1996 · Sufami · Japan · console
Sufami Turbo
A cut-price Super Famicom adapter for combinable mini-cartridges.
Mixed Trivial to run ▶ Watch on YouTube ↗
Bandai's 1996 gadget that plugged into the Super Famicom and took its own cut-price mini-cartridges, two of which could be slotted together to combine their data. It was a cheap novelty late in the SNES's life.
The games were licensed children's fare — wrestling, Ultraman, ninjas — none of which anyone much remembers.
What it cost
a rounding error against a month’s pay in 1996 · about $73 today
| Japan adapter launch price (¥3,980 with Poi Poi Ninja World) |
¥3,980 (1996)
Bandai dual-slot mini cartridge adapter for Super Famicom. |
|---|---|
| Typical street price | — No verified mass-market street price recorded yet. |
| Units sold | ≈200,000 estimate Estimated 200,000 units sold in Japan. |
Why it mattered
The Sufami Turbo is a glimpse of Bandai squeezing cheap games out of the SNES late in its life — a licensing gadget more interesting as a business idea than as hardware.
Emulating it today
| Emulators | Mesen-S, bsnes, Snes9x |
|---|---|
| Setup effort | Trivial to run (0 on this site's scale) |
| Controls | A standard modern controller covers the ordinary controls, though unusual accessories may need custom mapping. |
| Runs on a handheld | Yes |
The emulator names above are starting points, not a promise that every title or accessory behaves identically. Computer platforms usually add model selection, disk handling and keyboard setup even when CPU emulation itself is mature.
Firmware
This system needs no firmware file. Install an emulator, open a game, and it runs.
How many files you need: none to go and find. No separate firmware file is needed for an ordinary setup.
Firmware details checked 2026-08. Emulator requirements change — see Libretro documentation for the current list.
Where the software is
Preservation catalogues describe verified dumps; they do not grant permission to download commercial software. A curated, correctly matched set is easier to use than an undifferentiated archive.
Copyright: Commercial software remains copyrighted unless its owner explicitly released or relicensed it. Homebrew, public-domain programs and current reissues should be treated separately from abandoned commercial titles.
This site names preservation projects and explains what they are. It does not link to ROM downloads.
Where to start
- SD Ultra Battle: Ultraman Densetsu 1996 action
- Poi Poi Ninja World 1996 action
- Gekitō Pro Wrestling: Kizuna 1996 sports
Bandai's cut-price SNES cartridges, none of which anyone much remembers.
The verdict
A curiosity for SNES completists; the mini-games are slight.
Its licensed children's titles are forgettable — emulate it to understand the gadget, not to play.
- Worth it if
- Players curious about nintendo home consoles, 8- and 16-bit and willing to learn how the original machine worked.
- Not for
- Anyone who wants a large, instantly accessible library and no model, firmware or control decisions.
Scored 3/5 for fun today and 3/5 for historical importance. Those two scores decide the label at the top — a machine can matter enormously and still be no fun.
Read more & watch
This page is 50% complete against the facts we try to record for every system. Gaps are shown as gaps.