From Megaswitch HD to SNES: YouTuber showcases new digital-bus 1080p mod
A new mod for the original Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) is going viral in the retro-gaming community. The SNES mod promises sharp 1080p output directly from the console’s own hardware. The native digital output mod doesn’t involve any upscalers or analog RGB signals for modern TVs. The modder calls it the Super Switch HD.
In the prototype mod showcase, the SNES delivered a clean 1080p video output, meaning retro SNES games can finally look good on the original hardware without artifacts or conversion issues.
The mind behind the HD digital output SNES mod is Stanislav Parhomovich. Last year, the same modder created the Megaswitch HD for the Sega Genesis. For context, the Megaswitch HD was wired directly into the Sega Genesis’s digital video bus to produce a native HDMI output while keeping the rest of the console’s hardware intact. It delivered a sharp, lag-free 1080p experience.
Now he’s bringing the same 1080p, pure digital-output treatment to Nintendo’s 16-bit console. On X, Parhomovich explained his SNES mod and said, “I’m working on a digital video output for the SNES. It’s conceptually similar to the Megaswitch HD. No analog RGB.”
Parhomovich showcased the Super Switch HD on YouTube, running Pilotwings (1991) on a 1080p Dell monitor. By pressing Start and Up on the D-pad simultaneously, the Super Switch HD opens an interface that allows him to adjust the SNES’s resolution, screen size, aspect ratio, buffer post-processing, and more.
In the video (translated from Russian), he explained, “I’m developing a digital video output for the Super Nintendo. The Super Switch HD is an internal modification that upscales the image to 1080p. The data source is a dedicated digital bus in the video processor. Both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios are supported.”
Most third-party solutions have focused on analog RGB output via internal hardware mods or special converters, or cables. While they work well to produce 1080p output, the resulting image still shows some noise and input delay. That’s where the Super Switch HD comes into play.
Right now, this SNES 1080p digital output mod is in a functional prototype stage, with no official release date or pricing set.
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