Python running on the Super Nintendo (in-browser demo)
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MicroPython (lexer, compiler and VM) on the SNES: 3.58 MHz 65816, 56 KB Python heap, 16-bit int. The REPL runs right inside the post via EmulatorJS and also works on real hardware via flashcart.I did this as a benchmark for Claude Fable. When the export ban hit, switching to Opus got the project stuck for three weeks; Fable came back and found the real bug in ninety minutes.Along the way: 23 compiler bugs and 4 MicroPython bugs, each root-caused with a minimal reproducer and filed upstream.If you run it on real hardware, I want a picture!
HN · launched Jul 6, 2026 · 7 upvotes (top 60%) · 0 views
Niche: software and system emulators · 114 launches, 3 in the last 7 days ▼ -70% · Explore this niche →
Category and tags
- Horizontal
- Dev tools
- Developer
- Not AI
- Hobby / open-source project
Visit website ↗ Source listing ↗
More like this: all 114 launches in software and system emulators →
Could you build this?
No Porting a Python runtime to run under the extreme constraints of the Super Nintendo (3.58 MHz 65816 CPU, 128KB RAM) requires specialized embedded systems knowledge and niche compiler toolchain expertise.
What it would actually take: A developer needs deep knowledge of 65816 assembly, memory bank switching, and hardware-level SNES memory mapping. The process requires adapting MicroPython's C codebase to compile with a niche 65816 C compiler (like Calypsi), stripping or re-architecting bytecode execution, tailoring heap allocations to fit into 56KB of RAM, and integrating with an SNES emulator or flashcart hardware harness.
Discussion
8 comments analyzed.
Competitors mentioned: GBA (as alternative platform), Deepseek V4 Flash (for AI tasks)
Concerns raised: Posts being automatically filtered/flagged as AI-generated, Compiler bugs in Calypsi with MicroPython, 65816 architecture not supported for native .mpy modules, 16-bit size_t and far pointer limitations on SNES
Feature requests: Runtime sprite/tile loading from Python, Dynamic extension module support for SNES
Competitors
Other products that read as similar to this one : 349 launches clear the similarity bar, closest 8 shown.
Attention rank: #226 of 350 (itself plus its competitors, highest first, normalized so YC and Product Hunt are compared fairly).
Launched 245 days after the earliest competitor.
- Codex builds a working NES Emulator in one hour · hn · 2026-02-26 · 6 upvotes · similarity 0.49
- Play SNES, gba, in your terminal, even in tmux · hn · 2026-07-30 · 6 upvotes · similarity 0.45
- Full Python 3.15 Implemented in 25k LoC C11 · hn · 2026-10-28 · 9 upvotes · similarity 0.45
- Micron: a high performance C++23 (re)implementation of Libc and the STL · hn · 2026-06-05 · 6 upvotes · similarity 0.44
- The Lion King (SNES, 1994), running as a native PC program · hn · 2026-10-19 · 6 upvotes · similarity 0.43
- Pyxel · hn · 2026-10-01 · 102 upvotes · similarity 0.43
- SMW · github · 2026-10-18 · 43 upvotes · similarity 0.42
- re4 · github · 2026-09-15 · 128 upvotes · similarity 0.42
The niche, labels, vibe code rating and competitor comparison on this page are analysis by Nicheloom. If you use them, please credit nicheloom.com. How you may use our data.