Is a N64 mini more viable using real hardware and cartridge?

[neorichieb1971]

Like the subject says really.

Since a lot of the games have complicated licences, the hardware is too advanced for emulation at the current price point. Can't Nintendo just release a hdmi N64 with a few games on it, but you can use the cartridge slot with real cartridges?

Is that doable for $99?

[Steamflogger Boss]

I'm sure we will get a mini-N64 eventually but I have to wonder why.

[Xyga]

I have finally ordered an everdrive 64 so I really don't care.

[Steamflogger Boss]

I have finally ordered an everdrive 64 so I really don't care.

I also wonder why here. :p

[Xyga]

- Many games on it I've always wanted to play and never properly did/never could.
- I don't find N64 emulation satisfying.
- Don't want a dedicated FPGA, mini, or scaler either.
- For a long time I've had an US console I got for free lying around, and I have a proper S-Video lead + several fitting CRTs for it.
- Everdrive 64 is practically perfect.
- Realized I can still enjoy old games without going full nerd.
- Fuck procrastination.

Etc, too many incentives and fuck money. The world economy, democracies, and environment will collapse any year now and we're all going to die.
At the moment I'm also updating my PS2 HDD rig btw.

[Steamflogger Boss]

- Many games on it I've always wanted to play and never properly did/never could.
- I don't find N64 emulation satisfying.
- Don't want a dedicated FPGA, mini, or scaler either.
- For a long time I've had an US console I got for free lying around, and I have a proper S-Video lead + several fitting CRTs for it.
- Everdrive 64 is practically perfect.
- Realized I can still enjoy old games without going full nerd.
- Fuck procrastination.

Etc, too many incentives and fuck money. The world economy, democracies, and environment will collapse any year now and we're all going to die.
At the moment I'm also updating my PS HDD rig btw.

Lol. Yeah for me it's just that the game library is not there. Most of what is good can now be easily played elsewhere, not even accounting for emulators at all.

In general I agree with the rest wholeheartedly. I have too many scalers. I have all the fixings for Saturn and how was I playing SOTN you might wonder? SVideo to a CRT. Looked great.

[KAI]

They need to mass-produce this instead
https://youtu.be/TBEPvu7idjM?t=1116

[BareKnuckleRoo]

It'd be interesting to see something like this released with like a 30 game multicartridge that's also backwards compatible on original hardware...

The idea of an N64 Mini is kind of interesting given it's a console that still isn't really well emulated as far as I know. A lot of the games are very playable but it's nowhere near the same state that NES/SNES/Genesis/PS1 emulation is at so you could justify a "Mini" release a bit better. Not much though; every "Mini" release thus far has done a poor representation of showing what the consoles really had available and only represent "popular" picks from major publishers. Sucks not to have any obscure gems available too to a fresh audience. Of course you could argue it's not the case as lots seem to be made begging to be modded...

[Steamflogger Boss]

None of them are worth it without modding for sure.

[Strider77]

https://youtu.be/TBEPvu7idjM?t=1116

Let's never share a Bit-Head video in here again... this place is sacred. Let's have some class.

[Sumez]

the hardware is too advanced for emulation at the current price point.

Is it though? The community effort at emulating N64 is notoriously sloppy, but Nintendo's own emulators (like Virtual Console) tend to work quite well.

[Marc]

I'd rather see some of the 1st party titles re-mastered to be honest. I find almost everything on the machine looks atrociously ugly these days, and the frame rates are all over the place. I'd buy decent re-masters of 1080, Wave Race, and F-Zero X in a heartbeat. The first two in particular are so mechanically superior to the 'Cube sequels its not even funny, but they're utterly painful to play on original hardware.

[it290]

Weren't the rereleases of Ocarina/Majora on the Gamecube emulated? If they could manage it on a GCN in 2002, I can hardly imagine that doing it on cheap hardware would be at all difficult today. I have a $50 odroid that runs these games upscaled with perfect performance—I have no doubt Nintendo could do the same with a much improved level of accuracy.

[jd213]

I seem to remember reading that N64 games on the Wii Virtual Console had varying levels of quality, with some being overall improvements but some being not so great. Anyone know anything about this?

[neorichieb1971]

Yeah my question was more about switching a mini console to running real cartridges with a few games built in. One of the probs with n64 is that the games have licences.