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Original ZSNES Devs Return with 'Super ZSNES' Emulator
28 Apr
Summary
- Original ZSNES creators return after 19 years with 'Super ZSNES'.
- New emulator offers audio-visual upgrades and GPU-based rendering.
- Super ZSNES supports widescreen, texture mapping, and enhanced audio.
After a 19-year hiatus, the original creators of the MS-DOS-based SNES emulator ZSNES have launched a new project. The successor, dubbed "Super ZSNES," aims to enhance classic Super Nintendo games with modern audio-visual improvements. It has been completely rewritten from scratch, employing "no vibe coding" and featuring more accurate CPU and Audio cores.
The primary innovation in Super ZSNES is its "super enhancement engine." This engine goes beyond simple upscaling, enabling features like widescreen support and texture mapping to give games a higher resolution appearance. It can also replace original audio samples with uncompressed versions and add actual 3D to Mode 7 effects.
These enhancements are developed on a per-game basis. The initial release includes support for seven popular titles, such as F-Zero, Super Mario World, and Super Metroid. The creators plan to expand support to more games and allow users to create their own enhancements.
Super ZSNES is available on Windows, Intel and Apple Silicon Macs, Linux, and Android, with an iOS version coming soon. Future updates will focus on bug fixes, performance, support for enhancement chips, netplay, and additional enhancement types.
