Wtb super Nintendo (the really old Nintendo)

Mode13

Gawd
Joined
Jun 11, 2018
Messages
907
I need a Super Nintendo (the old cartridge based console from the 90s).. the kids are going hard on the retro gaming and so far I've tried two bundles from eBay now, one wouldn't work at all and the other completely freaked out on 3d looking "mode 7" games like Zelda and Mario kart.

I got the system / controller / power adapter / video cable from eBay for around $70 shipped, would be kinda nice to stay in that price range... I'll go more if it has some neat games.

Let me know if one is laying around [h] that works.. take a pic or three and leave your price. heat under mode13
 
I'd seriously look into instead trying to get a Raspberry Pi (or a used mini PC from any of the main brands) and making a retro emulator station.

I know the nostalgia of owning the actual system is great, but I kinda think you and your kids might have a much better experience in the end with an emulator. You can end up running all sorts of systems beyond just the SNES with such a huge selection of games and no dealing with the console or cartridges not working.

With all that being said, this isn't meant as a thread crap at all if you're set on buying the actual system. Just a little food for thought.

Good luck on finding what you want in the end, dude. :)
 
I bought one of the dual systems on Amazon years ago that play nes and snes and have had zero problems with it. Might be worth a shot unless you /have/ to have the original hardware.
 
Why not an SNES Classic?

Edit: Lord, they are selling for 3 times what they went for new.

Edit 2: How about an old Wii with Homebrew? I actually have an SNES classic that I got for my kids (5 and 7) and guess what, they prefer the Wii games anyway. Why? Graphics are better.
 
Alternatives or emulators are gonna be your best bet. Most of us that still have a good working console aren’t gonna part with it easily ($$$) so an emulator or knockoff like the retron might be the most cost effective option.
 
Have you thought of the snes or nes classic minis? I think they're no longer being sold but they're only a little over $100 on ebay and come with games pre-installed.
 
No emulation guys, thanks. This is for a streaming/youtubing thing and all about authentic hardware.. there's zillions of them on eBay, just had some bad luck. I'll keep browsing there.
 
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Bump for original hardware. I’m not a fan of emulation.

You may look for verified 1-chip models and/or snes jr as those are newer and on average probably in better condition but you may pay a little more.

Edit. Here’s one that looks pretty nice.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2657079326...hxsgaf3SPu&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Apparently the snes jr isn't equipped to output RGB. I already bought "HD Retrovision" component cables AND a retrotink for the early models I bought. I see a mod chip for the jr. that I'm equipped to install, but this all comes out to a bit more money then I had on offer lol. I didn't really do my homework on the SNES since my personal console collection really only goes back as far as PS2/Xbox and I don't care about video capture.

Obviously this is a cautionary tale in defense of emulation, but eh, we want the real deal for the fun of it. I think getting 2 bad systems was just bad luck and the expensive upscaling is coming down to the need to capture this stuff...

I'm seeing on reddit that UN309 and above models are likely to be 1-chip but not guaranteed and supposedly those support RGB output. I guess that's the ultimate SNES. That said, after the retrotink and cable, I'm getting pretty drained on expensive parts and don't care if it's an earlier model as long as it works.
 
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Look for a working motherboard - should be able to pickup one of those for $50-60 and swap it into your broken system. If you're up for something a little more adventurous and (slightly) cheaper, you could source a partially working board or a good CPU only. 90% chance this would be fixed by soldering a new CPU, possible but less likely that the problem is with one of the PPU chips.

Edit: Just glanced back over your first post, if you still have the system that wouldn't turn on at all, try disassembling and cleaning the motherboard with electronics/board cleaner. Could be crud on the board, could be a fuse, power switch, power plug... Point is, could be a relatively cheap or easy fix for that one. Have someone who is handy with a multimeter check it out for you.
 
Last edited:
^^ Maybe I'll buy a cheap one to gamble on and then go from there with repairs, but so far the two from ebay are being returned because they were $70~ a pop and the sellers said "tested / working", so I'm not really willing to try repairing those myself if you know what I mean, I messaged them for returns/refunds.

Another thing I noticed is that these aftermarket adapters that come with these systems feel super freaking flimsy and also only put out dc 9v/850ma when the back of the SNES clearly says 10V. Not sure what the deal is with that, but seems all too common with almost every system I see.

In the future I'll do my homework, because I know a Sega Genesis is going to be up next lol
 
Last edited:
I bought one of the dual systems on Amazon years ago that play nes and snes and have had zero problems with it. Might be worth a shot unless you /have/ to have the original hardware.
I've owned two of these. A couple games have issues but most, mostly work. Definately more reliable than the 30 year old hardware
 
Back
Top