Analogue has lifted the lid on the UI of its forthcoming Analogue Super Nt system, as well as giving some details on the console's unique boot sequence.
The man responsible for the clean look of the UI is none other than Phil Fish, creator of the cult indie platformer FEZ. He has crafted all of the art, layout and animations for the UI, which you can see in action below.
Fish as also created the cool-as-hell start-up sequence which randomly cycles through 30 different retro-style logos to a piece of bespoke music by UK electronic act Squarepusher (AKA: Tom Jenkinson).
What makes all of this really impressive is that it's all running on what is, on a hardware level, a humble SNES. That means that Analogue has had to work within the same limitations that developers did back in the '90s.
We spoke to Analogue's Christopher Taber about the system, and he had this to say:
This is the new standard for all our new products, $500 Nt-mini features at under $200! We're beyond stoked to be able to get that level of hardcore features into this price point. I can see all our new customers are too!
The entire UI has been redesigned by Phil Fish and its pretty amazing. It was really cool of him to do this with us since it has so many crazy limitations to design on a Super Nintendo. The key thing to understand is that Super Nt is literally a Super Nintendo - it is not a computer or emulator. Meaning everything you see running in the UI is all designed and implemented the same way it would have been for a developer working on a Super Nintendo game nearly 30 years ago. So its quite esoteric to design for it. Phil did a brilliant job. He actually designed 2 different UI modes - one for SNES and one for SFC, you can switch between them depending on how you like it!
Super Nt basically has all the in-system features that the Nt Mini has and of course some new ones specific to SNES/SFC. For example, one of the unique features is what we call 'pseudo hi-res blending' - this is a mode that blends certain sections of what's on screen that would've relied on CRT technology to do this. So when you view it on an HDTV - minus the CRT - it actually shows up as lines, instead of water or something. So we implemented a special feature that blends all those parts so its exactly like it would be on a CRT. You can of course enable / disable this.
A couple of other cool things: a Gamma boost mode, to match the gamma on a CRT when you turn on scanlines since the image will be darker. Then of course we implemented a 64 sprite mode, which doubles the sprites the original SNES/SFC could handle, meaning games that have flicker - this will be eliminated. We effectively gave the system 2x more tiles then it originally had. Again, this can enabled or disabled. There are also tons of aesthetic customisation options for the menus, just like Nt Mini.
And this is just what's on the launch firmware - we'll be taking suggestions from customers for new features and continuing to develop for Super Nt to make it even more than it is!
In case you were still none the wiser, the Analogue Super Nt is a SNES clone which uses FPGA technology to emulate Nintendo's legendary system on a hardware level. It will come pre-loaded with Super Turrican and Super Turrican 2, and will support cartridges from all over the world. You can pre-order one now.
Comments 28
... I want this thing in my life.
@Shiryu Yeah man, I can't wait to receive this in the mail!
How does Phil Fish get these amazing electronica artists to work with him!
So you have to pay 200 dollars for the system and then have to pay for the game cartridges? How about no, I’d rather just get an snes classic that comes with games. You could also just buy a real SNES on eBay for $80...
I won't be buying one of these now. I'd rather set my money on fire than buy anything Phil Fish is involved with.
Hoo boy, let the Phil Fish hate train commence.
I don't understand how so many of these consoles are getting made. IMO they are too expensive and inconvenient (since they depend on cartridges) for the average gamer, and I would think most of the dedicated people who keep and play these cartridges would rather use an RGB modded original console to have the real authentic experience.
That UI is not great. Start up animation is awesome though.
@nab1 This is far above the glut of SNES emulation machines and you can just use a ROM cart to have every game on the system. Amazing for those who don't want a CRT - but yes I wholeheartedly agree, for me it's not going to come close to the authentic feel of my 1-chip SNES on a decent CRT 👍
@SimplyCinnamon53 Good luck hooking it up to an HDTV without looking like crap
@SimplyCinnamon53 A real SNES looks rough on an HDTV unfortunately. The SNES classic is better but this machine absolutely beats everything hands down for use with an HDTV.
@andykara2003 @mikegamer I don’t care how bad it looks I’m Saving 120 dollars! And as I said you could get an SNES classic as well. Why would I pay 200 dollars for 26 year old tech that looks a little better on the TV.
@SimplyCinnamon53 Good on you 👍 Visuals aren't necessarily everybody's top priority.
For purists, the other advantages are latency and accuracy which are extremely good. Amazing array of scaling and scanline options also. It's actually incredibly cheap for what it is.
I though Fish hated Nintendo?
Just randomly picked up a SNES classic this morning at Target! They had 4 in the case and I grabbed one without thinking twice. Will be great to expose my kids to the best console ever!!!!
I'm glad Phil Fish didn't truly retired from gaming. I knew that he once had heats with that idiot from GameFailers during that twitter war from 2013 but glad that he's back to doing gaming related projects again. Sometime ya gotta move on.
@SimplyCinnamon53 You can't compare a system on a chip that's emulating a SNES with a high-end device such as an FPGA, which, for all intents and purposes, actually is a 1:1 copy of a SNES and can do everything the original could EXACTLY as it should, both in visuals and sound, with the added bonus of modern features and connections, so it also looks good on a modern TV.
For purists that want that little bit extra, either an HDMI mod of their original SNES or and FPGA system such as the Analogue NT is literally the only real option to consider.
Seriously, the transparent and black models of this look pretty dang gorgeous. I especially love the transparent one. Now, all I wish is that they did it in a few transparent colours too, like the classic N64 funtastic systems*. I'd go for "watermelon" [pink] in a heartbeat.
The simple UI and intro stuff is also pretty cool too.
*
@SimplyCinnamon53 I hear ya, but remember that even the SNES Classic still doesn't do run something like Yoshi's Island perfectly (there's graphical issues on the Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy level for example), whereas the Nt does (or so I believe). And there's a few other bits and bobs that probably make it a really solid choice for people who are dedicated to perfect retro gaming.
Does enabling the 64 sprite option also reduce any slowdown? Is there even a way to remove this from those old games, like maybe giving it a fast process or something akin to Genesis/Mega Drive speed? That would be so cool.
Have they said if it will work with any Flash carts?
Be sure to check out their one and only shipping option. In the US it's 38 dollars to get from WA to me in OH. And that's insane.
In contrast, the retrousb AVS, which is a larger system, only charged 12 dollars for shipping. Analogue will not be getting any of my cash, and it's a shame, because an HD SNES is something I would really enjoy. But geez, 38 bucks, it's almost 25% of the item's cost, and item's super light and super small.
@NESguy94 Yes, it will. I wrote them on this topic.
@sleepinglion
Thanks man. I wasn’t even going consider this if I couldn’t wok with my SD2SNES.
@NESguy94 Absolutely, man. They respond to Facebook messages if you want to double check. I have an SD2SNES myself.
Hopefully there's an option to skip the boot screen like on the AVS: https://youtu.be/tb3ZmRTS_FU
Clearly going to be a quality product from analogue nt....but why would you buy this when you get a snes mini and hack it to include whatever you want? The user interface is amazing on the snes mini you can even add the box art for the games you’ve added so it looks 100% legit.
@SimplyCinnamon53 Snes Classic does 720p and it looks fantastic, as it's three times scaled from the original 240p, so it looks good, colors are nice as well and the emulation is good.
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