Snes9x

Overview

Snes9x is an emulator for the Super Nintendo (also called SNES, or Super Famicom in Japan). An emulator is a program that imitates a game console, so that your computer can run that console's games. Snes9x has existed since the late 1990s and is one of the oldest and most widely used SNES emulators.

It is light, fast and simple. It runs on very modest computers, so it is a good first emulator if you have never used one. It plays most SNES games, such as Super Mario World, Chrono Trigger or The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The project says its goal is a portable emulator, and it is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

If you want the most exact imitation of the console, rather than speed and simplicity, look at the alternatives at the end of this guide.

Key words explained

• Game file (ROM): a game copied from a cartridge into a file on a computer. Snes9x can only play files you made yourself from cartridges you own.

• BIOS: a small program inside some consoles that starts them up. Many emulators need a copy of it. The SNES has none, so Snes9x needs no such file.

• Special chip: some SNES cartridges contain an extra chip (for example Super FX in Star Fox). Snes9x imitates these chips by itself.

• Save file (in-game save): the save you make inside a game, from its own menu. On a cartridge it is stored in a small battery-backed memory. Snes9x writes it to a file ending in .srm.

• Save state: a snapshot of the whole emulator at one instant, made by pressing a key. It works in any game, even those without a save feature. It is different from an in-game save.

• Frame rate: how many images per second are shown. The SNES runs at about 60 per second.

• Vertical sync (vsync): makes the emulator show a new image only when your screen is ready for it. It removes tearing, a horizontal tear line that appears in moving pictures.

• Shader: a small program that changes how the picture looks, for example to add scanlines like an old television.

• Integer scaling: enlarging the picture only by whole numbers (2x, 3x, 4x). Every game pixel then has exactly the same size, so the picture stays sharp.

• Aspect ratio: the shape of the picture, width compared to height. 4:3 is the shape of old televisions.

• Hotkey: a keyboard key that triggers an emulator action, such as saving a state.

System requirements

• Any computer with Windows, macOS or Linux. A very old computer is enough, because the SNES is a simple console.

• Shaders (picture effects) need a graphics chip that supports OpenGL, a standard way for programs to draw on your screen. Any computer from the last ten years or so does.

• To check your computer: on Windows, open Settings > System > About. On macOS, open the Apple menu > About This Mac. On Linux, look at your system settings or run uname -m in a terminal to see if it is 64-bit.

• A 64-bit system is the usual case today. Windows archives exist in a 64-bit and a 32-bit version: pick 64-bit unless your computer is very old.

What you need

• The emulator itself, downloaded from the project's official page (see Installation).

• Your own games. Snes9x plays files made from your own SNES cartridges with a cartridge reader device. Files usually end in .sfc or .smc and can be inside a ZIP archive. This guide does not explain where to find games or how to get them other than from your own cartridges.

• No BIOS and no extra files: the console has no startup program, and special chips are built into Snes9x.

• A controller if you like, since playing with a keyboard is possible but less comfortable. Controllers that connect by USB, such as those of the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 or PS4, work on most systems when plugged in.

Installation

The Snes9x.com page called Downloads only lists old mirror sites, so do not use it. The current versions are published by the developers on GitHub, on the Releases page of the official project. At the time of writing the latest version is 1.63. Every file listed there comes from the developers.

1. Open the official releases page and go to the Assets list of the latest version.

2. Windows: download the archive named snes9x-<version>-win32-x64.zip (the 64-bit version; the one without x64 is for 32-bit systems). A ZIP archive is a compressed folder. Right-click it, choose Extract All, and pick a folder of your choice, for example C:\Emulators\Snes9x. Then run the Snes9x program inside. There is no installer: the folder is the program.

3. macOS: download the archive named Snes9x-<version>-Mac.zip, open it, and drag Snes9x into your Applications folder. The first time, macOS may refuse to open an app from an unknown developer: go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and choose Open Anyway.

4. Linux: download the file named Snes9x-<version>-x86_64.AppImage. An AppImage is a single file that runs without installation. Make it executable (right-click > Properties > Permissions > Allow executing, or chmod +x in a terminal), then double-click it. Your distribution may also offer a Snes9x package in its software store.

5. Do not download Snes9x from other sites: copies repackaged by third parties have been known to contain unwanted software, and the developers say so in their own FAQ.

6. How to know it worked: the Snes9x window opens with an empty screen and a menu bar.

On Windows, if you get an error about a missing DLL at startup (a DLL is a file of shared code), Snes9x needs an old part of DirectX 9 that Windows no longer installs by default. The developers explain how to get it in their FAQ page about this error. It does not replace the DirectX already on your computer.

First setup

Snes9x works as soon as you open it. Menu names differ a little between Windows, macOS and Linux and between versions, so look for the entries named below rather than for exact positions.

1. Plug in your controller before you start Snes9x, so that it is detected.

2. Open the input settings (called Input or Joypad configuration in the menus). This is where you tell the emulator which of your buttons does what. This is called controller mapping.

3. Press the button on screen for a SNES button (for example A), then press the matching button on your controller or key on your keyboard. Repeat for every button: the SNES has a direction pad, A, B, X, Y, L, R, Start and Select.

