How to Connect Super Nintendo to Smart TV

Retrogaming is gradually becoming a ‘thing’ among ardent enthusiasts and adventurists in the gaming ecosystem. Not only do they remind us of the ‘good old days,’ but they can also have such sentimental value to us that we can’t just seem to let go.

Super Nintendo
Super Nintendo

Although enjoying a good old retro game with the sophistication of a Smart TV can seem quite challenging, we now have many easier plug-and-play methods that can help speed up the process. Let’s discuss quickly the five simplest ways to connect a Smart TV to the Super Nintendo game box.

Using Male and Female Coaxial RF Cables

G-PLUG 6FT RG6 Coaxial Cable Connectors Set

Most recent Smart TVs are lucky to have coaxial RF cable ports included on them, especially Samsung, LG, Vizio, and TCL Smart TVs; but the Older Smart TVs always have one, also called the Antenna cable input port.

You should take a look at the back of your Smart TV to see if there’s an ‘Antenna in‘ port that can accommodate a single coaxial cable, and if there is, you can get the coaxial cable and connect your Super Nintendo game box with it.

The white coaxial RF port on the NES should be beside the CH3 and CH4 switch at the back-right of the box, usually next to where the power cable goes in. The channel switch tab provides the option of selecting a channel that’s free of other radio or video interference.

Using Component AV Cables

CMPLE 5-RCA Male to 5RCA Male RGB Component Audio Video Cable

One major demerit of using coaxial RF cables to link up your NES with a Smart TV is that it is prone to several radio interferences, and that’s why it is preferable to go for an AV connection where available. Most Smart TVs readily come with an AV Component port, which is also a solution if your Smart TV doesn’t have an RF Coaxial port.

By design, the traditional Nintendo Entertainment System usually comes with a red and yellow AV Component port that can transmit video and audio output signals which can be connected directly to a Smart TV. If your NES only has a coaxial output and no AV Component ports, then you can get a Coaxial RF adapter for less than $50 and use it to connect the NES Coaxial RF port to the Component AV ports of your Smart TV.

Using an AV to HDMI Adapter Converter Box

RCA to HDMI, AV to HDMI Converter

Connecting your Smart TV to a Super Nintendo game box using an HDMI adapter offers two advantages: better sound and picture quality. This is because a Component AV connection transmits audio and video data as raw analog signals. In contrast, for an HDMI connection, data moves as digital signals, thereby boosting the data transfer rate and the quality of transferred data.

AV/HDMI adapters are easy to come by today; you can easily order one and deliver it for less than seventy bucks.

Using HDMI Upscalers

StarTech.com S-Video or Composite to HDMI Converter with Audio 

Now that we have all the right cards, what stops us from going all-in?

HDMI Upscalers efficiently convert the poor Sound and lower RGB display quality of an old Super Nintendo game box into almost HD formats that appear pleasant and appealing to our modern ears and eyes. It will be an eye having to endure an RGB display quality on a 4k HD Smart TV screen; this doesn’t usually turn out to be as enjoyable as anticipated.

But with the help of HDMI Upscalers such as the commonly used RetroTINK2x, XRGB Mini Framemeister, and Zerone CGA/EGA/YUV/RGB to VGA boxes, playing any of the NES retro games can be so much fun.

Using an Open Source Scan Converter

Mcbazel OSSC SCART Component VGA to HDMI Open Source Scan Converter v1.6 for Retro Gaming

If you’re wondering what’s the coolest sharpest, and most real Upscaling converter to use for your NES retro games, then the OSSC is the best. The picture and sound quality it upscales your video games to are simply unbelievable, achieving as much as 2 x 480p (960p) and 5 x 240p (1080p) picture quality with zero lags and no buffers.

Before deciding which method is best for connecting your Smart TV to a retro NES, you should know your available options based on the kind of Smart TV you use. Getting your 1990s NES hooked on a 2020s Smart TV with full HDR Dolby Vision and 4K picture quality wouldn’t be such a problem if only the NES had HDMI compatibility.

But they’re priceless retro relics, and we always want to return to them for some good-old native action or thrilling adventure games. The good thing is, Your NES may not have an HDMI port, but it can still be connected to a modern smart TV using the other available video ports.

By using any of the listed methods above, you’ll have your Nintendo Entertainment System up and gaming in no time. The days of Super Mario Bros, Contra, Street Fighter, and Mortal Kombat can be relived again in their true native RGB display colors.

If none of these options seem to hit it for you, you could always get a Super Nintendo Entertainment System Mini Console or Nintendo Classic Mini Console with HDMI ports if you’re up for it.