Most retro consoles for sale are stock, but more of them every year have been opened up and changed. Some mods make an old console look far better on a modern TV. Others change what it'll play. A listing that just says "modded" could mean a clean HDMI kit, a single cut pin, or a tangle of hand-run wires, so it pays to know what each mod does before you read the photos.
Region mods
Each platform locked out foreign games in its own way, so each region mod is different.
- NES. The front-loading NES has a lockout chip, the 10NES, that acts as a lock while a matching chip in each cart acts as the key. When they don't agree, the console resets once a second and the power light blinks. Cutting pin 4 of the console's chip turns it into a key, so it stops resetting. That lets it run carts from other regions. There's also a reversible two-wire version. The top-loading NES and the Japanese Famicom have no lockout chip at all.
- SNES. North American carts are rectangular with grooves that match two plastic tabs in the console's slot. Japanese and PAL carts are narrower and curved, so they won't fit. A quick mod lets a US console play Japanese games. PAL games are also blocked by the lockout chip in the console.
- N64. It uses the same mix of cart shape and lockout chip as the SNES.
- Genesis. Sega's games check the console's region in software, and some put up a warning screen and stop. Ask the seller exactly what a Genesis region mod changes.
- PS1. Every pressed disc carries a region code hidden in the wobble of its groove, and the console won't boot a disc whose code doesn't match. A modchip feeds the console the code it expects, so imports and burned copies boot. The MM3, an open-source chip, is one well-known design.
Region mods come with a catch for European games. PAL televisions ran at 50 Hz, so some PAL games run slower than the North American versions. A region-free console doesn't fix that.
RGB and video mods
RGB is the sharpest analog signal these consoles can produce, and some of them already have it.
- NES. The NES needs a mod to output RGB at all. The front-loader also has composite RCA jacks, while the top-loader has RF only, which is why AV mods on top-loaders are common.
- SNES. Every original full-size SNES outputs RGB with the right cable and no mod. The 1CHIP boards look best of those. The SNES Jr. is different, since its AV port only carries composite with RGB and S-video disabled inside. An RGB-modded Jr. can look excellent.
- Genesis. The Model 1 and Model 2 both output RGB without a mod, but every version shows faint vertical stripes called jailbars. A Model 2 can take a bypass board that skips the original video and audio circuits. On a Model 1, lifting one pin on the video chip is a small known fix.
- N64. No North American N64 outputs RGB stock. The first four board revisions, with the VDC-NUS chip and US serials starting NS1, can take a simple RGB amp. Later consoles need a more involved kit.
- PS1. The AV Multi port carries composite, S-video and RGB with the right cable. The SCPH-1001 also has RCA jacks, which Sony dropped from the SCPH-5001 on.
- Atari 2600. Stock consoles output RF only. Composite mods are well documented.
HDMI kits and FPGA boards
HDMI kits take the digital picture straight from the console's chips and convert it inside the case. The Hi-Def NES and the UltraHDMI both do it with an FPGA, a chip that can be configured to act like custom hardware. The Hi-Def NES works in front-loaders and top-loaders, connects with small boards and ribbon cables, and outputs up to 1080p. On the N64, the UltraHDMI pulls the signal off the motherboard with flex cables and works with every N64 version. The N64Digital also fits all models, though Pikachu-edition boards need a spacer.
Installing one means opening the console and working on the board, so ask who did the work and look for photos of the inside. Don't mix them up with FPGA consoles like Analogue's Super Nt or Mega Sg. Those are new machines that recreate the hardware, and a listing for one isn't a modded original.
Recaps
A recap replaces the console's electrolytic capacitors. Heat slowly evaporates the electrolyte inside them, which shortens their life. A recap is preventive work, and it's only as good as the soldering. Ask which capacitors were changed and for a clear photo of the board. Neat joints and clean pads are what you want to see.
PS1 modchips and drive emulators
Besides modchips, the PS1 has optical drive emulators, or ODEs, that load games from an SD card. The xStation is one, and its makers publish install guides by motherboard revision. The PSIO is the other main option. An ODE console can run without discs, so ask whether the original drive is still fitted and working.
How to read a modded listing
"As titled" means the item is what the title says and is sold as is, so every word of a modded title matters. Before you buy, get answers to these.
- Which mod is it, and which kit or chip?
- Who installed it, and when?
- Can you see photos of the inside, with the work in focus?
- Do the stock outputs (RF, composite, S-video) still work?
- Has it been tested on a TV, with a game played well past the title screen?
Screws tell you a console has been opened, and our guide on checking a used retro console covers what to look for. A modded console with no photos of the work is a gamble.
The case for a stock console
A stock console is simpler. There's no hidden wiring to fail and nothing extra to trace if it stops working. Many good results need no mod at all. A full-size SNES, a Genesis and a PS1 all give you RGB with the right cable. On a CRT, the N64's composite and S-video look great. For a flat TV, an external upscaler can turn the 240p signal into something your TV handles properly, without opening the console. Our guide to regions, video and RGB covers that in more detail.
Buy modded when you know what the mod is, you've seen the work, and it does something you'd otherwise have to pay someone to do. Otherwise, buy stock and decide later. You can browse every console we cover, or start with the full catalog.
