I Bought a PORTABLE Nintendo 64 from eBay... (but it has issues)

[@jrob0021]

What do you think about this console? BTW, if you have a gaming collection you want to sell, let me know here: www.jrobgaming.com/pages/trade-in

[@skolinpurpleandgold3784]

It's cool but not $300 cool. I'm very picky I'm usually OEM only kind of guy.

[@eIikernen]

Love it

[@MiguelPerez-cn4ee]

It's cool. WCW vs nWo World Tour uses the D-pads

[@themadmoderator8465]

cool but cheap and nasty

[@samholdsworth420]

🤘

[@JMLRetroRoom]

All things considered, that’s a great deal. The builder just needs to refine his skills a bit but overall not bad. It could also be the case of working with what you got. 8/10

[@jrob0021]

Agreed, it’s definitely not a professional job, but I’m sure a ton of hours went into building this. So $300 is definitely reasonable

[@MonosShenanigans]

@@jrob0021 well not 300€ for the console itself, but with the cables and the games probably yes

[@inputfunny]

@@MonosShenanigans $300 is a heck of a deal for the handheld itself; that would take a lot of work to cut down the board and do all the soldering and building the thing. The guy probably spent at least a week or two putting it together if I had to guess.

[@inputfunny]

@@davidjeanty1091 This is for people that want a more authentic and original experience; not emulation.

[@gorfelbt]

@@jrob0021 well especially considering this other guy is selling one for 2.5 grand jesus

[@chronovac]

It's rough but almost endearingly so. And honestly for the price, you can't expect it to be completely clean anyways. The biggest knock I would have against whoever made it is that they didn't package it correctly, which for electronics is VERY important imo.

[@jrob0021]

Yeah, it was packaged very sadly lol. It’s amazing how many packages I get that aren’t packaged well. I do think they should have wiped off the console though. It had dirt that could’ve just been wiped off with a wet paper towel

[@diddlez2]

I don't know why you can't expect it to be clean. Even if it's has a janky build quality, which it does, it can be at least be cleaned up.

[@swerve9857]

@@diddlez2 I totally agree, I can’t seem to understand this concept that just because it’s homemade it’s justified to have flaws that aren’t skill related like something as simple as cleaning and polishing. For 300$ I expect at least proper part cleaning🤣that’s just me though

[@3xperiment8]

Only detail I would mention is that the Z button could be designed bigger since it's so used in many games (maybe like a PlayStation L2) but all in all it's def a good purchase for casual playing.

[@samholdsworth420]

Man I remember getting a Nintendo 64 Christmas of 96... I was 15 and I remember thinking the graphics were so amazing. A portable one would have been 😎

[@jrob0021]

Reminds me of the KZbin video with the kid yelling NINTENDO SIXTY FOURRRRRRR

[@wrathpsp]

I was about the same age as you and I remember how disappointed I was with the foggy, blurry graphics, especially with all the pre-release hype they put out, back when it was called the "Ultra 64". They misled us into believing that we would have an arcade perfect port of Killer Instinct 1, with the arcade machine even announcing at the game opening "available ONLY on ULTRA 64!!!" In reality what we got was the a much less graphically impressive port of the sequel; Killer instinct gold. I felt conned.

[@urukadooedwards7637]

I really like that!! They coulda definitely smoothed out around the screen and other places but very unique and cool!! Whoever built it put a bunch of work into it. Good Score!

[@jrob0021]

Agreed. It’s always cool to see what unique creations people can put together

[@yaboijuanito1460]

@@jrob0021 the console looks pretty cool and I play super mario 64 on my android phone with a emulator called Mupen64 FZ pro

[@andrewwhitfield5480]

I think my first concern would be the screen ratio. A N64 handheld really needs to get that correct.

[@ThisUploaded]

Yeah, came to the comments just to say this. How do people play these games all stretched like that? If it was my only option, I'd manage. But man, the platform gets weird when you distort the view that much in games like Mario, banjo, and so on.

[@andrewwhitfield5480]

@@ThisUploaded You are completely right.

