If you're anything like me, you might have a few old Super Nintendo games sitting around gathering dust and looking pretty sad. Well, there's a new way to play these retro games, thanks to the Epilogue SN Operator. This snazzy piece of hardware attaches to most handheld PCs, including the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally, allowing you to load your cartridges without needing to search for emulators or ROMs.
The Epilogue SN Operator doesn't just digitize your games to run on some of the best handheld consoles, though. You can also use it to create save states, so you don't have to rely on in-game save points, and you can synchronize it with Retro Achievements, which makes completing an iconic RPG such as Earthbound or Chrono Trigger feel all the more rewarding. You don't have to worry about searching around for a SNES gamepad, either, as the SN Operator supports modern controllers.
Setting up the Epilogue SN Operator is pretty easy, too. All you have to do is download the Playback, which doesn't take long in Desktop Mode, then connect the SN Operator to your handheld via a USB-C cable. Even if you've got an old SNES, there are perks to using the SN Operator instead, as it's not locked to a specific region, so you can use it to play any SNES cartridge you can get your hands on.
In terms of price and availability, the Epilogue SN Operator is available exclusively via the Epilogue site for $71.99. Unfortunately, the accessory is currently sold out at the time of writing, but you can opt to leave your email address to request a notification when more stock becomes available.
It's worth noting that the SN Operator isn't Epilogue's only retro-adjacent hardware for handheld PCs. If you've got a stash of Game Boy games, there's also the GB Operator, which, as the name suggests, runs Game Boy games on your device. Sadly, that doesn't include GBA games, so I'm still hunting for a way to play Pokémon Emerald without having to use my old GBA SP in the year 2026.