disrupt some titles.
Increased Frequency: What Does It Mean for Speedrunners?
Now, you might be wondering how this impacts gameplay. If you’re just out to enjoy some nostalgia, you might not notice much difference—especially with the sound off. But, for speedrunners or those crafting bots requiring precise timing, that slight uptick in frequency could make a difference. When you finish a level and the screen fades out, the console is quickly loading everything needed for the next stage, audio included. If the APU delivers audio data to the CPU even a fraction quicker, it shaves seconds off those loading screens.
For many gamers, this might sound like an improvement. But in the competitive world of speedrunning, those milliseconds can mess with long-standing records and pre-existing bot programs. Fortunately, this shift doesn’t impact human players too much.
Cecil is still examining how significant this change might be. He says, "We’re not sure yet how big of an impact it will have over longer speedruns. But it seems clear there’s some effect on data transfer speed between the CPU and APU."
As for TASBot, the accuracy of its precision inputs might be compromised—an issue since its performance hinges on millisecond precision. Cecil plans to continue gathering more data, which will be vital to understanding how consoles age. This knowledge not only helps with emulating these systems but also in preserving the legacy of the games we grew up with.