[@hajilee4539]

7:43 For a second when he's flashing through screen settings it shows a way to change the aspect ratio. So maybe if you wanted to you could switch it to 4:3.

[@kelvinmitch6185]

So I used to see this custom N64 a lot back in 2009. I’m sensing that you bought this from someone that purchased it back in the day.

[@WhiplashPuppet]

14:54 Actually, you do. Saw you had WCW vs nWo in that collection. That used the D-Pad for movement and the stick was used for taunting and doing specials. But, maybe you've figured that out by now. xD

[@KaguyaH]

It doesn't look half bad, really not a fan of the wide display though. I know in this day and age 16:9 screens are far, FAR easier to source but so few N64 games support widescreen.

[@aidannotfunny]

You could also get a display that supports 4:3. Like squishing the image like most TVs

[@asaprulers226]

Good to see your trying to help people who want retro things, and your not making a huge profit. Shows you want to make a change

[@blakewretched]

Super Mario 64 is such a classic. I used to play it with my grandmother all the time. She loved her N64 but it got lost when she moved :(

[@Pluralofvinylisvinyls]

It’s weird when you think about how all your toys you loved as a kid just end up in a landfill 😢

[@woogaloo]

That's actually a pretty decent system considering the price. I really want to find a decent guide that would help me cut down my extra Wii consoles to make a portable Wii/GameCube.

[@kingdedede1488]

A good platformer to test out the D-Pad on it would be Kirby 64. From personal experience, truly.

[@Trazgazm]

Both NTSC versions of the N64 can play each other's games, the only thing stopping you from doing so is a plastic attachment inside the console that corresponds with your region's cartridges, you can just remove/replace this piece and it will accept both US and JPN games. Japanese games tend to be a lot cheaper secondhand than their western counterparts so it's not surprising they went this route with the included titles. It is worth pointing out the PAL and NTSC versions are incompatible with each other's games due to the difference in refresh speed between the regions. PAL and Japanese titles actually have the same shaped cartridges but obviously putting a Japanese cart in a PAL system or vice versa doesn't amount to much.

[@macdog1]

I truly can't imagine paying so much money for some unofficial 3d printed portable console, that will not appreciate in value over time.

[@georged7627]

I’ve had experience where the seller sold me something clean he showed me a video of it but when i got it it was dirty so i think when it goes through customs it may go through a few people and some of those people do play around with your belongings i know they do because my cousin was a customs officer and he used to tell me stories of playing around with peoples stuff to get over the boredom its not on but they do

[@taiwanesestandardtime3388]

I mean for 300 i'd call that a pretty good deal, fair amount of empty space but with a PCB that big and with so few trimming options it's a solid portable

[@ProtoMario]

I ship on ebay often and I gotta tell you, that is a jank @ss packaging job.

[@jrob0021]

Yah, but surprisingly I’ve seen worse lol

[@ricecube100]

$300 is a bargain for all that work. someone lent their time and know how to build a custom handheld, working consol. Amazing

[@ADubTheGrizzy]

I'm sure you know this, but an ED64 cart costs $80 and has every N64 game on it from every region. I know some people like to collect carts but the ed64 is killer.

[@wavymarcellus2555]

Is that really a thing?

[@ADubTheGrizzy]

@@wavymarcellus2555 yes, I have one. Lookup ED64. Of course you still need the N64, but the ed64 gives you every game.

[@TheMysteryDriver]

@@wavymarcellus2555 yup. Also if you play DS or 3DS look into R4 cards

[@criptin4075]

@@wavymarcellus2555 Everdrive has been a thing for ages lol =p

[@sonichujfs2393]

A ed64 would be amazing for something like this so you don't have to bring your games

[@jameskenney5623]

Lol, you are justification on price reminds me of me explaining to my wife why I bought something

[@victormanuelperez92]

Thanks Jacob for doing this channel and loving video games like I do. Love your reviews on games and your channel!

