Super Nintendo and Wii U were Nintendo's best consoles. Iconic.
Jury's still out on Switch but barring any missteps it's coming for that #1 spot.
Jury's still out on Switch but barring any missteps it's coming for that #1 spot.
-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
The Super Nintendo Was Perfect
- Thread starter NuclearCake
- Start date
Agreed, OP. Still my favorite system of all time, and it bestowed upon the world my favorite game of all time as well: Chrono Trigger. What a legendary sound chip, too.
The Genesis is special in its own right and has its unique merits, but the SNES is king.
The Genesis is special in its own right and has its unique merits, but the SNES is king.
I wouldn't call the SNES my favourite classic console, as it's just simply my favourite console, period. I did not regret my SNES Classic one bit, and I'm looking forward to buying Trials of Mana legitimately 24 years after it came out.
Anyway, the SNES wins for me since my top ten SNES games beat my top ten faves for any other system. The PS1 comes closest for me, and I've had lots of good times with newer consoles, but the SNES specialized in platformers and RPGs, which appeals directly to my tastes, and I like that big budget video games back then didn't have to be 50+ hours long. I just beat the Witcher 3 on PS4, and it was awesome, but I doubt I'm going to ever both spending another 100 hours playing through that game a second time; I'd much rather replay Link to the Past for the 100th time since it would only take six or so hours.
Anyway, the SNES wins for me since my top ten SNES games beat my top ten faves for any other system. The PS1 comes closest for me, and I've had lots of good times with newer consoles, but the SNES specialized in platformers and RPGs, which appeals directly to my tastes, and I like that big budget video games back then didn't have to be 50+ hours long. I just beat the Witcher 3 on PS4, and it was awesome, but I doubt I'm going to ever both spending another 100 hours playing through that game a second time; I'd much rather replay Link to the Past for the 100th time since it would only take six or so hours.
True, yesterday I tried Lost Levels. I got to world 2, people say it's crazy difficult but I found myself struggling with the controls and not the levels themselves.
Ahh my man!
I was very impressed with those Dragonfly screens myself.
Also, I hate to admit this, but that article mentioned the band Guns and Roses, and that was the first time I'd heard of them.
(I was only just starting to get into music in 1989)
As a kid I was in hospitals alot and I still remember the day where I was discharged once and came home with a SNES SMW Super GameBoy bundle waiting in my room even though we still only had a black and white TV at this point the experience was already mindblowing for me with my only prior gaming experience was Tetris and Mario Land on the GameBoy and watching my older brother play some crude DOS games. I was then again mindblown when we finally got a color TV a few months later and all these games really came to life. Honestly I feel like most of the SNES library is still great to play and games like Super Mario World,, Super Mario World 2, SimCity, Secret of Mana, Kirby's Dream Course, Super Mario Kart, Terranigma, Illusion of Time and many more have really shaped me growing up as far as video-games go.
Not to mention that the JP/PAL aesthetic was and still is simply great, there's something about the design and also the artstyle of the SNES games that is forever etched in my mind. Which reminds me I really need Joycons with SNES colored buttons for my Switch :P
Not to mention that the JP/PAL aesthetic was and still is simply great, there's something about the design and also the artstyle of the SNES games that is forever etched in my mind. Which reminds me I really need Joycons with SNES colored buttons for my Switch :P
Used to think so at the time. Nowadays I prefer the Megadrive for almost anything that came out on both due to the reduced resolution on the snes (you get to see less on the screen on the snes than on any other 16 bit system of the time). That, and I really hate snes' slowdown.
Is it even a take? The only qualitative statement I made was that NES had the better Marios—is that scalding?
If you google "top __ SNES games," the makeup of those lists is anywhere from 20-50% JRPGs. It was the genre where nobody could dispute that Nintendo absolutely dominated the competition. But in almost every other genre, the Genesis had the games I preferred. And that, combined with the fact that I'm not into JRPGs, means the SNES just doesn't occupy much space in my mind.
Agreed. The system was mind blowing
Actraiser, Castlevania IV, Chrono Trigger, E.V.O, FFIV & VI, Gradius 3, Contra 3, Super Metroid, ALttP, SMW, Lufia 1 & 2, F-Zero, Rock N' Roll Racing, King of the Dragons, Mystic Quest, Super Mario All-Stars...fuck. I could list shit for days.
