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It won’t make it out in 2024 as originally planned, but Analogue is finally ready to share details on its take on a Nintendo 64. The Analogue 3D will launch early next year (the company says Q1 2025) and will cost $249.99. It comes in either black or white, and preorders kick off on October 21st at 11AM ET.

First announced at the beginning of the year, the Analogue 3D is a modern take on the N64, similar to previous Analogue consoles covering the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, and Game Boy. The new console can render classic games in 4K and includes multiple display modes to mimic the look and feel of a CRT display. Analogue says it’s “designed with a bespoke, purpose-built 4K upscaler.”

The company says the Analogue 3D is 100 percent compatible with the N64’s cartridge library (it’s also region-free) by utilizing FPGA technology, which allows it to function like the original console. This is good news for the N64 in particular, which has proven notoriously hard to emulate.

The Analogue 3D supports Bluetooth, has four original controller ports, two USB ports, an SD card slot, and a new operating system dubbed 3D OS, which you can get a glimpse of below:

It doesn’t come with a controller, but 8bitdo has created an updated version of the N64 gamepad — minus the third prong — that is being sold separately for $39.99. You can see it in the photo at the top of this article. It has a Hall effect stick and is also compatible with the Switch, Android, and PC. You can also just use any original N64 controllers you have lying around.

Analogue’s 4K Nintendo 64 launches next year for $249

Preorders start soon.

www.theverge.com

---

Analogue 3D FAQ​

Which games can I play on Analogue3D from N64’s history?​

Analogue3D supports 100% of the original N64 cartridge library.

Does Analogue3D support original controllers and accessories?​

Yes, Analogue3D supports original N64 controllers and wired accessories. It features all four original-style controller ports and the original-style cartridge slot, so you can use your classic controllers and accessories just as you did with the original N64.

Do I need a Memory Pak, Expansion Pak or Rumble Pak?​

You don't need them, but Analogue3D does support original accessories. The Expansion Pak and Memory Pak are built directly into Analogue 3D. The new 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth Controller also has rumble support built in. If you use original controllers, you can transfer your Memory Pak saves to Analogue 3D, and the original Rumble Pak is supported.

Can I use the original 64DD with 3D?​

The 64DD disk drive cannot be directly mounted to 3D.

Does 3DOS support Library and Memories?​

Memories for 3DOS features enhanced support for Library and Screenshots. You can capture perfect, uncompressed 4K screenshots true to as they appear on your 4K TV, even with Original Display Modes.

Which Bluetooth, 2.4g and USB devices does 3D support?​

Analogue3D supports up to four of 8BitDo's new 64 Bluetooth Controllers via Bluetooth or USB, as well as original N64 controllers and accessories through its four original-style controller ports. Additional N64-specific controllers are supported, including 8BitDo’s Mod Kit for original N64 controllers. Directly pairing 2.4g controllers to Analogue 3D is not supported.

Do I need a Bluetooth adapter or 2.4g adapter to play wirelessly on 3D?​

No, you don't need a Bluetooth adapter. Analogue3D has built-in BLE and Bluetooth Classic support, so you can play wirelessly without additional adapters or receivers. It does not support 2.4g controllers, as these controllers have button layouts that cannot support original N64 games.

Are Original Display Modes supported on TVs without 4K?​

A modern 4K TV with HDR offers the best experience with Analogue3D and Original Display Modes. Other TVs are still supported.

Does Analogue3D support openFPGA?​

openFPGA is not supported on 3D.

Can I use modern 3rd party devices?​

For support with modern 3rd party games, accessories and other devices - please contact the manufacturer for troubleshooting and information with Analogue products. Analogue does not provide customer support for 3rd party devices.

Did Kevtris engineer 3D’s N64 FPGA core?​

Kevin "Kevtris” Horton is the Director of FPGA Development at Analogue. All FPGA development is done by Kevtris or directed by Kevtris using our proprietary FPGA engineering methodology and in-house developed software & hardware. Analogue’s FPGA team is dedicated to FPGA Development and Electrical Engineering. Each and every FPGA core is developed with Analogue's unparalleled standard and no FPGA core will ever be released without Kevtris’s seal of approval.

---

 

[Sleepwalker]

Looks dope... ill throw it in the maybe basket.