[@teddym2808]

I would have sent it straight back when I saw the dirt and then the cart slot to top it all off. But one thing I don't understand is why you were surprised he hadn't removed the screen cover.. That's the RIGHT thing to do for shipment. But that trigger.. Assholes like this deserve returns cause they need to learn the 50c they saved in shipping cost them their sale and repair costs and return costs (here in Australia the seller must pay for return by law, not sure about US).

[@wesley76333]

I made a couple of N64 Portables a decade ago. and tbh this is a pretty shoddy job at one. Its functional yes. But the board can be trimmed a lot smaller. resulting in a thinner and half the size overall console. The wire length on that cartslot relocation might give issues with a lot of games aswell.

[@ban885]

I made a portable N64 out of the original N64 case. It's not pretty but it works reminds me of one of those arcade machines but tiny. I don't have fancy tools too trim it down or make a case. I also left pretty much everything intact. Just threw on a screen, Audio Amplifier and A battery

[@maršals_ierednis]

I love how this is put together, I'd honestly be willing to buy this

[@shinski8114]

....you people will buy anything

[@daspunkt158]

u can buy a steam deck for 100 dollars more and play steam games + all kinds of emulators, so why would u buy this?

[@firstsight5684]

You failed to mention how horrible those interference lines get @7:00

[@dragonfistX200]

For $300 I was expecting worse. That seem low for a custom system

[@dodgydruid]

I've come to the Switch scene quite late, won a working Switch for £17 and immediately put Nintendo Online+Expansion on it and been rocking the N64 games, abs love SM64 and the Switch version is awesome... def recommend that route

[@jrob0021]

Nice, definitely the clean way to do things. I do wish you could outright purchase N64 games for the switch rather than paying the monthly service

[@jameslewis3133]

They really should just make the virtual console available on the switch the sales would be out of this world for nintendo

[@criptin4075]

What kind of crackhead sells a working switch for that price? lol

[@KimchiYeo]

Look i was raised with these consoles and the N64 is my all time favourite one,but over 400 is ALLOT of money,you can buy a second hand ps5 / xbox series x for that money or even a NEW xbox series S. I believe it could be done for way cheaper,but who ami to talk i don't know mechanics that well.

[@kennythemeat]

why nobody makes a 3d printed handheld case? this way it would look decent. the layout from this one looks pretty good. and for selfmade its pretty cool!

[@danalabomme968]

Yeah man props to you, I got scammed on eBay and never tried eBay again. Folks like you is exactly what this community needs…Thanks for video.

[@Pluralofvinylisvinyls]

Scammed? You get your money back. The only real scammers are the buyers.

[@danalabomme968]

@@Pluralofvinylisvinyls hell yeah scammed, just like trump be out here doin to people…

[@ReviewStation1]

If you ever decide to sell that handheld hit me up, I also was making a portable n64 but gave up after wiring everything when it came to the case haha. If I were you I would go in and quickly swap out the composite screen for something with svideo if you can manage it.

[@WickedGamerCollector]

Would be awesome to have this one in my collection ! 😳

[@RonaldTheMan123]

YOU UPLOADED IT ON MY BIRTHDAY 😃

[@JakeGeneration]

I have a portable 64 of my own that I bought off Ebay years ago. It works for the most part, but the insides we're a HUGE mess. Must have been built over a decade ago. Seeing the insides of your device was very satisfying compared to mine. lol. Good buy man.

[@MultiDudeman]

Dude that's super cool, I love home made console portables!

[@Gavisrad]

I love to see a higher budget production of these, it is so cool!

[@tomrees82]

Tetrisphere is a good game worth owning that uses the Dpad & L button.

[@avishekkandel3565]

My very first console. I still have it. That Super Mario 64 is the legend. Way better than current 3D one.

[@spacepirateivynova]

now that I see the inside... I'm just... amazed. I don't see any care for one's craft inside. Not to mention it simply looks filthy. Like they wanted to put the minimum in effort and materials into the thing and maximize price. I would want to make sure the thing was going to last for quite a long time before it EVER left my hands. Mechanical-style buttons, better analogue control, make sure the buttons don't stick for christ's sake, better display, more ergonomics (I would model a better case in blender then 3d print that), cooling system should be a bit more thought out... that cart slot, I can't get that out of my head... I'm going to have nightmares about this thing now, you know that?

