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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.