is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid.
After announcing and teasing its design well over a year ago, Epilogue’s new SN Operator will finally be available for preorder 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 PCs, Macs, or handhelds like the Steam Deck using their original carts. But where the GB Operator was built for Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and GBA games, the SN Operator instead supports any Super Nintendo and Super Famicom game.
Preorders for the SN Operator will open at 12PM ET on December 30th for $59.99. That’s $10 more expensive than the smaller GB Operator, which will remain available too. The hardware is expected to ship in April 2026.
The cartridge slot connects to computers or handhelds over USB and works alongside Epilogue’s accompanying Playback app. The app features a built-in SNES emulator for playing 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 the Super Scope are also compatible with Playback and will use your computer mouse instead of those peripherals.
The SN Operator works alongside Epilogue’s Playback app to authenticate, play, and backup your games, but once archived you can use an emulator of your choosing. Image: Epilogue
On top of new console support, the SN Operator includes another function 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 a bootleg. It can also create digital copies of your cartridges including their save game data so you can archive your collection and keep on playing where you originally left off, even if your original cartridges stop working. The SN Operator will work with any cartridge that can be played in Nintendo’s original hardware, including bootlegs you accidentally purchased. But Epilogue does specify you should only back up cartridges you own — so no using this to borrow and copy a giant collection from a friend.