Turn your PC into a Super Nintendo with Epilogue’s new USB dock
After announcing and teasing its design more than a year ago, Epilogue’s new SN operator will finally be available for pre-order starting tomorrow. Like the company’s GB Operator that debuted in early 2021, the SN Operator is a standalone USB cartridge slot that lets you play and archive old Nintendo console games on PC, Mac, or handhelds like the Steam Deck using their original carts. But where GB Operator was designed for Game Boy, Game Boy Color and GBA games, SN Operator supports all Super Nintendo and Super Famicom games.
Pre-orders for SN Operator will open at 12 p.m. ET on December 30 for $59.99. That’s $10 more than the smaller carrier GB, which will also remain available. The hardware is expected to ship in April 2026.
The cartridge slot connects to computers or handhelds via USB and works with the accompanying Playback app. The app has a built-in SNES emulator to play your original cartridges, but you can use other emulators if you already have one you prefer. Games that relied on accessories like Nintendo’s Super NES Mouse or Super Scope are also Playback compatible and will use your computer’s mouse instead of those peripherals.
In addition to the new console support, SN Operator includes another feature that should appeal to retro gaming fans with large collections of aging and degrading cartridges. The Playback app can authenticate cartridges so you know for sure if that rare title you found at a flea market is real or if it’s a bootleg. It can also create digital copies of your cartridges, including their save data, so you can archive your collection and continue playing where you left off, even if your original cartridges stop working. The SN operator will work with any cartridge that can be played on original Nintendo hardware, including bootlegs you accidentally purchased. But Epilogue makes it clear that you should only back up cartridges you own – so you shouldn’t use it to borrow and copy a giant collection from a friend.