[@taylorfillmore9227]

You are a sad person. Cheer up

[@advanceddarkness3]

Its definitely amateur craftsmanship.

[@Brett101792]

The layers of electrical tape just to hide the label has my dying 🤣

[@caboosevx9676]

@Jacob R don’t a lot of cartridge based games have some type of battery in them that if the battery dies it stops the game from working or saving. I do recall watching a video of someone saying the if the battery is dead in the older Pokémon game cartridge that it doesn’t allow u to save and I want to say something else also. But does that apply to all cartridge based games that has the flat watch battery.

[@cydragon2.099]

btw Harbourmaster's Ship of Harkinian are still doing progress on remastered HD textures and 60fps support for Zelda OOT and other things to come!

[@bluetoad07]

2:00 actually the only forms or region locking on the n64 is 2 plastic pillars, so its not that hard to make work.

[@cosmicsvids]

Kinda no point to this lol when you could just use an N64 emulator on a steam deck.

[@michaelknowles1651]

Great video. Would you mind sending me some pictures of the guts of this at all. Might want to try the good old Golden eye for the Z button etc. Great video

[@Ridley1911]

Expansion pack without a heatsink. ohh boy, that bih finna overheat and crash a whole lot.

[@kaox44]

That's pretty AWESOME!

[@twinsneverbeg9617]

Jacob really value’s his boxes 😅❤️❤️

[@alleosussquirt8041]

Judging by the age of the cardboard, the guy used an ancient box they had laying around.

[@TheChocolatBlanc]

To be honest you with enough time you could replaces some pieces and even recreate a similar but different shell that fits you better , great buy !

[@mytubechanneI]

This is amazing If I had random money to spend on something I absolutely don't need.....it would be this.....

[@Narque]

thing looks janky as hell, I wouldnt even try to sell somthing for 300 if it looked like that

[@guitarguy420]

They should have made the Z Button large and the L Button small since its not used so often.

[@xagentxorange4549]

Awesome content as always

[@jrob0021]

Thank you

[@haitchgee8502]

Can you believe I have never played Mario 64 - I had a SNES when I was younger and then my parents bought a game boy pocket and eventually a PSone - I need to invest in something to try out some of those N64 classics I’ve missed out on!

[@jrob0021]

You can get it in the DS if you have one

[@criptin4075]

Wow you missed out on a ton of good stuff. Not so much RPG but tons of good action platformers and classic shooters. Solid racing and sports stuff too.

[@Blas4ublasphemy]

Cool! I'd be interested in a Saturn unit!

[@nickolaswilcox425]

n64 doesnt have traditional region locking, the motherboard has never cared what you plugged into it, although pall/ntsc can give issues and is not recommended to try, the only actual region locking is the plastic indents in the cartridge socket attached to the upper shell, i made my n64 region free by just drilling those out

[@MrGoemon1]

The Expansion pack needs a heatsink on it so it won't over heat

[@Adam-Mei]

I've had 3rd party memory packs not work sometimes and work at other times.

[@randomcro24]

you keep saying" it's got a few issues and that's what u get for only $ 300" but fir a few more dollars you could've got a steam deck

[@jrob0021]

Steam deck is a Completely different product. Not really comparable

[@randomcro24]

@@jrob0021 I'm saying it for people in general great video though

[@Forrest_O.]

Custom consoles don’t always end out the best quality.

[@jrob0021]

Yeah, I’d say more often than not they aren’t high quality

[@mawile2468]

I can't wait for a portable Switch someday!

[@crustaceaninfiltration8146]

Yeah, it's a shame the Switch isn't portable.

[@TedWilder]

Nintendo really has to get with the times. We want portable gaming, darnit!

[@skinnymax]

Still waiting for a portable 3DS.

