What is the ultimate Super Famicom/SNES model? For me, it’s the Super Famicom Jr. (with RGB mod)
Like many consoles, the Super Fami got a late-life redesign. This slightly smaller model unites the design aesthetics of the Super Famicom and the US SNES model.
It takes the raised block surrounding the cartridge slot and ‘ruffled skirt’ foot trim from the American machine. Otherwise it follows the clean lines and rounded sides motif of Super Famicom, eschewing the ugly boxy purple/lavender-accented nightmare that was the American Super Nintendo.
This is similar to the direction Nintendo took with the AV Famicom, which blended Famicom and NES design elements (NES colouring and controller ports, Famicom shape and cart loading mechanism)
The Super Famicom Jr doesn’t support RGB out of the box, but it’s a quite simple mod to restore it. And once it’s been restored, it produces a stronger, higher contrast RGB signal than any other model.
It’s not actually that much smaller than a regular Super Famicom, but is very light compared to it.
It also comes with a slightly redesigned controller, with a nice molded Nintendo logo, and a longer controller cord.
Some people don’t like the blown-out contrast of this model, some prefer the softer RGB and slightly different hardware behaviour of the original model. And there’s an argument to be had that the original Super Famicom (and the PAL Super Nintendo which used the same design) is the nicest looking model.
But for me, the Super Famicom Jr is the nicest looking sixteen-bit Nintendo, with the best video output.
Nintendo Sega Japan! 