GOAT system
Actraiser, Castlevania IV, Chrono Trigger, E.V.O, FFIV & VI, Gradius 3, Contra 3, Super Metroid, ALttP, SMW, Lufia 1 & 2, F-Zero, Rock N' Roll Racing, King of the Dragons, Mystic Quest, Super Mario All-Stars...fuck. I could list shit for days.
GOAT system
This thread had me research what old color CRT TV we had back then that I used with the SNES and I found out it was a Grundig P37 540 Text, I see them for like 10€ at eBay and seriously consider picking one up for that SNES nostalgia, help!
Nah, it really wasn't. It was a good system, with a tonne of great to amazing games, but it had a lot of flaws on the technical side, and I really don't know how anyone's hands actually dealt with those controllers.
It'll probably still be part of my Top 5 Systems of all Time list, but it's not perfect.
It'll probably still be part of my Top 5 Systems of all Time list, but it's not perfect.
Out of curiosity what was your issue with the controller exactly? I ask because I don't remember having any issues with it as a kid but nowadays when I use my 8bitdo SF30 Pro which has roughly the same shape I still have no trouble but it's also not the most comfortable controller ever.
It was damn near perfect.
The first year alone gave us:
Super Mario World
Pilotwings
F-Zero
Gradius III
SimCity
Super R-Type
ActRaiser
Final Fight
Final Fantasy II
Super Ghouls n Ghosts
Super Castlevania IV
Contra III
The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
Street Fighter II
Mario Paint
Soul Blazer
TMNT: Turtles in Time
Super Mario Kart
Hell, the first 11 games on that list came out within the first three months of launch. Incredible.
The first year alone gave us:
Super Mario World
Pilotwings
F-Zero
Gradius III
SimCity
Super R-Type
ActRaiser
Final Fight
Final Fantasy II
Super Ghouls n Ghosts
Super Castlevania IV
Contra III
The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
Street Fighter II
Mario Paint
Soul Blazer
TMNT: Turtles in Time
Super Mario Kart
Hell, the first 11 games on that list came out within the first three months of launch. Incredible.
I didn't have any issues with my small teenager hands either. Nowadays it just causes cramps eventually.
The Mega Drive's Controller was a lot more comfortable for bigger hands. It's just a nitpick anyway, I just don't think any console deserves the perfect label.
I guess that's the most common complaint, yeah thinking about it I think that's what bothers me the most about it nowadays too, my adult-hands just "swallow" the shape. I actually only once or twice had a MegaDrive controller in my hands, I wonder how I would feel about that one today. And yeah I can't disagree, of course some things will be "perfect" if you factor in nostalgia but objectively speaking nothing is.
I had both Mega Drive and SNES growing up, and I can say for certain that I had a lot more enjoyment out of the SNES, despite owning roughly equal amount of games for each system. The Mega Drive controllers also kinda sucked; I remember it being really hard to press diagonals on it.
It was a fantastic machine but the best? The MegaDrive ticked more boxes for me as a shoot 'em up fan.
Still think both machines complimented each other perfectly, the Sega machine for your fast paced arcade games, and Nintendo's for those RPG's and Nintendo platformers...and Mario Kart, obviously.
Still think both machines complimented each other perfectly, the Sega machine for your fast paced arcade games, and Nintendo's for those RPG's and Nintendo platformers...and Mario Kart, obviously.
Amazing machine with amazing games, but perfect? No. It had a very slow CPU based on the (by then) fifteen year-old MOS 6502, which was positively ancient (you can find it in the NES, Commodore 64, BBC Micro, etc.), and what makes it worse is that it's already slow speed can be cut down by about half depending on what the system is doing. Also, I love the SNES' sound chip, it has a lovely distinctive sound, but apparently it's not all that popular with sound fans.
I loved the SNES so much that when my Dad brought home the N64 and was unplugging the SNES, I started to cry cause I thought I would never play it again.
SNES is the GOAT.
SNES is the GOAT.
I find it kind of interesting that Treasure broke off from Konami and started developing exclusively for the Mega Drive, a distant third in the Japanese market, because they flat out could not create the types of games they wanted to on the SNES. I think that's pretty indicative of just how hamstrung the system was by its CPU choice and how it narrowed developers down in terms of game design and creative vision.
Man the Super NES (PAL)/Super Famicom is such a better looking console than the NTSC Super Nintendo.
Hah, IRL I can never get anyone to care about the differences between the sfc and snes, and feel like more people prefer the snes over sfc if they have an opinion. Everyone seems to agree the snes cartridges suck in comparison though
Had a Genesis as a kid. Wished I had a Super Nintendo, though...I definitely spent a lot of time at friends' houses taking advantage of their SNES setups.
