Ever wonder why your SNES (US version) turned yellow?

Garak · #1 11th-November-2008

Nintendo's response:

Quote:

Hi!

Thank you for contacting us. That’s an interesting question! For the Super NES, this is a normal condition and no cause for alarm. Cleaning or handling the system will have minimal impact to change or revive the original color.
The Super NES, as well as our other systems, are made with a plastic containing flame-retardant chemicals to meet safety guidelines. Over time, the plastic will age and discolor both because of these chemicals as well as from the normal heat generated from the product or exposure to light. Because of the light color of the plastic of the SNES and NES, this discoloration is more easily seen than with other darker plastics such as on the N64 and the Nintendo GameCube.
Thanks for your email!

Nintendo of America Inc.
Casey Ludwig

Lots more detail here:

Vintage Computing and Gaming | Archive Why Super Nintendos Lose Their Color: Plastic Discoloration in Classic Machines

The yellowing doesn't affect newer SNES consoles to the same degree, say ones made after 1993 maybe. Nintendo fixed the problem.

So if you go to eBay to buy an SNES, if it isn't yellowed already...it will probably never yellow (or may take 50 years to do so).

Marx · #2 11th-November-2008

Class info there, Garak.

Garak · #3 11th-November-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marx

Class info there, Garak.

I've always wondered about the reasons.

I currently have 2 SNES consoles on the way from eBay and neither of them have any yellowing.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ies%26_fvi%3D1

Must be from newer runs of the SNES.

Did the European SNES's have the same problem?

Can't fuckin' wait to get back in front of that console! SNES has always been my favorite console and it just isn't the same playing via emulator.

Marx · #4 11th-November-2008

Not that I know of, no, they didn't suffer yellowing... mind you, I'm a smoker, so everything in breathing distance get's yellow'd by me lol

Feckless · #5 11th-November-2008

Yay good ol times...(Europeen ones seem to turn brown)

I read about Street Fighter 4, that it is based on Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo and imediately I wanted to plug that old thingie back in, playing all the classics.

Garak · #6 11th-November-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marx

Not that I know of, no, they didn't suffer yellowing... mind you, I'm a smoker, so everything in breathing distance get's yellow'd by me lol

Well, smoke film can be cleaned off. This yellowing can't, it's in the plastic.

Garak · #7 11th-November-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feckless

Yay good ol times...(Europeen ones seem to turn brown)

I read about Street Fighter 4, that it is based on Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo and imediately I wanted to plug that old thingie back in, playing all the classics.

Best console to date.

Feckless · #8 11th-November-2008

I couldn´t decide between N64 and SNES....but SNES would probably have been the winner if I were to get the games only non-european Gamers could play (Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy etc)....

Do you know Unirally / Uniracers?

Garak · #9 11th-November-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feckless

I couldn´t decide between N64 and SNES....but SNES would probably have been the winner if I were to get the games only non-european Gamers could play (Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, Final Fantasy etc)....

Do you know Unirally / Uniracers?

Never heard of that one.

Chrono Trigger....people have so many positive things to say about that game but I just couldn't get into it. Of course, that was on the emulator....maybe I will pick it up and try it on the real SNES.

Super Mario RPG, I loved it but I played it on the emulator and it started glitching. I'll have to get the real cartridge.

Final Fantasy III....oh my...need I even mention the brilliance of that game? You mean that was only released in the US and Japan?

Ya know, that was a time when it wasn't about graphics, it was about fun!

Feckless · #10 11th-November-2008

Not in Europe. As well as Earth Bound, too. That really annoyed me. At least we got Secret of Mana here....Was Secret of Mana 2 (Seiken Densetsu 3 or 4) released in the US as well?