SNES



"Now you're playing with power. Super power."

A favorite among retro-gamers, many consider it to be the best system of all time due to it being the strongest 16-bit console (other than the Neo Geo but only the super rich kids had that) and a lot of companies really pushed it to its limits! The library really backs it up there, and it has something for everybody, especially in the RPG category. SNES is recommended over SFC because it's just easier to mod, though the SFC (and PAL SNES) looks better and you could just buy a converter.

SNES Mini
In June 26th of 2017, Nintendo announced the Super NES Classic (not to be confused with the New-Style Super NES, which is referred to as the SNES Mini or SNES Jr.), which contains 20 SNES classics and the final build of Star Fox 2 (no, it isn't the same build that you can get your hands on from the internet all those years ago), making it the only legitimate way to get it! It was released on September 29th that same year, selling roughly 4 million units by the end of the year. Shortly thereafter, Starfox 2's rom was leaked onto the internet and the differences between it and the build that was leaked in 2002 are apparent, not to mention that the system was hacks over a week later, allowing users to add games to their own liking.

However, emulation on the SNES Classic Mini is rather hit-and-miss, especially with Yoshi's Island at level 1-7; note the background when Yoshi touches a Fuzzy (Though you could argue that it was edited to prevent seizures.). With that in mind, this may be a huge turn-off for purists, but, overall, not too shabby as a collector's and hobbyist's item. As of 2019, they are no longer sold, so alternatives should be taken into consideration

Clone Consoles
Before the SNES Classic, there has been a lot of SNES clones throughout the years since sometime after production for the original, but they tend to be pretty shitty in both build quality and compatibility, and the ones like the RetroN 5 for example use open-source emulators to get games running, which, to some GNU-fags and law-abiding losers gentlemen, is considered a no-no in their book, as selling the emulators within the console violates their licenses.

If you wish to play SNES games on the big screen in your living room and are okay with putting your SNES away, but don't want to resort to getting expensive upscalers like the Framemeister or buy shitty clones nor getting the SNES Classic, then your best bet is the Super Nt. It's kinda pricey (though half as much as the NT Mini ($199 vs $450), but not only does it come with two free games, Super Turrican: Director's Cut and Super Turrican 2, it also has a higher compatibility compared to other clone systems (likely at 100%), accurately emulates the SNES's capabilities with little-to-no latency with it's FPGA motherboard, something PC emulators tend to suffer from, and if you jailbreak it, you can play ROMs from your SD card! The only downside is trying to fiddle with the settings (from display to buffer mode), and if the system is jailbroken just to play games via SD card, compatibility is pretty limited to games that don't utilize enhancement chips like the DSP or Super-FX, forcing the user to get games or flashcarts with special chips on them, and its HDMI-only, which is a turn-off for CRT fanboys. NT says its working on a adapter for analogue output, but it has been about a year and still no word. Those connections were kept out to keep costs low, as it drove up the cost of the NT Mini. Also, its UI was designed by Phil Fish if you're, unfortunately, familiar with that hipster douche. Watch this video for more info.

For portable SNES gaming, the New3DS(XL) is your best bet for SNES gaming via Virtual Console, and if you have it modded, you can inject other SNES games or romhacked versions as well, though you cannot play SuperFX games on it. 3DS Compatibility list.

But if you don't want to do that, or if you don't have a n3DS and just want to play from retail cartridges, then check out the SupaBoy S or the RetroDuo Portable, though be aware that the build quality for both are kinda shoddy and have crappy sound quality.

Flashcarts
For flashcarts, the absolute best recommendation, albeit very pricey, is the SD2SNES PRO, without question. The firmware is consistently updated on the occasion and has the largest ROM support of any SNES flashcarts, up to the SuperFX and SA-1 chips (98%). A secondary recommendation is the Super Everdrive, which is more cheaper and has less ROM support, but is feasible if you're not looking to play games that utilize chips (other than DSP-1 to 4 if you want to spend a little more for added compatibility) and/or you can't spare over 200-some dollars, with the only downside being that EverDrives usually have 3.3 voltages for 5V consoles, which can be pretty dangerous. Read here for more details.

Then there is the Retro-Bit Super UFO Pro 8, but it has less compatibility than the Everdrive and is also harder to manage files and saves. The upside of it is that it can backup your games' ROMs and save data, and can play other games with similar enhancement chips, but only if you have a retail copy. Video.

Don't ever get the SNES Powerpak by retroUSB, as it has less compatibility than the Super Everdrive and is more pricier whenever it is available.

Needless to say, don't expect any of them to have 100% compatibility anytime soon.

Romhacks and translations can be found at romhacking.net under the relevant sections. Although you might luck out and find a pre-patched translated Rom image along with the original versions if you don't know how to correctly patch a rom.