“THE FPGA APPROACH SEEMS TO HAVE PAID OFF HANDSOMELY”

how the console boots, directing it straight to the menu or cartridge with an optional intro sequence.

The Super Nt is an excellent Snescompatible console, then. However, there are features that it doesn’t offer. Consoles based on software emulation often offer save states, and the SNES Classic Mini even has a rewind function – you’ll find neither here. If your save batteries are dead, you’re out of luck. Additionally, there’s no support for patching games, so if you want to play that ROM hack or fan translation, it’s back to the Everdrive you go. We were also a little surprised to see minimal printed documentation with the console, though plenty is available online. Still, these are ultimately relatively minor knocks against a fantastic console.

Our only real concern is where the Super Nt fits into the market.

The kind of players most likely to shell out over £150 for an incredible Snes-compatible machine are heavily invested retro gamers – and that’s where value for money comes into play. Pairing an original SNES with a high-quality external upscaling box (Framemeister or OSSC) isn’t quite as convenient or flexible as the Super Nt, and the audiovisual quality will never truly match a fully digital output. However, the obvious benefit is that the upscaler then works with your other systems.

If you’re only interested in the SNES and have no interest in picking up a CRT display, the Super Nt is an easy recommendation – it’s the best SNES clone we’ve ever tested. But if you’ve got other consoles, we’d recommend you consider how much you’ll gain out of picking up one dedicated SNES device over something more versatile. There are definitely reasons you might choose to – it’s just a tougher choice.

In a nutshell

Analogue’s Super Nt is a new benchmark in retro console design – the FPGA design clearly offers many advantages and very few drawbacks. It won’t be for every retro gamer, but many will come to swear by it.