From: marms@python.cs.unm.edu (Mike Arms)
Subject: Re: SNES to Japan [Super Famicom]
Reply-To: sandia!marms@unmvax.unm.edu (Mike Arms)
Organization: Sandia National Laboratories
Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1993 23:01:13 GMT

benoist@netcom.com (Tom Benoist) writes:
>Has anyone tried to run Nintendo Super Famicom Games on a US Super NES or 
>visa versa?  The US games are a different shape (most likely to
>prevent doing this), but the hardware seems to be identicle.

Geez, what is this the 2nd or 3rd time in just a few days for this
question?  Have you read the FAQ for this newsgroup?  Or did you 
happen to read the answer that I posted a day or two ago (propagation
of news may have been a problem here)?  To exerpt:

You can play Super Famicom games in a SNES.  I have done this with a
couple of games already.  You can either buy an adaptor for about $20-$35,
or you can take the cheap way and just clip off the two plastic flanges
that are in the SNES cartridge slot.  They provide no purpose, and only
block SFC games from being inserted.  To do the operation, I took some
strong needle-nose pliers and bent them back and forth to break them
off.  I've not had any problems whatsoever.

...

Another alternative apparently is to by a Game Genie or Action Replay.
These apparently will take Japanese carts and so it can serve as an
adapter.  Note: there are completely separate Game Genies available
for the NES, SNES, and Genesis.  Each will only oerate on their specified
system.  


[excerpted from the FAQ maintained by Ken Arromdee:]

SUPER FAMICOM: Same as Super NES.  The European or Australian, and the
American or Japanese, versions aren't compatible because of lockout chips; but
you can buy an adapter which takes two cartridges and uses the lockout chip
from one and the program from the other, letting you play the games (either
way).  Games run faster on US machines and slower on European ones.

For American/Japanese games, the cartridges are shaped so as not to fit in
each other's machines.  If you cut away the plastic that prevents them from
fitting, or if you buy an ``adapter'', you can play them...  so far.

There is some kind of little-understood hardware difference between machines.
It was first reported on Usenet by a person who noticed that on Super Adventure
Island, Master Higgins appears upside down on the SF and right side up on the
SNES.  However, a letter to VG&CE magazine asked about a similar effect that
happened with that game on two machines, both of which were SNES.  There is
clearly some difference, but nobody knows if it's just a new/old difference
which occurs in both countries, or if it's something that applies _only_
between Japanese/US machines and is therefore potentially useful for lockout.

One usenetter called Nintendo and was told that newer machines (Japanese/US)
weren't compatible.  This is also reported by game magazines and seems to be
an official answer; but whether they _really_ aren't compatible, nobody knows.


----
[additional info]
There exists an adaptor that works both ways SFC <-> SNES.  I can't remember
the name exactly, but it might be Twin Bee.

-- 
Mike Arms
Editor of Encounter magazine
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