Perfect? No.
It surely contributed to push games beyond the arcade experiences that were the bread and butter of Sega, Nec and SNK, but this is possibly because it couldn't play on an even field with them with that kind of games. The SNES didn't have it all, but it was the most important console in planting the seeds of what was to come.
While not perfect, anyway, the Super Famicom had a ridiculously amazing library. Its western incarnations missed a lot of excellent software, unfortunately.
It surely contributed to push games beyond the arcade experiences that were the bread and butter of Sega, Nec and SNK, but this is possibly because it couldn't play on an even field with them with that kind of games. The SNES didn't have it all, but it was the most important console in planting the seeds of what was to come.
While not perfect, anyway, the Super Famicom had a ridiculously amazing library. Its western incarnations missed a lot of excellent software, unfortunately.
Best system ever, most amazing and replayable games, and the best controller ever. So amazing that to this day we are still basically using the same controller with 2 extra shoulder buttons and added analog sticks. Wonderful. My favorite till the day I die.
I would buy an SNES 2.
I would buy an SNES 2.
Notice how you posted a picture of the Super Famicom rather than the Super Nintendo. The Super Nintendo was not perfect because...
a) the NTSC version was ugly as sin.
b) it had the crappier version of Aladdin (devs certainly weren't falling over themselves to replicate the Capcom version of Aladdin).
and...
c) its market share was legitimately challenged by a competitor until Donkey Kong Country.
a) the NTSC version was ugly as sin.
b) it had the crappier version of Aladdin (devs certainly weren't falling over themselves to replicate the Capcom version of Aladdin).
and...
c) its market share was legitimately challenged by a competitor until Donkey Kong Country.
The SNES is definitely the last Nintendo console that could be considered the total package.
Good times for me, back in those days. Wish I still had my SNES kicking around.
As an aside, there actually were a few 30fps games on the SNES, like Joe & Mac and Super Double Dragon. Not really sure why.
Good times for me, back in those days. Wish I still had my SNES kicking around.
It's a shame 60fps never became the standard in the 3D era. It should be the bare minimum.
As an aside, there actually were a few 30fps games on the SNES, like Joe & Mac and Super Double Dragon. Not really sure why.
It is. Indeed. Just moved to a new place, and hauled this massive CRT along with me so that I could hook my original SNES (launch day, baby) up to it in my new game room.
I'll hook up some other stuff, too, but let's face it - the SNES is the centerpiece and main attraction.
I'll hook up some other stuff, too, but let's face it - the SNES is the centerpiece and main attraction.
What's sad is that in the arcades, it mostly was. Early 3D games like Daytona USA, Virtua Fighter, Ridger Racer, House of the Dead, etc. were running at a buttery smooth 60fps. But obviously, those machines had much more power than your average home console...
There are lots, and lots of games on the SNES below 60 fps, it's just that modern gamers don't know what dipping below 60 fps on these retro consoles looks like because they're used to modern consoles fixed timestep. I.e. on a modern console, games run at a fixed speed regardless of the framerate, if the framerate drops below the target 60 fps, the drawing system is decoupled from the main game loop and frames are skipped. The game runs at the same speed, but you see fewer frames to compensate.
Retro games don't work like this at all. Old game programming is split into 3 tasks, each essentially their own small program. These are switched between using hardware inturrupts, just like a modern multitasking operating system uses interrupts from the CPU to know when to context switch. Except, unlike a modern CPU, these switches are mapped to intervals dictated by the refresh cycle of the television screen. There are 3 periods - 1: active scan, which occurs while the television screen is drawing a single line of horizontal output. 2: Horizontal blank, which occurs in between each active scan when the raster gun must physically move back to the left of the screen for the next active scan. 3: Vertical blank, when the entire frame has drawn and returns back to the upper left portion of the screen to draw.
