Topic: mini snes?

[DrZoidberg]

mini snes O_o

i was looking around ebay for an NTSC snes to buy, to play all those wonderful NTSC games that arn't available in PAL format, and i came accross this little gem, i was bidding on it but got out bid, but the thing is i've never even heard of one of these before, neither has Berto2k or Infernal Monkey, anyone know what their deal is?

pro tip i'm not selling this so yeah not trying to get bids on my auction, it may be finnished by the time you read this anyway, didn't have long to go.

[ib2kool4u912]

I've heard of those before i think they came out toward the end of the Snes's life- span. Sorry though, I can't really tell you anything other than that i have heard of it before.  

Edit:Yeah, its even the super nintendo showed at nintendo.com.  

[Ian Sane]

I've seen those before.  My local Toys 'R' Us had a bunch of them for years.  Like how Nintendo released a second NES model at the end of it's life to encourage sales they did the same thing with the SNES.  However unlike the top-loading NES there's no real advantage to this SNES model over the original one.  It's slightly smaller but not enough to make a difference.  The look is the only real difference.  Don't bother paying more money for it over the classic design.

That's messed up that they put that model on the Nintendo web page.  I always thought Nintendo were masters of revisionist history what with their insistance in adding crappy voices to their GBA ports.  Now I know for sure.

[Bill Aurion]

I like my big block...Then there's more of it for me to love... ^_^

[Draygaia]

I never got one but those things were awesome.  When they came out they were $20.

[ruby_onix]

I've got one of those. Found it at a flea market for $10 a long time ago.

The controllers in that auction are the wrong ones. "Super Nintendo" with an underline is printed on the controller face.

The controllers that came with the newer-model SNES have Nintendo's oval "race track" logo engraved into them instead.

The engraved ones are cooler, and obviously much more rare.

Edit: Actually, "engraved" seems like the wrong word. Umm... "recessed" maybe? Yeah, that sounds better.

[Arbok]

I have one of those, which was the second SNES I got, anyway it came free with the pruchase of "Kirby Superstar" rather late in the SNES' lifetime. I think Target, among others, were offering this deal.

Also, as I recall, Game Genie didn't work with the "mini" version of the SNES, much to my dismay as I still can't beat the Super Star Wars games any other way.

[KDR_11k]

My SNES looks a lot better, not as edgy and more colourful.

[DrZoidberg]

Quote
Originally posted by: Hedorah64
Also, as I recall, Game Genie didn't work with the "mini" version of the SNES, much to my dismay as I still can't beat the Super Star Wars games any other way.

i beat the original Super StarWars two days after i got it i love that game.

i figured it would be like the toploading NES, released late in the life of the SNES etc, i've just never seen one before, too bad i didn't win it ;__; atleast i know it's not rare ++ (even though i should have guessed from the price).

side note, the NTSC-J and PAL snes' look FAR better than the regular NTSC snes, soooo blocky ;__;

[Molobert]

The mini-SNES also has the A/V (red/white/yellow) cords, unlike the older one which uses the RF switch thing that plugs into the cable in the back of your TV.

[DrZoidberg]

i guess you mean came boxed with, because i use the same cable for both my n64, snes and gamecube

[ruby_onix]

Quote
The mini-SNES also has the A/V (red/white/yellow) cords, unlike the older one which uses the RF switch thing that plugs into the cable in the back of your TV.

Yeah. But it's not so much that it "has" AV cables, but it "doesn't" have the RF-out port.

But the back of the unit was perfectly-sized so you could plug an RF adaptor from the N64 into the multi-out port.

(The N64's adaptor is a little "black brick" that lets you use the NES's "grey rectangle" RF switch. Odd note, the GameCube's RF adaptor is NES and N64 technology, with the same N64 logos and everything, just with new packaging.)

The N64's RF adaptor physically can't fit onto the earlier SNES model's multi-out port, unless you were to chop some plastic (which is pointless, since you can just use the RF port provided, but...).

[KnowsNothing]

I've seen those, but only at ebay.

