Ah, the good ol' days . Back in 1997 Nintendo launched a console that changed my life – and, I reckon, the lives of all my school mates at the time too. The N64 was my favourite console because it kick-started the success of multiplayer before that was really mainstream (sure, Doom had made some waves on PC in 1993, but young school kids didn't really have access).
Now, "a reimagining of the Nintendo 64" is set to return as a 4K-resolution powerhouse. It's called the Analogue 3D and it goes up for pre-order today – and could be yours for $249 (£185/AU$370 by equivalent conversion). No, it's not made by Nintendo, and might not make you totally forget about the Switch 2's assumed-to-be-imminent release – but I want one already.
This isn't just sheer rose-tinted goggles, either, as while there's inevitably a wave of nostalgia about Analogue's new console, if I really wanted an N64 I could just go grab one on eBay, right? The Analogue 3D, however, outputs in 4K resolution, which is 10 times that of the original console. The Analogue has an HDMI port so you can connect to the best TVs of today nice and easily too.
The Analogue 3D isn't an emulator. If you know Nintendo, you know there's absolutely no way that'd fly. Instead, Analogue uses what's called FGPA (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) chips to run the original N64 game cartridges, but upscaled to Ultra-HD resolution. This does, of course, mean you need the game cartridges to play – and this could be the single biggest hurdle with the console.
Nintendo discontinued the N64 in 2002, so it's been decades since any games have been made for it. There are likely still millions of cartridges laying around people's homes – but you'll need to be savvy about finding a seller in order to obtain some classics. And Goldeneye 64 doesn't sell for mere pennies either – there's still quite a lot of value in the cartridges. On the flip side, however, that's kind of fun: it could turn me into a modern-day collector.
The Analogue 3D features four controller ports, too, which are compatible with the original N64 controllers – if you can source some. Savvily, however, the company has worked with 8BitDo to "design a wireless Bluetooth recreation of the original N64 controller with a modern form factor". Add one or a bundle of those to your shopping cart and you're good to go.
Retro gaming has become more and more of a big deal in recent years, so I think Analogue is onto what looks like a winner here. The 3D is region-free, too, so while it's only available from its store and only in USD, in theory there are fewer hurdles than buying region-locked consoles of old when it comes to this. Might be time to swap my PS5 Pro pre-order for one of these instead...
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