7 reasons the SNES Mini is far superior to the NES Mini

In a mere month, all of us will be lucky enough to get the chance to revisit one of the best consoles to ever grace our home's with the release of the SNES Mini.

It's a system that represents a high point in Nintendo's history, when it was so confident in what it was doing that both the console and the games are impressive even today.

The SNES Mini follows hot on the heels of last year's NES Mini, which sold like absolute hot cakes. It makes sense though - it's also an extraordinary system.

But it looks like the SNES Mini will perform even better. It's already incredibly difficult to find one, as even the pre-orders have mostly sold out by now.

That's all down to the fact that the SNES Mini is, for many reasons, far superior to the NES Mini. We've listed the top seven reasons why you should get one if you can below.

That games line-up

Let's get the obvious one out of the way first. You're first and foremost getting a SNES Mini for that games line up - seriously look at that list of stone cold classics. Some of the absolute best examples of their respective genres feature, like Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, Super Metroid, A Link to the Past, and Street Fighter II. And there are 15 more like them. No matter what type of games you're into, there's something here that will blow your socks off. And you never know, you just might find yourself getting into a new genre entirely. A proper save system

Sure, the NES Mini had save states so you could pick up right where you left off, but the SNES Mini goes a step further. You can save games the old-fashioned way and play them as they were meant to be played. Save states do return though, so if you're one of those that don't really have the patience for the old ways, you get the best of both worlds. Shame on you though. Frames

You can now select from a bunch of different frames to border the letterbox game on your TV. This might not seem like a big deal, but I actually really appreciated it during my test. It's not really natural in 2017 to have a tiny box display on your enormous TV, and this helps compensate for that.


Purists can still go frameless as well, so this should keep everyone pleased.

A better controller

This point is slightly unfair on the NES Mini. Okay, it's completely unfair - but there's no denying that the SNES Mini is a far superior controller to the NESs.

There are a lot more control options for one. You've got four face buttons and two shoulder buttons, which open up the system to a lot more genres.

It's also way more comfortable to hold. While I have a lot of love for the brick-like NES controller, the SNES's smooth edges and general roundness feel a lot more comfortable during longer playing sessions.

Two controllers

You also get two of those beautiful controllers right out of the box, so there's literally nothing to stop you from playing some Super Mario Kart with your friends.

It might actually be the biggest plus point in the SNES Mini's favour. After all, it was a real problem with the NES Mini. Once that had launched it was basically impossible to buy a second controller.

Longer lead

Most of these points revolve around the controller, don't they? Even so, the fact that the lead is slightly longer is a Godsend. No longer will you have to sit with your nose practically touching your TV just to play a few games.

If I was being nitpicky, I'd still argue that it could stand to be longer. You do still have to sit a little too close to the TV for my comfort, but it's a massive improvement nonetheless.

Maybe Nintendo will get it right with the N64 Mini? We can only hope.

A never before seen game

Last, but certainly not least, is the fact that you get an unreleased game in Star Fox II. Wowser.

Star Fox II was set for release on the SNES back in 1995, but Nintendo ultimately decided to cancel it as the N64 was looming. The games giant felt that Star Fox II would struggle to compete in a market where 3D games were dominating.

Now, 22 years since its cancellation, Star Fox II will finally see the light of day with a complete launch on the SNES Mini. You only have to complete the first level of the original to play it.