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Thread: Japanese SA-1 SFC games on US SNES?

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    Default Japanese SA-1 SFC games on US SNES?

    I was wanting to pick up some SFC titles that are usually cheaper than their US versions, namely Kirby's Dreamland 3. Will Japanese SA-1 games still work on my US SNES even with the SA-1 chip, or does it just lock it out of PAL systems? Just a gamer wanting to save a chunk on these old games, but the whole SA-1 region-locking thing has me concerned...

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    Quote Originally Posted by Coreykun667 View Post
    I was wanting to pick up some SFC titles that are usually cheaper than their US versions, namely Kirby's Dreamland 3. Will Japanese SA-1 games still work on my US SNES even with the SA-1 chip, or does it just lock it out of PAL systems? Just a gamer wanting to save a chunk on these old games, but the whole SA-1 region-locking thing has me concerned...
    All Japanese games will work in a US system. Just remove the tabs from the SNES cart slot.

    PAL is a big mess and you need converters and stuff for specific games. Japan and the US are NTSC region anyway so I dont know why youre concerned with European region PAL.

    Getting Euro PAL games to work on a US or Japan NTSC console and vice versa is a big pain in the ass
    Last edited by Parodius Duh!; 04-02-2013 at 08:40 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Parodius Duh! View Post
    All Japanese games will work in a US system. Just remove the tabs from the SNES cart slot.

    PAL is a big mess and you need converters and stuff for specific games. Japan and the US are NTSC region anyway so I dont know why youre concerned with European region PAL.

    Getting Euro PAL games to work on a US or Japan NTSC console and vice versa is a big pain in the ass
    Ohh ok. I was under the impression that SA-1 locked out US and PAL systems from playing the Japanese SA-1 games. So long story short, the Japanese version of Kirby's Dreamland 3 will play, even being that it's an SA-1 game I assume?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Coreykun667 View Post
    Ohh ok. I was under the impression that SA-1 locked out US and PAL systems from playing the Japanese SA-1 games. So long story short, the Japanese version of Kirby's Dreamland 3 will play, even being that it's an SA-1 game I assume?
    Yes any and all SFC games will work in a US SNES.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Parodius Duh! View Post
    Yes any and all SFC games will work in a US SNES.
    Woot! Thanks man!

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    drowning in medals Ed Oscuro's Avatar
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    A couple alternatives to hacking up a SNES:

    Some games will work (not all) using a bare Game Genie PCB (out of its shell to accommodate the larger Super Famicom game case).

    If I was really serious about it, I'd just get a converter PCB (basically just an extension of the cartridge connector with no electronics).

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    Can't play SA-1 games with a Game Genie and there aren't a whole lot of adapters with the extra pins for special chip games out there. Waste of money and effort trying to track one down if you ask me. Takes 2 minutes to snap the tabs. Hardly "hacking" it up if you ask me.
    Last edited by wiggyx; 04-02-2013 at 09:30 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by wiggyx View Post
    Can't play SA-1 games with a Game Genie and there aren't a whole lot of adapters with the extra pins for special chip games out there. Waste of money and effort trying to track one down if you ask me. Takes 2 minutes to snap the tabs. Hardly "hacking" it up if you ask me.
    Yeah that's what I'd planned to do. I should have a game bit headed my way. Shame I couldn't find any offline though.

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    just take needle nose pliers and pull the tabs left and right and they will break off cleanly, you could even get crazy and take the top shell off and go in and sand the remaining bits flush with the plastic. Hardly hacking it up indeed, literally takes two seconds and your free to game on in the amazing SFC world..

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    Quote Originally Posted by Parodius Duh! View Post
    just take needle nose pliers and pull the tabs left and right and they will break off cleanly, you could even get crazy and take the top shell off and go in and sand the remaining bits flush with the plastic. Hardly hacking it up indeed, literally takes two seconds and your free to game on in the amazing SFC world..
    Yeah, I just got a complete set of the Super Famicom Rockman games. It's amazing how much you save by buying the Japanese versions, you know?

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    Plus Korean works too. If not much real point in that.
    Lum fan.

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    Quote Originally Posted by wiggyx View Post
    Can't play SA-1 games with a Game Genie and there aren't a whole lot of adapters with the extra pins for special chip games out there. Waste of money and effort trying to track one down if you ask me. Takes 2 minutes to snap the tabs. Hardly "hacking" it up if you ask me.
    I like how you admit that it involves damage but that's not "hacking." I don't care if somebody wants to do it, but I don't know where the hostility towards mooting some different options comes from. Knowledge is power, even if it's not used. Sheesh. However - given that there don't seem to be any simple PCB extenders (would be a simple thing to make, but PCBs are still expensive to run, especially in a small batch), it's just a theoretical possibility, unfortunately. I know I'd buy one, but not at great cost.
    Last edited by Ed Oscuro; 04-02-2013 at 10:58 PM.