Actually will probably be sold out for ages so nvm.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Might sell off my HDMI modded N64 if it turns out as good as the Pocket was.

 

[Dacvak]

Pretty awesome, but what’s way more exciting is if this will eventually get openFPGA support. This could be a MiSTer competitor if they decide to open up the platform more. But I doubt they’ll do that since it’d devalue their other FPGA consoles.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Man I really hope they can do an Analogue Saturn at some point in the future. Or even an Analogue PC-98 if they step outside of strictly home consoles/portables.

The convenience of an FPGA Saturn that can use original peripherals and run games off flash, with some modern QOL improvements (like they have with the Analogue Pocket) would be awesome.

 

[onnextflix5]

looks good, will only buy if it supports third party cores like the pocket, no controller, wtf, 8bitdo controller without third prong is dumb, most games are designed with it in mind.

 

[Shin-Ra]

Looks and sounds (PR blurb) great but so far no screenshots or video to show what the 4K output looks like with various filter options.

 

[Shin-Ra]

Interview from October 16, 2023:

Analogue’s Next Retro Game Console Is a 4K Nintendo 64

Paste Magazine is your source for the best music, movies, TV, comedy, videogames, books, comics, craft beer, politics and more. Discover your favorite albums and films.

www.pastemagazine.com

● Select system-level visual effects can be disabled on a menu level if users would like, particularly the N64’s infamous anti-aliasing glaze.
● By default, Analogue 3D will run N64 games at their native speeds, complete with frame rate slowdowns (we’re looking at you, Goldeneye 007 four-player split-screen). Taber suggests that optional toggles will enable “overclocking, running smoother, eliminating native frame dips,” and other performance-specific tweaks.
● The N64’s optional 4MB RAM “expansion pak” will be built into Analogue 3D and enabled by default. Users can go into a menu to disable the expansion pak if they want to disable its features in select games.

 

[ihavezippers]

Man I really hope they can do an Analogue Saturn at some point in the future. Or even an Analogue PC-98 if they step outside of strictly home consoles/portables.

The convenience of an FPGA Saturn that can use original peripherals and run games off flash, with some modern QOL improvements (like they have with the Analogue Pocket) would be awesome.

I want a PC-98. And a Commodore or Apple iie. Huge libaries of amazing games for each.

 

[intheinbetween]

No OFPGA like the Analogue Pocket made me lost the interest on this

 

[theHFIC]

i’ll be fighting among the scalpers on Day 1. All of the other Analogue products have been excellent and allow me to retire my originals to the shelves.

 

[Ulysses 31]

No OFPGA like the Analogue Pocket made me lost the interest on this

How do you know it won't be added later like with the Pocket?

 

[diffusionx]

How do you know it won't be added later like with the Pocket?

Pocket had a 2nd FPGA chip for this purpose IIRC and it was part of the initial announcement.

 

[wvnative]

I am not an N64 fan, but this is so cool.

I pray that one day, in the far future, something like this could be made for gen 6 consoles.

 

[sainraja]

Polymega also has a N64 module. Their products are pretty good too. Analogue's look nicer though.

 

[bender]

I wish it had a clear casing at launch so I'll probably wait until more color options are announced/launched.

 

[Ulysses 31]

I wish it had a clear casing at launch so I'll probably wait until more color options are announced/launched.

Or the full aluminum 500$ version!

 

[kevboard]

not a fan of that controller design tho.

I don't understand how every single one of these modern N64 controllers miss the fact that the majority of N64 shooters allow you to aim with the stick and move with the D-Pad.

so an optimal modern N64 controller would IMO have 2 analog sticks and a switch that lets you switch between 2 modes.

one mode that has the N64's stick mapped to the left stick and the C Buttons to the right stick.
and one that maps the stick inputs to the right stick, and maps the Dpad to the left stick.

with that 8bitdo controller they are marketing alongside the console, you literally can not play games like Perfect Dark, GoldenEye, Quake 2, or Turok 3 optimally.

 

[Solarstrike]

 

[gunstarhero]

no controller, wtf, 8bitdo controller without third prong is dumb, most games are designed with it in mind.

It supports N64 controllers.

I imaging keeping the price down to $250 was the trade off from including a controller -

 

[Warspite]

I would love to see some games running on this before pre ordering.

