Post any time you get ANYTHING retro 3.

[nakamura]

Yup that's what I have.

[Leon Retro]

I still like the smoothed look a stock SNES gives and it actually feels more 'right' but I'm used to the mini now and love it.

How many scart cables have you tried with your standard SNES, because it can make quite a difference. I had one back in the day that was said to give a really sharp image and it did. Then I lost it in the late-90s, when I wasn't bothered about the SNES. But when I got back into SNES gaming around 10 years ago, I had a cheap cable that delivered a soft image, so I bought a cable that was sold as a GameCube cable and the image was nice and sharp again, like it's meant to be. I've read a lot about this, and the conclusion is that a standard SNES really needs a top quality scart cable.

[nakamura]

How many scart cables have you tried with your standard SNES, because it can make quite a difference. I had one back in the day that was said to give a really sharp image and it did. Then I lost it in the late-90s, when I wasn't bothered about the SNES. But when I got back into SNES gaming around 10 years ago, I had a cheap cable that delivered a soft image, so I bought a cable that was sold as a GameCube cable and the image was nice and sharp again, like it's meant to be. I've read a lot about this, and the conclusion is that a standard SNES really needs a top quality scart cable.

Well on the images on the previous page I used an official Gamecube cable for both. So the soft image remains.

[speedlolita]

You definitely need a well shielded cable. Much like with the GameCube.

[nakamura]

Just need to test an official PS1 cable now....

[Leon Retro]

Well on the images on the previous page I used an official Gamecube cable for both. So the soft image remains.

I've had 2 Japanese machines and 3 American machines over the years - and never seen an image that soft from a standard SNES. I guess it also depends on the CRT used. When I first got a SNES, I used a Phillips monitor, and the image was razor sharp, then I got a 21" Sony Trinitron, and the image was sharp, then after that a 25" Sony Trinitron and the image was really sharp and vibrant.

When people started talking about the 1-CHIP being much sharper, I was surprised, because a standard SNES has always looked really sharp to my eyes. When I use my standard SNES with the Framemeister, the image is sharp, but when I set the sharpness to +1 it is like an emulator, where it's a bit too sharp, like it has edge enhancement.

Of course, a sharpness boost makes the image looks a bit more vibrant, so I think people like that. The 1-CHIP seems to overdrive sharpness, so a standard SNES - even using a GameCube scart cable - looks a bit soft in comparison. Some people say the 1-CHIP sharpness looks too much, but the screen/television you use will play a part in whether the sharpness looks too severe.

[speedlolita]

Just need to test an official PS1 cable now....

You'll find one eventually.

[nakamura]

I've never seen a SNES that is razor sharp. Not Mega Drive sharp.

[Leon Retro]

I've never seen a SNES that is razor sharp. Not Mega Drive sharp.

There was a time when people didn't like the emulator look, as it was seen as too sharp and false. It was like ramping sharpness up to 11 into some some sort of overdrive sharpness that is very severe. But since the 1-CHIP delivers that sort of look, lots of people have seen it as better, despite a standard SNES with a good cable giving an image that does look sharp and clear. But once you've seen overdrive sharpness, that's it, the standard SNES lacks a bit of sharpness in comparison. I actually think a Mega Drive at its sharpest, looks over the top. Having a tiny bit of softness is nicer imo, but a sharpness boost can be needed depending on the screen and cables used.

Also, the sharpness issue can depend on the screen you use. Maybe most CRTs that people use are old and have lost focus? Maybe that's why a 1-CHIP might be needed - to boost the sharpness on a screen that isn't performing as it would have when it was new. I can say a Sony Trinitron that was top of the range in the early-90s, did deliver a really sharp image. If I still had one of those screens now, I'm sure the image wouldn't be so vibrant and clear. CRTs go downhill a lot with age.

So when I see comparisons showing a standard SNES image to look soft, it doesn't represent what I've experienced over the years. At the moment I use a US standard SNES with a Framemeister - and the image is sharp and clear. But for a bit of a sharpness boost, I can bump the sharpness up to +1 and it looks just like what I get from an emulator through my PC using DVI.

[speedlolita]

With your aversion to modern gaming I'm a little surprised that you're not using a CRT yourself.

[nakamura]

The image on my set doesn't look like an emulator at all, more a high quality arcade game. The image is super sharp but doesn't flatten the colours like emulators do.

[Leon Retro]

With your aversion to modern gaming I'm a little surprised that you're not using a CRT yourself.

My Sony Trinitron got dumped by someone who thought I didn't want it anymore. Then I bought a B&O, but didn't like the curved screen, and the image wasn't as nice as a Trinitron.

I remember using all sorts of CRTs televisions in the '90s - and the image quality through RGB varied a lot. My parents had a Toshiba - and the RGB image with a SNES was quite soft compared to my Sony. My mate had a cheap screen that really gave a soft RGB image.

I probably won't buy another CRT, as I would think most of them have really degraded over time. Of course, if I could get a mint CRT, or one that has been adjusted to look like a good CRT does when it's new, then I'd buy one. I will wait and see, as my current home is tiny, and I'm planning to move to a bigger house.

I do love the way a top quality CRT looks.

The image on my set doesn't look like an emulator at all, more a high quality arcade game. The image is super sharp but doesn't flatten the colours like emulators do.

I'm just saying that the extreme sharpness you get with emulators, where it really accentuates the blockiness of really old games, was seen as a bad thing. Of course, with scanlines on a CRT or Framemeister, even an oversharp image looks OK. Scanlines are the most important thing when it comes to retro gaming.

I think a 1-CHIP compensates for a lack of sharpness on a CRT that isn't delivering a top quality image for one reason or another. A standard SNES with a quality cable and a new Trinitron, really does look sharp and vibrant. The 1-CHIP is for people who need that extra bit of sharpness. Maybe a standard SNES can have its sharpness ramped up a bit? But as I use a Framemeister, I don't need to think about that, unless I go back to using a CRT. I will think about that option when I move home.

[Baseley09]

Is anyone old enough to remember Advance console entertainments super colour enhancement mods for super famicom? In the ads in CVG they had a dull image from pilotwings and then a quite bright saturated one post mod, do SFC's give a dull image as standard?

I was gonna get one at the time but they couldn't guarantee xmas delivery so got a core grafx II instead off them, the rest is history!

[speedlolita]

I probably won't buy another CRT, as I would think most of them have really degraded over time. Of course, if I could get a mint CRT, or one that has been adjusted to look like a good CRT does when it's new, then I'd buy one. I will wait and see, as my current home is tiny, and I'm planning to move to a bigger house.

I think this is the appeal for production grade monitors honestly.

[roachie]

I remember those ads in C+VG! Wonder what the mod was exactly..?