These 3 periods have different tasks relative to the output of a single frame. Vertical blank is the most important period and one of the longest, it's where all the computation heavy tasks are handled; joypad polling, tileset swapping, all DMA (fast talking to external hardware from the CPU), metatile construction, etc. When the final line of active scan occurs, a non-maskable interrupt is sent which switches periods so VBlank can occur. VBlank, unlike active scan and hblank, can run longer than the actual vblank period. When your vblank program ends, you need to set a memory address variable to represent that your vblank period is over. When the raster gun moves back to the upper left portion of the screen and is ready to begin the very first active scanout, a second nonmaskable interrupt is sent to switch periods. But this NMI has a caveat, it runs a very small "program" before actually switching the periods which checks the memory address to see if the VBlank period is over. If it is not, it'll send a third, very quick NMI to switch back to the Vblank period to run more Vblank code. You can only switch between Vblank and activescan at the very beginning of the television screen refresh period, a NMI to switch out of vblank won't be sent again until the raster gun moves back to the upper left portion of the screen. So even if your vblank routine runs just a few cycles over the amount of time between the last active scan and the next, the SNES must wait an entire frame before it can start drawing again.
This exhibits in slowdown. Unlike modern systems, there is no fixed timestep. If your game takes too long to draw, the game just physically moves slow. Slow down = frame drops. The SNES is infamous for lots and lots of slow down all over their games. Example: The game thunder spirits on the SNES sometimes runs at 7 frames per second compared to the same scene running at 60 fps on the Genesis.
Regarding the SNES being perfect, non-programmers really have no idea how limiting the SNES CPU was. For one, it was still based off of the ancient 6502 design, with all the flaws inherent to that architecture. The SNES variant upgrade was mainly to address external busing (i.e. to make it "16-bit" vs the 8-bit 6502), but the internal architectural problems exist. From a simple laymen's perspective, the SNES and Genesis CPUs are both 16-bit external, but that explains how they move data externally between components. To explain what I mean in a relatively simple way, let's talk quickly about how components of the machine talk. A video game console can almost be thought of like a bunch of small computers running in tandem on a single board. The Video chip runs independently of the CPU, with it's own ram (called VRAM), it's own timing, etc. In order for the CPU to talk to the video chip, there is a small area of shared memory between the two called a data port. If the CPU wants to talk to the Video chip, it writes data to this memory address, which the Video chip can then read when it's ready. The size of the data that can be written to these external ports is 16-bit. To put that into reference, that is the same as one 65536 value, or two 256 values, or four 16 values, or eight 4 values, etc. You can pack more, smaller data into one bus return to maximize your bus. One 16 bit bus is functionally the same as two eight bit buses, four four-bit busses, eight two-bit busses, etc. So if you have a bunch of small variables, you can do more work with a single bus.
Memory in computers is laid out into orders of speed. It takes comparatively eons for computers to talk to external parts because of how long it takes to the electrical currents to actually travel (plus how long it takes for those external components to respond). An example of comparative time:
So, to combat this, there are levels of RAM depending on their speed. Retro systems like the Genesis and SNES didn't have cache as that was new and expensive, so they really only had two types of memory - DRAM (the main ram of the system), and registers. Registers are very tiny pieces of memory directly connected to the CPU. They are what the CPU uses to do calculations entirely. The CPU actually cannot see any memory directly outside of the registers. In order for the CPU to, for example, write to VRAM to change a palette color, the CPU must put a value into a register, then put a value representing the destination RAM address into another register, then execute a command that tells the external buses to operate to move the memory to the destination. In essence, registers can be thought of as hardware variables, or dedicated data ports. Registers are tiny. Like an SNES register is 16 bits, or two bytes each. They are also very few in numbers.
THIS is where the Genesis absolutely curb stomps the SNES. Here's the real secret to the Genesis, why people consider its CPU so much better than the SNES's CPU. The Genesis' 68000 is actually a 32-bit processor. The 68000 comes in flavors, and the specific flavor of the genesis CPU is known as a sixteen/thirty-two hybrid. It has a 16-bit external bus, but 32 bit internal registers. This means you can do two writes to external memory 16 bits at a time to fill a single register on the Genesis, but once you have your values in registers, you can treat it as any other 32-bit memory. The Atari ST is thusly named because it uses a 68000 CPU: The Atari Sixteen-Thirty-two. Not only are the Genesis registers 32-bit, but they are also super numerous, there are 8 data registers and 8 address registers. 16 general purpose 32-bit registers in those days for a home console was pure insanity.