 

[Ulysses 31]

I would love to see some games running on this before pre ordering.

There's plenty of examples of N64 games running off FPGA tech. Won't be much different than seeing N64 games running off a Mister.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Wait how have they not been sued by Nintendo?!

 

[Preseznik]

Man, that actually looks like an N64 hardware revision.
I want it just for the looks, damn.

 

[nkarafo]

"100% compatible"

"Compatible" isn't the same with "accurate". Even Mupen64 is 100% compatible, in that it loads all the games and you can finish all of them more or less. But a good chunk of them will have bugs and timing issues.

I doubt they made a 100% accurate N64 core before a software emulator exists first. Which pretty much applies for all FPGA cores. It will be a first if a FPGA beats software emulation on a system as major as the N64.

not a fan of that controller design tho.

I don't understand how every single one of these modern N64 controllers miss the fact that the majority of N64 shooters allow you to aim with the stick and move with the D-Pad.

so an optimal modern N64 controller would IMO have 2 analog sticks and a switch that lets you switch between 2 modes.

Wow, i just saw the controller.

This would make all FPS games unplayable for me. So much for being "faithful".

Hard pass.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

I fully expect Nintendo to sue the maker. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

 

[nkarafo]

I fully expect Nintendo to sue the maker. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

FPGA is still emulation and emulation is legal.

Then again it's Nintendo, they don't care about the legality of things.

 

[Shin-Ra]

The LED inside each physical controller port indicating a wireless controller ‘in’ that port’s a nice touch.

 

[yurinka]

Looks great

Is this a Nintendo lawyer?

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

Unfortunately, I sold my N64 collection last year, so this is a no go for me.

 

[thebigmanjosh]

Analogue’s 4K Nintendo 64 launches next year for $249

Preorders start soon.

www.theverge.com

How do I pay for bots to get this before scalpers

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

I fully expect Nintendo to sue the maker. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

This is not Analogue's first product of this kind that replicates a Nintendo system. Nintendo hasn't sued so far, why would they just now?

"100% compatible"

"Compatible" isn't the same with "accurate". Even Mupen64 is 100% compatible, in that it loads all the games and you can finish all of them more or less. But a good chunk of them will have bugs and timing issues.

I doubt they made a 100% accurate N64 core before a software emulator exists first. Which pretty much applies for all FPGA cores. It will be a first if a FPGA beats software emulation on a system as major as the N64.

While I usually don't agree with you on this, having a MiSTer Pi myself and having watched more than a few videos of FPGA vs software emulators, on the N64 front I am a bit skeptical, too. The MiSTer N64 core still has compatibility issues with some games like Conker. I'm also curious about those CRT filters, and the overall look on a modern screen. Motion will be a particular concern. I tried Majora's Mask emulated on NSO and the motion is barely sufferable on a 4K screen.

That said, as far as I know, the MiSTer Saturn core has apparently surpassed every Saturn emulator in compatibility and accuracy as of the latest update.

 

[Omnipunctual Godot]

not a fan of that controller design tho.

I don't understand how every single one of these modern N64 controllers miss the fact that the majority of N64 shooters allow you to aim with the stick and move with the D-Pad.

so an optimal modern N64 controller would IMO have 2 analog sticks and a switch that lets you switch between 2 modes.

one mode that has the N64's stick mapped to the left stick and the C Buttons to the right stick.
and one that maps the stick inputs to the right stick, and maps the Dpad to the left stick.

with that 8bitdo controller they are marketing alongside the console, you literally can not play games like Perfect Dark, GoldenEye, Quake 2, or Turok 3 optimally.

You could buy an original N64 controller off of ebay and then replace the joystick with an 8Bitdo hall effect stick:

8BitDo Mod Kit for Original N64 Controller

8Bitdo is a premier 3rd party video game hardware company with a special focus on retro themed game controllers. Renowned for producing the highest quality retro controllers on the market.

shop.8bitdo.com

I plan to do this with my MiSTer.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Are there any screenshots? I really need to see what this thing looks like given how absolutely shit the real N64 looks at the best of times, even piped through a Retrotink.

N64 is definitely not one of my favorite consoles, but I dunno. There's some games on there that I'd like to revisit.

