A couple of years ago we talked about the Sharp Nintendo Television, a project in which the two Japanese giants joined forces to create a TV with a built-in NES. That TV is highly sought after by collectors, but there is an even rarer variant: the Super Famicom Naizou TV SF1, which repeats the same equation using a Super Nintendo. In fact, it is so hard to obtain outside Japan that a South Korean enthusiast named Limone decided to create a replica: the SF1 Mini.
The Super Famicom Naizou TV SF1, also known as the SF1 SNES TV, arrived on shelves in December 1990. Unlike the previous generation, the SF1 never left Japan, and it became a kind of Holy Grail for Nintendo fans. In fact, anyone interested will have to pay “eBay prices” (around $2,000 at the time of writing) for units that are not in optimal condition. A combination of high cost and questionable technical decisions (the mono audio support comes to mind) caused the SF1 to be discontinued relatively quickly, but that doesn't diminish its value as a collector's piece (on the contrary). However, a YouTube enthusiast named Limone decided to follow another path: build his own SF1 in mini version.
The SF1 SNES TV Replica, From Start to Finish
One important detail to note is that Limone did not use a Super Nintendo as a base; instead, it is a “DIY clone-kit” sold by another Japanese company, Columbus Circle. That saved him a lot of time and avoided sacrificing an original board, but the kit received several modifications to reduce its size, including an extension on the cartridge slot, and the removal of its voltage regulator. The most complicated part is undoubtedly the connection between the HDMI input of the screen and the RGB converter. The amount of enameled copper wire that Limone used in the connections is impressive, but also necessary to avoid short circuits and more subtle failures. Another advantage of using a clone is that the audio output has stereo support like the original console, and with a 5.5-inch screen, the image quality is very good (RGB helps a lot).
The final result? Excellent. Obviously, imitating the SF1 was just a creative decision by Limone, and that same hardware can be installed in any other shell, but if this were to become an official product, I think there would be many interested.