When I got my SNES it was used.  It's the old version, but if what ruby says is true I got the rare controller. (and a thrid party one that's creaky and squeaky, but I hardly use that one.)

[KDR_11k]

Hm, my SNES came with both RF and A/V cables, the former could be plugged into a C64 as well... Did the NTSC ones have less cables?

[Ian Sane]

"Also, as I recall, Game Genie didn't work with the 'mini' version of the SNES, much to my dismay as I still can't beat the Super Star Wars games any other way."

Actually I think the problem is with two different models of the Game Genie.  According to a really old Gamepro issue I have there are two models of the SNES Game Genie.  Apparently around 1994 or so Nintendo made a slight change to the SNES hardware that prevented the Game Genie from working (intentional or accidental? Who knows with Nintendo).  So a second Game Genie was made that would work with both SNES designs.  The problem is that most Game Genies that you find are older pre-1994 models so they not only don't work with the new design SNES but also any models that were made after 1994.   I bought my SNES new shortly after DKC came out so I have a post-1994 model and sure enough I have twice bought used Game Genies and both times they wouldn't work with my system.  As far as I know there's no noticable physical difference between the two Game Genie models.  

[nitsu niflheim]

I'm suprised with all the system changing Nintendo has done, NES from front loading to top loading, SNES smaller, and the Gameboy to Gameboy pocket, that Nintendo never changing the N64 to a smaller system.  

[Infernal Monkey]

But Nintendo released that Pikachu N64, which made the system bigger and clumsy. That's.. wait.. oh.
I can't wait for the Mini-GameCube in a few years, it'll replace my current key ring!  

[Uglydot]

I own that model of SNES.  My other one stopped working right.  Works nice, looks neat.  Just like the older model but a bit smaller.  The Genesis 3, now there is a small system,  but my 32x doesn''t work in it.  :-/

[Fluke Worm]

Ok since no one mentioned the biggest difference between the new and old model type of the SNES I will, no eject button. Not really a big difference between the two unless you consider all the SNES consoles stupid kids must have broke pulling cartridges out without actually using the eject button. At least that's what I assume because later in the SNES's life it's cartridges changed to what it would appear a new design to help prevent the breaking of the eject lever. But like I said, I'm just assuming this.

[King of Twitch]

I think I can remember trying to rip out a SNES game, when I first met her. I don't remember any Atari-era systems needing to eject games though.

[ruby_onix]

Quote
Originally posted by: Fluke Worm
Ok since no one mentioned the biggest difference between the new and old model type of the SNES I will, no eject button. Not really a big difference between the two unless you consider all the SNES consoles stupid kids must have broke pulling cartridges out without actually using the eject button. At least that's what I assume because later in the SNES's life it's cartridges changed to what it would appear a new design to help prevent the breaking of the eject lever. But like I said, I'm just assuming this.

Good point. Reminds me of something I heard once.

Early SNES games had a "notch" in them. There was a wide plastic "peg" of sorts inside the SNES, and when you turned on the power, it would slide into the notch, "locking" the cart into the unit, so you couldn't yank the cart out while the power was on (you could prbably break your eject lever trying).

I was talking with a guy at Nintendo of Canada once (something I should really do more often, but you kind of need an excuse), and he explained that "some a-hole" went and took out a patent on the mechanisim, after Nintendo started using it.

As a way to avoid the issue, Nintendo removed the peg from all later SNES units (including the model-2), and they redesigned the "notch" into a "slant" for later SNES games.

This "slant" changed the way the mechanisim worked, so it would push the bar, switching off the power if you tried to eject the cart while the power was on. I don't think it really worked very well, but newer units didn't come with the peg (unless an NOC employee happened to "accidentally" drop one into your later-model SNES ), and older units used the peg in a different way "about half the time", so it put Nintendo into the clear.

This "patent on the locking mechanisim" situation also apparently affected the original GameBoy.

Oddly, later Super Famicom games were not affected by this. Which I guess means that it was just an "American" legal issue.

[ib2kool4u912]

I was just wondering why my Super Mario World and F-Zero had a line while all my other games had slanted things.  

[Fluke Worm]

thanx for the clarification ruby_onix