 

[Ulysses 31]

You could buy an original N64 controller off of ebay and then replace the joystick with an 8Bitdo hall effect stick:

8BitDo Mod Kit for Original N64 Controller

8Bitdo is a premier 3rd party video game hardware company with a special focus on retro themed game controllers. Renowned for producing the highest quality retro controllers on the market.

shop.8bitdo.com

I plan to do this with my MiSTer.

NSO N64 Controller works with 8bitdo Wireless USB adapter works too!

The NSO N64 controllers are lubed and won't wear out like the OG controllers.

 

[Omnipunctual Godot]

NSO N64 Controller works with 8bitdo Wireless USB adapter works too!

The NSO N64 controllers are lubed and won't wear out like the OG controllers.

Yep! That's what I'm currently using. But I also have an original N64 + controller, but the thumbstick is super loose. Might get a Snax adapter.

 

[Rival]

I cancelled my Duo order with Analogue as I only had a few games and prices for TG/Duo games are literally insane. This one I will buy though as I have an extensive collection of 64 games and my old system is kind of finicky. Though it has looked pretty good on my oled using the retrotink 2x thing I purchased a few months back.

 

[nkarafo]

While I usually don't agree with you on this, having a MiSTer Pi myself and having watched more than a few videos of FPGA vs software emulators, on the N64 front I am a bit skeptical, too. The MiSTer N64 core still has compatibility issues with some games like Conker.

Let's just say that a 100% accurate N64 core, right now, would be massive news. Maybe the biggest bomb drop since Ultra HLE's surprise launch. A first after 24 years.

That said, as far as I know, the MiSTer Saturn core has apparently surpassed every Saturn emulator in compatibility and accuracy as of the latest update.

Again, i'm really skeptical about his. Has anyone actually tested every game? Are there concrete game comparisons? Is there anything this core can do that beetle/Mednafen Saturn can't?

This started because the FPGA core passed all the tests in a certain test rom. But these test roms are not the bible. Just because something is passing more tests, doesn't make it more accurate or, let alone, compatible. Heck, some devs even target these test roms or the fancy demoscene roms with hard to emulate effects, without actually making the emulators better in actual games. A great example of this is the Picodrive emulator. This is an emulator that was originally made to run on potatoes. GenesisPlusGx is more accurate/compatible. But in some certain demoscene roms, Picodrive performs better than GenesisPlusGX. Go figure.

 

[Shin-Ra]

How likely is it they’ll create a Game Boy(GB|GBC|GBA) to N64 cart adapter and all the 3Dos additions to make that work?

 

[Ulysses 31]

Yep! That's what I'm currently using. But I also have an original N64 + controller, but the thumbstick is super loose. Might get a Snax adapter.

I fixed a couple of my old N64 controllers with Kitsch-Bent parts. They work well.

replacement parts

store.kitsch-bent.com

 

[Ceadeus]

Looks dope... ill throw it in the maybe basket.

Actually will probably be sold out for ages so nvm.

I can almost assure you that they'll sell the shit out of this system in all the colours the N64 ever had. Just like they do with the Pocket!

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

decent price! might get one to play with it--never tried an FPGA console clone.
though somehow, modding original hardware feels like the sexier solution.

wonder how it handles the audio. PCM?

upscaling is getting really good, but would love to see a chipset that could somehow increase the internal res to 4:3 ~4k.

 

[Moses85]

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

preorder starts Oct21

 

[GoldenEye98]

A very slick looking console...

 

[AngelMuffin]

Can’t wait to view low-res textures in 4K.

Seriously, IMO the N64 especially, looks best on a CRT via RGB/Component or even S-Video.

 

[Moses85]

Only a limited quantity?

 

[Puscifer]

Interview from October 16, 2023:

Analogue’s Next Retro Game Console Is a 4K Nintendo 64

Paste Magazine is your source for the best music, movies, TV, comedy, videogames, books, comics, craft beer, politics and more. Discover your favorite albums and films.

www.pastemagazine.com

This is damn amazing. I was expecting this to be 400 dollars, this is damn near impulse buy

 

[Ulysses 31]

Only a limited quantity?

Will be sold in batches like the Pocket, would be my guess.

 

[Shin-Ra]

This is damn amazing. I was expecting this to be 400 dollars, this is damn near impulse buy

I’d wait for proof of all features rather than trusting a year old interview but the concept and physical design is very appealing.