4. Open the display settings and tick fullscreen if you want it. Keep the defaults for the rest for now; the next sections explain them.

5. Open the sound settings and keep the defaults. If you hear crackling later, see Common problems.

6. Open a game from the File menu to test. How to know it worked: the game starts, you hear sound and your controller moves the character.

The settings are saved when you close Snes9x, so you do not need to redo them.

Adding your games

Snes9x has no game library. You open one file at a time from the File menu, and it remembers the recent ones. Put your game files in a folder you will remember, for example Documents\SNES. You can leave them in their ZIP archive: Snes9x opens ZIP files directly.

If a game does not start, check that the file really is a SNES game (not a Game Boy or Genesis game) and that it was copied correctly from the cartridge.

Controls

• Mapping is done in the input settings, as seen above. You can set several players, each with its own controller.

• Diagonals: you normally do not have to map the diagonal directions. Map the four directions first; only if diagonals do not respond, the controller is unusual and the developers advise trying to switch its driver mode (XInput or DInput).

• Some games ask for three buttons at once. Chrono Trigger needs L, R and A together to continue from some screens. Many keyboards cannot read three keys at once (a limit called key rollover). Use a controller, or choose keys such as Ctrl, Alt and Z, which any keyboard can read together.

• If the keys you press are recognized as different ones, close programs that remap controllers, such as JoyToKey, or turn off Steam's controller remapping.

• Hotkeys, for save states and fast-forward, are also set in the input settings. Check the list in the settings of your version: the keys differ between versions and systems.

Graphics and performance settings

The defaults work well. These are the options worth knowing.

• Fullscreen or window: choose what suits you; you can switch at any time.

• Integer scaling (or a scaling option that keeps whole numbers): recommended if your screen is large. It gives the sharpest picture, though black borders may appear around it.

• Aspect ratio: 4:3 is what players saw on their television, with pixels slightly wider than tall. An 8:7 ratio shows the picture as the console produced it, with square-looking pixels. Pick the one you prefer.

• Vertical sync: turn it on if you see tearing. If you have a variable refresh screen (G-Sync or FreeSync), see the developers' FAQ.

• Shaders: optional. A shader adds a look, such as scanlines or a curved screen. Snes9x uses the same shader format as RetroArch, and the developers list where to find them in their Shaders page. They work in the OpenGL modes of the Windows and Linux versions. If the picture becomes slow or odd, turn the shader off.

• Sound: the defaults are enough. If you hear crackling, see Common problems.

Saves

There are two kinds of saves and it is important not to mix them.

• In-game saves: you use the game's own save menu. Snes9x stores it in a file with the same name as the game and the ending .srm, in the save folder of the program. It works like the battery in the cartridge.

• Save states: you save and load them with the commands of the File menu (or with hotkeys). Each game has several slots. A state is a complete snapshot, so loading it also replaces the in-game save memory.

• The danger: if you make an in-game save, then load an older save state, the in-game save goes back to what it was when the state was made. Your progress can be lost for good. The Windows version tries to keep a file ending in .oops, and the Linux version a .undo file, which may help, but do not count on it.

• Good habit: pick one method per game. Save states are handy but use the game's own save as your main one.

• Backup: copy the .srm files and the save state files to another place from time to time, for example to a USB drive or a cloud folder.

Updating

Check the official releases page from time to time. To update on Windows, extract the new archive into a new folder and copy your save files and your settings from the old folder. On macOS, replace the app in Applications. On Linux, replace the AppImage file. The developers advise using the latest version: older ones such as 1.43 or 1.52 are only kept by people who want a little more speed and miss many fixes.

Common problems

• The sound crackles or skips. Cause: your screen runs at 59.94 images per second and the SNES at about 60.1, so the sound runs short. Fix: in the sound settings, turn on the automatic input rate and, if available, dynamic rate control. You can also try another sound driver. Turn on vertical sync as well.

• The picture tears or stutters. Cause: the image is not synchronized with the screen. Fix: turn on vertical sync in the display settings.

• A DLL error at startup on Windows. Cause: a missing part of DirectX 9. Fix: follow the official FAQ link in Installation.

• The controller does not respond, or buttons are mixed up. Cause: it was plugged in after Snes9x started, or another program (JoyToKey, Steam) changes the buttons. Fix: plug it in first, close other programs, and map it again.

• A direction on the pad does nothing diagonally. Cause: some controllers report diagonals as a separate button. Fix: switch the controller between XInput and DInput mode, or map the diagonals.

• A game shows a black screen or will not open. Cause: the file is not a SNES game or is damaged. Fix: check the file type and, if possible, make the copy from your cartridge again.

• A game that needs three keys at once will not move on. Cause: key rollover limits of the keyboard. Fix: use a controller or Ctrl, Alt and Z.

• My in-game progress disappeared after loading a save state. Cause: the state replaced the in-game save. Fix: see Saves above.

Going further

• Official project page with the source code and the wiki.

• Official FAQ with answers to the most common questions.

• Official releases, the place to download new versions.

• Official website and its forum.

• ares for the most accurate SNES emulation.

• RetroArch with the Snes9x core, to use Snes9x inside a larger program with run-ahead (a way to reduce the delay between your press and the action).

• Lemuroid on Android.