[@segafrog]

looks like it was made in a beach-hut in Indonesia 😂

[@PatchworkRose567]

It’s got an endearingly rough look to it. The person who made this definitely has potential behind their projects if they continue to refine them.

[@sor3999]

You're nuts. This thing looks like a student project.

[@umamifan]

It’s so amateurishly designed that I am honestly shocked that they want money for it. Odd

[@mr.eggsandwich8138]

Bruh I had dreams of something like this as a kid The fact that it has issues makes me sad

[@Sickentist]

This is cool. 3D print a better shell for the thing, maybe a better screen and it would go from just cool to fantastic. Using an original N64 thumbstick is a requirement imo.. Ive never liked any of the alternative replacements like GameCube style sticks for N64 games.

[@HmmYT]

what i usually use for testing n64 buttons is mario kart for the d-pad (character selection) and oot for the l-button (map goes on and off)

[@Game-Univ]

Whoever make this could had it trimmed the board even smaller the person who did this only cut the edges where the ground was it pretty much put the whole board in there,I have some experience trimming the board smaller, I think the blue board is the battery protection that’s where the battery is connect to the switch and to the N64 board and also the led indicators for when the battery is low, you can see the three colored wires that are soldered in the board,I don’t see the audio amp maybe is under the N64 board I wonder what kind of audio amp was used here,they could had put some air vents that way they didn’t needed to put the fan and could save some power from the batteries,it’s not a bad portable for the price you paid but it could had been better

[@strsocerplaya9]

So cool! I NEED portable EVERYTHING

[@PsychomachineryEBM]

Even this got a better controller scheme than the actual abomination

[@Tropixify]

7:08 I have played it on emulators but not on an actual n64 or virtual console because I don’t have an n64 nor a console with a virtual console library that still works

[@NervousFlea]

For the price, this unit looks great! Could you link me to the seller's page?

[@CautionusJay]

Actually the region lock on N64's are based on the plastic notch in the cartridge slot that is inside the system that don't let Japan cartridges fit in US N64's same for Japan unit N64's US cartridges don't fit in Japan N64's. Ain't that some crap? I grinded the notch in my n64 so Japan games will fit in it.

[@jrob0021]

Wow that’s crazy. Classic Nintendo move

[@Sprier]

The right trigger is definitely a bummer for a from the package experience, other than that not terrible for the price. Screen definitely isn't 7" but for the overall build not terrible. A misstep not going simply taller though using more real estate and a bigger screen. Nintendo 64 obviously does fine with a 4:3 resolution, maybe finding a cheap little lcd panel or whatever was a pain.. who knows. Not bad though! I'd give it a 7!

[@tahustvedt]

I'm not impressed. The terrible cutouts and finish are unforgivable, and the wrong aspect ratio screen is pointless to me. Mario looks even fatter than he should be. Great video though. Nice to see what these actually look like. I've bought several N64's for $20. You can still get them for under $30 plus reasonable shipping from Japan, or even cheaper if you wait for the right deal.

[@dextersbeard3472]

I see people talking about the screen ratio, I actually prefer the wide-screen display. I just think he should have put a slightly bigger screen in it. The handheld is huge and he used a very tiny screen.

[@Oddish_Kid107]

man, i wish they had a portable edition of the ds

[@moi4393]

man, i wish they had a portable edition of the game boy

[@eyetunes7754]

I may be the only to say you overpayed. It looks like a gutted N64 crammed inside a crudely 3D printed case with a small mediocre screen. The fact that they didn't have loads of memory or a library of preloaded games adds to it's simplicity. The game cartrige loader looks like it's had bugs through it. Surprised you didn't find a roach inside it. Sorry I'll pass and emulate on Steam Deck

[@tplaygame2012]

I've played emulators like Mupen 64+ae(Android edition) but I've not played any physical n64 games including mario 64 😅

[@brogers_]

Everyone is trying to justify this piece of crap, I just cannot.

[@shinski8114]

its truly a piece of crap ppl are just sucking up to jacob

[@dreamcazman]

Thing that really annoys me is the diagonal video interference, it's horrid! Even though it's most likely composite video going into the LCD, I'm sure it could be cleaned up a bit by using better shielded wiring.

