SNES [Super Nintendo] issue... screen drops playing certain games...

Pulled out my old SNES console, to fire up some old classics

Been playing Ghouls N Ghosts, Castlevania IV, etc

Brought a cartridge of Mario All Stars + Mario World (on one cart)

and when I run with Mario and jump, the screen drops, and the portion that drops below the bottom of the TV appears on the top of the TV as if the picture is dropping. It flickers and then goes back to normal.

Any ideas?

My friend reports similar issues. I am using a CRT TV using a Gamecube Scart cable to hook it to the TV.

The issue is completely gone when if I hook it up to my 32" LCD or my 22" LED but the picture is horrid even when set to 4:3 and the games have input lag.

Will try and get a picture of it if I can.

EDIT:

Here is a screen, resized image to 1024x768 as it was took on my phone

You can see the screen drops and the bottom of the screen appears on the top of the screen....

 

Looks like a timing issue, afair CRTs had the option to tune or some such?

Check that.

Then again, it's a SNES and is about 22 years old, might be borked.

 

I dont have the remote for the tv no more just some crappy buttons on the set it self volume and program up and down and power.

My friend reported the same issue as well, but every other game works perfectly. No issues at all. Just this game.

 

There is a difference between GameCube and SNES output. I think composite sync was on a different pin, but unsure if it would cause this issue but I'd guess it's an issue with the cable, that's the first thing I'd replace and test, or maybe try rewiring it yourself if you can find any info on google.

Edit : When you say your friend has the same issue, is this with your console, leads and copy of the game, or his own?

 

No as far as I know its the exact same cable. You can use it with the SNES, N64, and GC (not sure about the Wii or WiiU).

I will replace it, after that I will try it on a different CRT TV.

 

Up to gamecube though the cable output was all the same, i'm not aware of a difference, aside from the gamecube having optional progressive scan.

(wii changed it because it's got progressive by default, wii u has wii connector and hdmi)

Since the tv is presumably ancient though a RF cable might work.

Of course you could always hook up a pc to a monitor/tv and emulate it, then filter it, eh.

 

This may be of help to you : http://www.mmmonkey.co.uk/pal-snes-rgb-cable-fix/

 

Physically look the same yes but Composite Sync was swapped pin 3 - 8.

 

Oh my, I dont even think I have the RF cable anymore.

Wouldn't I have to "tune" in the picture when using the RF cable? Not sure if I can tune this TV in without the remote :/

I do use emulators, I actually have a USB adapter cable so I can use my SNES controllers on my PC

But there is nothing quite like playing on the real console. Takes me back to my youth

 

I skimmed the link you posted, was not aware until now that pal snes's were different, it seems possible that this is the problem since OP is in england, in which case it's a bugger of a fix since radioshack doesn't exist here.

I'm not sure about tuning CPC, I think the near last generation CRT's did it automatically, it was something I remember seeing on TVs in the earlier 90s compared to the early 2000s. Depending on how old the tv is it might not be needed, whenever I saw a tuning thing it was on a dial.

Honestly, been years since i've used a RF connection.

I get the nostalgia I guess, there's less chance of mind wandering and alt tabbing to internet (which i'm constantly distracted by), functionality wise though, there's little difference between a snes and ZSNES (and there's near 100% accurate emulators for those wonky games that really need snes harware)

 

Yes, you have to tune it with RF, could always go with S-Vid as a compromise between the two.

 

Oh.... I wouldn't know where to start... that and I dont have a soldering iron lol

 

Might be a case of emulation

 

I prefer Snes9x tbh ZSNES used to be the best but recently it likes to display at the wrong refresh rates when settings graphics options and turns into a slowmo fest as it likes to lock at 15 or 20Hz. Snes9x just works perfectly.

 

That or he can just pick up a cheap svideo lead off ebay


...assuming your tv's got svid, if not you'd need an svideo to scart converter too. Picture quality would be better than RF.

 

Case of me being used to it.

But then again, ZSNES has been abandoned longer than snes9x. I know ZSNES is a pain because the newest one got rid of multiplay support so you have to go to older versions or a custom version.

ZSNES is DOS as hell, but I liked the UI more than snes9x, more filters and the rolling save states were cool.

Not tried a SNES game in a couple years though.

Ah but it's not instantaneous, who wants to play games in 3-7 days when they could play them now. Plus I never actually saw a tv with svideo, must have been a high end thing.

 

ZSNES was my favourite snes emu back in the day purely because of the speed, even though it's not that accurate. I use Higan aka Bsnes nowadays, the most accurate SNES emulator there is, cycle accurate!

True, but patience is a virtue svid on TV's... sure you will have, maybe you knew it as composite... yellow for vid, red & white for audio. It's not high end, it gives a much cleaner pic than RF because the audio is separated from the signal (so stereo sound too) but RGB Scart is superior in every way. If his TV as got a Scart socket it can take Svid.

 

Most TVs I had had scart, and sometimes seperate RGB, but I thought svideo was a touch different. Afaik it was a more american thing, scart being european.

Not that it matters, hdmi or not bothering now.

 

Bsnes or higan(renamed) is the best snes emulator and most accurate plain and simple.
Snes9x are far behind, in the case if zsenes that hasnt been updated in a very very long time.

bsnes has higher requirement though but that is cause it is far more accurate then the other 2

Im shocked to hear anyone uses snes9x or for that mater zsnes in these days unless they need speed and if speed is an isssue then your pc gota be older then mine and less power full for that to be an issue with bsnes

 

Frankly since I last played a snes game, at least 2-3 years, bsnes wasn't quite there yet. And none of the games I was trying needed a 100% cycle accurate emulator to play them, i'm not entirely sure of the list of games needing higan is larger than 20 anyway.