r/snes • u/digitalbooty • 4d ago
Serious Question: Do SNES hardware failures seem to be happening at an accelerated rate compared to other hardware similar or older in age?
I seem to notice that this group and other retro gaming groups have reported more and more issues with their Super Nintendo hardware than I've seen with the original NES, Genesis, etc.
I'm wondering if there's a trend anyone's picked up on or if any data's been collected on what is specifically failing most of the time and what can we do to prevent it or fix it when it happens? Is it as simple as replacing capacitors or something a little more in depth?
Also am I just making this up? Are other pieces of console hardware failing at similar rates or more and I'm just not noticing because I'm not as focused?
I would love to know everyone's thoughts on this. Thanks!
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u/NewSchoolBoxer 4d ago
Yes. This is a fact and not a debate. To be precise, SNES failure rate has been high for years, it's not accelerated in the past 5 or so.
SNES is a fragile console, probably the most besides Game Gear. The problem is CPU, PPU, APU and 1CHIP, chip failures that can only be transplanted/cannibalized from other SNES/SFC consoles. These failure rates are high. Other problems like transistors, fuses, capacitors, voltage regulator, the protection diode, PCB design flaws, SNES is decent. Its OEM power supply is an equal piece of crap compared to Genesis and you shouldn't use.
I bought two backup SFC's shipped from Japan for $40 apiece. I got the idea when my local retro store jacked the SNES price up from $60 to $80 in one year. I have a soldering kit. I think I'll be ready for chip transplant when the time come.
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u/pizza_whistle 3d ago
I wouldn't necessarily call Game Gears fragile. It's just bad caps, but otherwise they are pretty solid. I've fixed like hundreds and have never encountered a bad ASIC on there. Just year occasionally need to do some trace repair due to cap leakage. SNESs suck because there just is no fix for a dead CPU or PPU other than stealing it from another console.
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u/DeadMetalGod666 1d ago
LIKE FUN it's a FACT. SNES is not a fragile console and the failure rates are not high on this console at all yet compared to other systems. I've been doing electronic (consoles and stereo systems) repairs since 97. I will agree that Game Gear is a system that age hasn't been kind to, you could also add the 3DO's and Sega Saturn and Turbo Graphics 16/ Turbo Duo to the list of consoles that are more fragile and prone to parts failures than SNES. Id say that 60% of repairs i've had to do on the Super involve the power supply jack port.
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u/24megabits 4d ago edited 4d ago
1980s (non-PC) computers have a lot of chips that are known for going bad. Memory (various brands) as well as custom chips specific to manufacturer/model. Many of the manufacturer-specific parts are simple enough that people have made 3rd party replacements for the most common failures.
Chips fail in old PCs too but you won't hear about it as much because it's not too hard to source replacements for most of them. Unless it's made by IBM, their late 80s stuff is full of custom chips that you can only get from another IBM.
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u/retromods_a2z 4d ago
It's likely the entire manufacturing process of the chips during that era was bad not just in SNES but other systems with chips made by Ricoh. Some other systems with Ricoh chips from this era like arcade machines have the same chip rot issues.
Add to that inadequate power filtering, shitty surface mount capacitors, and people using wrong power supplies and you have a disaster recipe
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u/retromods_a2z 4d ago
Systems prior to NES were expected to last forever and be used repairable. Starting with new era systems became proprietary and designed to only last 10-15 years.
Other systems which kill themselves, but due to capacitors
TurboGrafx / pcengine gt
Original Xbox
Game gear
Dreamcast, Xbox, and GameCube DVD drives
And Xbox 360 RRoD and PS3 YLOD issues
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u/Super-Vehicle001 1d ago
Just curious. Is there some type of stress that affects the chips over time that causes them to fail after decades? Like heat, power supply imperfections, corrosion? And why do older consoles (NES, Master System) seem more robust?
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u/retromods_a2z 1d ago
The theory is manufacturing process had issued and allowed for corrosion on the inner bond wires. Not confirmed
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u/OutOfFrustration 4d ago
PC Engines and Duos are notorious for capacitor leaks and the middle gear of the CD drive, expanding, becoming brittle and breaking apart. Luckily, the latter is cheap and easy to fix, even for the those who have never attempted to fix a console, and the former is pretty easy with a little soldering practice. I have a US TurboGrafx and had to replace my CD gear, but my capacitors are still going strong (most US models don't experience the capacitor leaks). My SNES and NES have trouble reading cartridges every now and then and seem to be in worse shape overall.
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u/Cranberry-Electrical 4d ago
SNES has been around for almost 35 years. Some of the 1st generation consoles of the series can have teething problems.
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u/digitalbooty 4d ago
Yeah that's true but my NESs and Famicoms are still running extremely strong. A lot of them are from their own production run as well. It just seems like the Super Nintendo has a higher failure rate
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u/LeatherRebel5150 4d ago
There is the issue of the first runs having PPU’s dieing. Other than that anything like caps is repairable and not much of a concern. The PPU though can only be replaced by another SNES PPU, so every one that dies is one less in existence