[@davandd]

i am actually looking for some help on this issue for my portable. you say that shielding wires helps? how should i do that?

[@totallyupdoggin]

a whole n64, mario kart 64, majoras mask and ocarina of time all portable and all only for 300 bucks!??!? thats crazy!!! 🤯🤯🤯

[@christianhudspeth3338]

300 bucks you could get a switch and cartridge dumper to do the same thing

[@midnightgutz5689]

Hey mom can I get a steam deck you already have one at the house, steam deck at the house.

[@jrob0021]

Hahaha

[@Suhadisgood]

If you wanted a portable Nintendo 64 the Nintendo Switch is the portable you just love throwing your money in the trash

[@concreteman03]

Nintendo's own emulation is the worst and everyone knows

[@allenwest1986]

I have the rare Konami The Justifier Pink gun in box . I have no way of testing it , and would like to make a bit of money of off it.

[@-ElectricRat-]

You know.. there's a thing called CeX(meaning:complete entertainment exchange) I'm the UK, there's two i know one in Eastleigh and one in Winchester but there's alot of CeX shops in the UK where you could find working used consoles which are kinda cheap and good for ur money

[@staple_gun6367]

WCW vs. nWo World Tour uses all of the buttons

[@RichardServello]

Steam Deck is $400. $300 seems really expensive for this kludgey mess.

[@MyYoutubeHandIe]

Those Japanese carts are knock offs. You can tell because the “i” in Nintendo on the back of it is circular instead of rectangle.

[@schiftyplayz4141]

I've still have my n64 and still works.

[@criptin4075]

It better still work. Those things are built better than we are. Should outlive us all. xD

[@teddym2808]

Hang on, the aspect ratio is all wrong.. he should have option for correct 4:3 and black bars. Man I'd be PISSED if I had paid the equivalent of over 400 AUD for this.

[@cradiakmodz2624]

Dang, if people are paying $300 for this, I should start making portables again. This was pretty rough...although the inside looked surprisingly good, the outside definitely needed some work though.

[@vextxres]

U should I'll buy some

[@inputfunny]

A console and expansion pak would be over $100 by themselves on Ebay; add in the controller that was torn apart to add, and the big amount of work to cut down the board and solder everything together correctly, and this could have easily sold for double that to the right buyer. That's a lot of work for maybe $100-$150 in profit, and keep in mind Ebay takes a cut.

[@cradiakmodz2624]

@@inputfunny True, but regardless, it doesn't matter how much work you put into and how much materials cost if you make a sub par product that no one is interested in buying. Obviously, there is a market for this type of things, however, hence my comment. I don't see $300 of value in this because I would definitely want a more polished device personally. And if people are willing to pay $300 for this, I would make a decent amount of money from mine I think. I'm not saying this as someone who is like "Oh I could do that better!" without any experience, I've made portables before.

[@advanceddarkness3]

Who cares about what's inside of it when it looks like it took someone 30 minutes to construct the case, its sloppy looking. That's not $300 worth of effort, another $100 and you have a perfect formed Steam Deck so ya......

[@310_Latchkey_kid]

It looks good considering that a corporation (Nintendo) didn't build it and for $300+ in my opinion that a great buy!

[@InscentiveAdvice]

Mario 64 is by far the toughest game I have to get started up possibly bc it's the oldest and came with my system.

[@Blind-Ambition]

lack of controller expansion port ruins a bunch of games that can use controller/rumble/transfer Pak, but otherwise decent for the price paid

[@desklaser]

Your main issue will be the games that only save to a controller pak.

[@stefhannington2218]

3d print the shell to improve the quality. If you don't have a 3d printer there are plenty of 3rd parties who would do it for you at a good price.

[@jrob0021]

I have a 3d printer l, but I haven’t used it in like 3 years lol. I’m might bring it back to life and try to make something

[@nealhammersmith8798]

Right when he says he bought a portable N64 from ebay...my reaction: you poor bastard.