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    You don't even have to cut the tabs on the SNES. You can just as easily unscrew the system shell with a game bit and play Super Famicom games with the top shell off, then just put it back on when you're done.
    [quote name='Shidou Mariya' date='Nov 17 2010, 10:05 PM' post='4889940']
    I'm a collector, but only to a certain extent.
    Not as extreme as Rickstilwell though.[/quote]


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    Quote Originally Posted by Ed Oscuro View Post
    I like how you admit that it involves damage but that's not "hacking." I don't care if somebody wants to do it, but I don't know where the hostility towards mooting some different options comes from. Knowledge is power, even if it's not used. Sheesh. However - given that there don't seem to be any simple PCB extenders (would be a simple thing to make, but PCBs are still expensive to run, especially in a small batch), it's just a theoretical possibility, unfortunately. I know I'd buy one, but not at great cost.
    I never said it involves "damage" and I'm sorry you took my reply as "hostile". Wasn't meant to be, it's just that you pretty much ignored the question of the OP, which was whether or playing SFC SA-1 chip games on a US SNES is possible (again, can't be done with a GG or 99% of pass through adapters).

    I recall you doing something similar when someone asked about a good LCD/Plasma TV on which to play retro games (and they specifically cited that they did NOT want a CRT), and then you went on to insist that they should purchase a CRT. I think ignoring the OP and recommending something that isn't at all helpful or what they asked for is more hostile than anything.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Coreykun667 View Post
    Yeah, I just got a complete set of the Super Famicom Rockman games. It's amazing how much you save by buying the Japanese versions, you know?
    Absolutely. They tend to be cheaper and theres a ton of great exclusives that never came here. Have fun theres a ton of cool titles to try! Check these exclusives out if youre into platforming and action titles:

    Sandra No Daibouken
    Go Go Ackman series
    Super Ninja Kun
    Magical Pop'n
    Do Re Mi Fantasy
    Majuuou (King of Demons)
    Super Back to the Future II
    Mazinger Z

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    Quote Originally Posted by Parodius Duh! View Post
    Absolutely. They tend to be cheaper and theres a ton of great exclusives that never came here. Have fun theres a ton of cool titles to try! Check these exclusives out if youre into platforming and action titles:

    Sandra No Daibouken
    Go Go Ackman series
    Super Ninja Kun
    Magical Pop'n
    Do Re Mi Fantasy
    Majuuou (King of Demons)
    Super Back to the Future II
    Mazinger Z
    Thanks! I'll have to look into these. I really enjoyed Super Back to the Future II when I played it, but these sound like some pretty great titles!

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    Quote Originally Posted by wiggyx View Post
    I never said it involves "damage" and I'm sorry you took my reply as "hostile". Wasn't meant to be, it's just that you pretty much ignored the question of the OP, which was whether or playing SFC SA-1 chip games on a US SNES is possible (again, can't be done with a GG or 99% of pass through adapters).
    Maybe I am being hypersensitive or hypocritical here, but I just don't see the need for any reaction to mentioning the alternatives, especially when it comes with overtones of the extended discussion not being welcome: I don't think you know what a Forum is for. Nobody "owns" a topic, although I would draw the line at diverting the topic without answering the OP - which you will note didn't happen here, at least not until random (and useless) complaints about my post started showing up, and the original question was answered (but only in one way). There's no harm in getting extra info out there and starting new lines of discussion. I feel my post is worthwhile if it made somebody think about the issue in a way they hadn't before, or considered doing things differently - even if they ended up taking somebody else's advice. For example, your pointing out that SA-1 titles aren't not going to work with the Game Genie is a worthy contribution to the topic. Why can't we have the discussion take a direction more like that?

    What is a waste is belaboring the obvious - railing against my little suggestions by stating that it would take "time and money" to try to find a non-destructive route for playing SFC games on a SNES, which I don't deny. For some people, having a pristine, untouched SNES will be worth it. There's no call for "if you ask me" posts which really aim to belittle somebody differing opinion. The sad thing is that Rick Stilwell has pointed out another possibility but it's getting drowned out because let's fight like cavemen over whose opinion is the strongest hurr

    That said, it is strange you're apparently now fighting to not go on record agreeing with my statement that tabs-out means damage to the the SNES shell (which it does, even though it's prompted by an original design flaw; the "mod" doesn't look as nice and leaves a gap for dust and other obnoxious stuff to crawl into), and it serves no purpose.

    I'm not going to go over the whole CRT issue again, and it's especially stupid to bring it up now because I don't think I left any hint, here, suggesting that what people want to do with their own machines is wrong. (I didn't last time, either, but you never seemed able to comprehend that fact.)

    So, how about dem adapters? Aussie2B had one here for sale some years before the Wiggy era, and some Canadian bloke had one on eBay recently. I think all this really entails is just a straight PCB with traces straight through; it's a bit puzzling to me there aren't more out there because you can order a similar product for the Sega Master System, by default in a "more system-tab-friendly" variant, even.
    Last edited by Ed Oscuro; 04-03-2013 at 04:28 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by wiggyx View Post
    or 99% of pass through adapters).
    Yup NTSC-specific SNES import adapters are rather scarce compared to PAL.

    You can immediately tell an NTSC one, no extra socket for lockout.
    Lum fan.

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    Quote Originally Posted by theclaw View Post
    Yup NTSC-specific SNES import adapters are rather scarce compared to PAL.

    You can immediately tell an NTSC one, no extra socket for lockout.
    See, this is the kind of discussion we have when we can chill and just relax in the info

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ed Oscuro View Post
    the "mod" doesn't look as nice and leaves a gap for dust and other obnoxious stuff to crawl into
    How does cutting off a couple of tabs inside a covered cart slot introduce more dust?
    Quote Originally Posted by starsoldier1 View Post
    GUY WAS SUPPOSE TO PLAYABLE IN THE GAME
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