Let's take a simple task like multiplying a large set of numbers against each other to see how the Genesis CPU is just inherently better at such a task. Say I need to multiply sixteen 16-bit values quickly as part of some calculation. With the Sega Genesis CPU, I can load up all 8 32-bit data registers with values, packed two 16-bit values per 32-bit register. Once all my registers are loaded up, I can access every single value in a single cycle. I do all my calculations in, say, 16 cycles, then output the result through an address register. On the SNES, this process is very different due to the lack of registers. I'd have to load some data into registers from RAM, do a temporary calculation, then write that back out to DRAM, then load the next set of values from RAM, do more calculations, write those back out to DRAM, then again, then again, then take those temporary values in DRAM and move them to registers and multiply them again, move them to DRAM, then again, and I'll wind up at the solution. Because my registers aren't as wide, I can't pack values into a single 32-bit integer to save writes, because my registers are not numerous, I need to write back to DRAM to store values because I don't have registers open to do that. Every write to external DRAM takes a comparatively extremely long amount of time. All this is in addition to the SNES CPU also being clocked half as fast as the genesis CPU. And this is also on top of the 68000 having better dedicated opcodes to mathematical commands.
There really is no comparison between the SNES and Genesis CPUs. It's not really close. The SNES CPU was weak even when it released, it was, for intent and purposes, a generation behind. The SNES doesn't hit 60 fps nearly constantly, lots of games are well below 60fps, and this is all why.
There are lots, and lots of games on the SNES below 60 fps, it's just that modern gamers don't know what dipping below 60 fps on these retro consoles looks like because they're used to modern consoles fixed timestep. I.e. on a modern console, games run at a fixed speed regardless of the framerate, if the framerate drops below the target 60 fps, the drawing system is decoupled from the main game loop and frames are skipped. The game runs at the same speed, but you see fewer frames to compensate.
Retro games don't work like this at all. Old game programming is split into 3 tasks, each essentially their own small program. These are switched between using hardware inturrupts, just like a modern multitasking operating system uses interrupts from the CPU to know when to context switch. Except, unlike a modern CPU, these switches are mapped to intervals dictated by the refresh cycle of the television screen. There are 3 periods - 1: active scan, which occurs while the television screen is drawing a single line of horizontal output. 2: Horizontal blank, which occurs in between each active scan when the raster gun must physically move back to the left of the screen for the next active scan. 3: Vertical blank, when the entire frame has drawn and returns back to the upper left portion of the screen to draw.
These 3 periods have different tasks relative to the output of a single frame. Vertical blank is the most important period and one of the longest, it's where all the computation heavy tasks are handled; joypad polling, tileset swapping, all DMA (fast talking to external hardware from the CPU), metatile construction, etc. When the final line of active scan occurs, a non-maskable interrupt is sent which switches periods so VBlank can occur. VBlank, unlike active scan and hblank, can run longer than the actual vblank period. When your vblank program ends, you need to set a memory address variable to represent that your vblank period is over. When the raster gun moves back to the upper left portion of the screen and is ready to begin the very first active scanout, a second nonmaskable interrupt is sent to switch periods. But this NMI has a caveat, it runs a very small "program" before actually switching the periods which checks the memory address to see if the VBlank period is over. If it is not, it'll send a third, very quick NMI to switch back to the Vblank period to run more Vblank code. You can only switch between Vblank and activescan at the very beginning of the television screen refresh period, a NMI to switch out of vblank won't be sent again until the raster gun moves back to the upper left portion of the screen. So even if your vblank routine runs just a few cycles over the amount of time between the last active scan and the next, the SNES must wait an entire frame before it can start drawing again.
This exhibits in slowdown. Unlike modern systems, there is no fixed timestep. If your game takes too long to draw, the game just physically moves slow. Slow down = frame drops. The SNES is infamous for lots and lots of slow down all over their games. Example: The game thunder spirits on the SNES sometimes runs at 7 frames per second compared to the same scene running at 60 fps on the Genesis.
Regarding the SNES being perfect, non-programmers really have no idea how limiting the SNES CPU was. For one, it was still based off of the ancient 6502 design, with all the flaws inherent to that architecture. The SNES variant upgrade was mainly to address external busing (i.e. to make it "16-bit" vs the 8-bit 6502), but the internal architectural problems exist. From a simple laymen's perspective, the SNES and Genesis CPUs are both 16-bit external, but that explains how they move data externally between components. To explain what I mean in a relatively simple way, let's talk quickly about how components of the machine talk. A video game console can almost be thought of like a bunch of small computers running in tandem on a single board. The Video chip runs independently of the CPU, with it's own ram (called VRAM), it's own timing, etc. In order for the CPU to talk to the video chip, there is a small area of shared memory between the two called a data port. If the CPU wants to talk to the Video chip, it writes data to this memory address, which the Video chip can then read when it's ready. The size of the data that can be written to these external ports is 16-bit. To put that into reference, that is the same as one 65536 value, or two 256 values, or four 16 values, or eight 4 values, etc. You can pack more, smaller data into one bus return to maximize your bus. One 16 bit bus is functionally the same as two eight bit buses, four four-bit busses, eight two-bit busses, etc. So if you have a bunch of small variables, you can do more work with a single bus.
