Super Family Computer Junior (Super Famicom Jr., SHVC-101) Review

Where to buy?

This console has one big problem — you basically can’t buy it in Russia. Sure, you might get lucky: you open Avito and someone is selling one right now, but that’s pure chance.

The simplest way to get a Super Famicom Jr. is to order from Japan through a proxy service. But Japanese proxies charge for literally everything, so the final cost is hard to predict in advance.

Also keep in mind that this is a simplified, cheaper version of the classic Super Famicom, with some specific quirks. We’ll talk about those later in the “Pros and cons” section.

What’s in the box

The console came in a nice light-colored box.

But the bundle itself was as barebones as it gets.

1. The console itself;

2. One controller — the “dog bone”;

3. Manual.

So it’s obvious Nintendo went all-in on cutting costs. Everything extra was removed without a second thought — no power supply, no cables, and you won’t even find a second gamepad in the box.

Now let’s look at the console itself. Because the cost-cutting didn’t only affect the bundle — the case was simplified too: the design got cleaner, anything “extra” was removed, and even some features from the classic version were dropped.

The console

When Nintendo designed the AV-Famicom, it feels like all the designers were on vacation. But by the time the Super Famicom Jr. came around, they were clearly back — the new shell is fairly strict, but overall nice-looking.

The console’s size was reduced significantly:

Length: 193 mm

Width: 200 mm

Height: 61 mm

(for comparison, the classic Super Famicom is 242 × 203 × 72 mm)

It’s especially noticeable when you put the Junior next to the classic versions.

Front panel

The front panel of the SFC Jr. only has controller ports.

Top panel

If you look from the top, the simplification is obvious — the Eject button is gone. Only two buttons remain: Power and Reset. And even Power was “downgraded”: on the classic SFC, turning it on would lock the cartridge in place, but here it simply powers the console on.

Sides

There’s nothing on the sides of the console.

Rear panel

The rear panel shows the main cutback. At first glance, it looks like they only removed the outdated RF connector that nobody really needs anymore.

But if you look closely at the Multi-out port, you’ll see it’s now labeled AV-out — and that’s not by accident. This port no longer outputs S-Video or RGB.

Bottom panel

The bottom is standard: serial number and legal text. But even here they simplified things — the accessory port is gone.

So that’s the console: nice design, but it was “trimmed” hard. You can ignore the lack of a hot-swap lock for cartridges, and the missing accessory port on the bottom was never that useful anyway — but cutting the video output options is genuinely unpleasant.

So now let’s go through the pros and cons of the SFC Jr.

Pros and cons

As usual, let’s start with the cons.

Cons of the Super Famicom Jr.:

1. Stripped-down bundle.

Even if you buy a “complete” set, you’ll get only a bit more than just the console itself: one controller and a manual, with no power supply and no cables. Everything else has to be bought separately.

2. Limited Multi-out port.

Probably the most serious drawback. Out of AV, S-Video, and RGB, AV has the worst image quality. Unfortunately, the Jr. kept only that, leaving owners without a proper signal.

Notice the label next to the port on the classic Super Famicom — it says MULTI OUT.

3. Reduced convenience and features.

No accessory port, no Eject button, no hot-swap lock for cartridges, the RF port is gone — these are small things, but compared to the classic Super Famicom, their absence is noticeable.

4. Region lock.

Region lock on this console is a bit worse than on the SNES Jr. If you want to insert a Japanese cartridge into an American Junior, you can just file down the plastic tabs. But if you try the other way around — putting a US cartridge into a Japanese SFC Jr. — you’ll have to widen the cartridge slot itself, and it’s almost impossible to do that cleanly without brute-force methods.

5. Price and availability.

This console is noticeably more expensive than a regular Japanese SFC, and even more than an American SNES. From what I’ve seen, it’s not worth even looking at an SFC Jr. without at least 10–15 thousand rubles. And even then, you can’t just buy one anytime — you either have to “catch the moment” or order from Japan through proxies.

Now let’s move on to the pros.

Pros of the Super Famicom Jr.:

1. Later release date.

The Super Famicom Jr. came out eight years after the original SFC, which means it’s simply “younger” and built with a more modern parts base. These consoles less often have issues with dried-out or leaking capacitors, and overall component wear tends to be lower. Of course, it depends on storage conditions, but on average the Junior is more likely to be in better shape than early-wave classic SFC units.

2. Every SFC Jr. is a 1-chip revision.

This is probably the nicest bonus. As I wrote in the SFC review: there are two main revisions — a simpler one (3-chip) and an improved one (1-chip). Every SFC Jr. is 1-chip only. They’re a bit more reliable and produce a cleaner image (slightly less blur and fewer artifacts).

There’s a catch, though: you’ll only notice the difference if you output via RGB — and RGB is disabled on the Jr.’s video port. So if you want maximum quality, you’ll still need a mod (but fortunately it’s a fairly simple one).

How to play?

To understand all the nuances of running games on this console, I recommend reading a separate article: “Super Family Computer Review”.

The best option for playing is still a flash cartridge.

Other than that, compared to the classic Super Famicom, nothing changes: the same cartridges work — both original games and modern flash cartridges for the SFC. Just insert the cartridge and play, like on the original.

Epilogue

Despite all the downsides, the SFC Jr. has one big advantage that can honestly make up for the rest: it will always be a 1-chip revision.

If you’re a serious retro gamer and you like (or don’t mind) modding hardware, you won’t have to play the revision lottery. Buy a Junior — and you know you’re getting the best possible image quality (of course, after modding the video output).

It’s a solid choice for anyone who wants to squeeze the most out of the Super Famicom — even if it comes with a couple of compromises.