Memory in computers is laid out into orders of speed. It takes comparatively eons for computers to talk to external parts because of how long it takes to the electrical currents to actually travel (plus how long it takes for those external components to respond). An example of comparative time:
So, to combat this, there are levels of RAM depending on their speed. Retro systems like the Genesis and SNES didn't have cache as that was new and expensive, so they really only had two types of memory - DRAM (the main ram of the system), and registers. Registers are very tiny pieces of memory directly connected to the CPU. They are what the CPU uses to do calculations entirely. The CPU actually cannot see any memory directly outside of the registers. In order for the CPU to, for example, write to VRAM to change a palette color, the CPU must put a value into a register, then put a value representing the destination RAM address into another register, then execute a command that tells the external buses to operate to move the memory to the destination. In essence, registers can be thought of as hardware variables, or dedicated data ports. Registers are tiny. Like an SNES register is 16 bits, or two bytes each. They are also very few in numbers.
THIS is where the Genesis absolutely curb stomps the SNES. Here's the real secret to the Genesis, why people consider its CPU so much better than the SNES's CPU. The Genesis' 68000 is actually a 32-bit processor. The 68000 comes in flavors, and the specific flavor of the genesis CPU is known as a sixteen/thirty-two hybrid. It has a 16-bit external bus, but 32 bit internal registers. This means you can do two writes to external memory 16 bits at a time to fill a single register on the Genesis, but once you have your values in registers, you can treat it as any other 32-bit memory. The Atari ST is thusly named because it uses a 68000 CPU: The Atari Sixteen-Thirty-two. Not only are the Genesis registers 32-bit, but they are also super numerous, there are 8 data registers and 8 address registers. 16 general purpose 32-bit registers in those days for a home console was pure insanity.
Let's take a simple task like multiplying a large set of numbers against each other to see how the Genesis CPU is just inherently better at such a task. Say I need to multiply sixteen 16-bit values quickly as part of some calculation. With the Sega Genesis CPU, I can load up all 8 32-bit data registers with values, packed two 16-bit values per 32-bit register. Once all my registers are loaded up, I can access every single value in a single cycle. I do all my calculations in, say, 16 cycles, then output the result through an address register. On the SNES, this process is very different due to the lack of registers. I'd have to load some data into registers from RAM, do a temporary calculation, then write that back out to DRAM, then load the next set of values from RAM, do more calculations, write those back out to DRAM, then again, then again, then take those temporary values in DRAM and move them to registers and multiply them again, move them to DRAM, then again, and I'll wind up at the solution. Because my registers aren't as wide, I can't pack values into a single 32-bit integer to save writes, because my registers are not numerous, I need to write back to DRAM to store values because I don't have registers open to do that. Every write to external DRAM takes a comparatively extremely long amount of time. All this is in addition to the SNES CPU also being clocked half as fast as the genesis CPU. And this is also on top of the 68000 having better dedicated opcodes to mathematical commands.
There really is no comparison between the SNES and Genesis CPUs. It's not really close. The SNES CPU was weak even when it released, it was, for intent and purposes, a generation behind. The SNES doesn't hit 60 fps nearly constantly, lots of games are well below 60fps, and this is all why.
I was just talking about a handful of games that are capped at 30fps, specifically those two, which don't seem to be pushing anything that would warrant cutting the usual standard framerate in half.
...I was explaining "why" games get "capped" at 30 fps, since you said "not really sure why."
anytime a game's vblank return gets missed, you have to wait for the next active scan NMI. They occur at 60 hz intervals. If you miss one, you wait for the next. 2frames/60hz = 30 hz. If their calculations took 3 frames before vblank ended, it'd be "capped" at 20 fps. 3frames/60hz = 20. If it took 4 frames, it'd be "capped" at 15 fps. 4frames/60hz = 15. And so forth.
They're not "capped." That's just the fastest the game can run.
Every game that slows down is "capped" in the exact same way.
One thing I'm still amazed by is how great most of the games look today. They have a fresh and timeless look that will never get stale while N64 or even Gamecube/Wii games are starting to looking grating on the eyes.