What happened to the Nintendo 64 Classic Mini ? | MVG

[@alexanderveritas]

The _N64 mini_ without the _Rare_ games that made it so popular it simply wouldn’t be worth it to be honest.

[@haloharry97]

There just no point in me owning a N64 these days. All my rare games are on xbox in 4k. All Zelda are on other systems. Mario 64 is on the pc now. All the other games I do not care about.

[@prophismusic]

haloharry97 yea, because goldeneye is on the rare collection.......................

[@prophismusic]

it would be so impossible for nintendo to license games from rare since they're never done it before........

[@Butter-Milk]

@@prophismusic I feel that they could work something out. Weren't Banjo characters in Smash?

[@achii808]

I mean, ori is on Switch, they could do something, right?

[@profblack]

I always felt like they missed an opportunity with these mini consoles. They could have given them internet connectivity and then allow you to buy more games after the fact.

[@Poundz978]

I hacked mine soon as I got it

[@mladyavery9138]

@@Poundz978 It took me a while, but I finally did after i lost my PSP that i usually emulate on

[@jamescorey3516]

They make too much money from selling services and online play.

[@aidannotfunny]

Nintendo, HIRE THIS MAN

[@cadeng1560]

@@aidannotfunny would make them bigger because u have to add wifi and stuff

[@puertoricansithlord4129]

Damn, you bring up a lot of great points as to why it's a strong possibility the N64 mini won't come out, and as a result I'm deeply saddened. The N64, next to the SNES, are the 2 consoles I hold very, very near and dear to my heart as they are the consoles I played the most as a kid before venturing out on my own when I became a young adult at 18. Reliving my childhood through the SNES classic mini was such a wonderful experience. Was hoping to do the same through an official N64 classic mini, but I never knew just how difficult N64 emulation was. Gonna remain hopeful that someday it will become a reality, but I won't hold my breath

[@MrMoneyclips]

I could see Microsoft licensing rare games to Nintendo nowadays. They seem to have good enough rapport. The switch got Cuphead, after all, and Banjo & Kazooie is in Smash Bros.

[@Generalkidd]

I hope Nintendo would return the favor and license Goldeneye to Microsoft as well so we can finally get the Goldeneye remaster.

[@fridaynightnicktoons6885]

@@Generalkidd aparently the issue with the Goldeneye remaster happening (properly like the canceled one we should have got Nott he crappy Craig one) is the licence owners of bond. Ron productions. Not Nintendo or Microsoft.

[@mysticblue0222]

This would make me sooo happy I would love to play Diddy Kong racing, and banjo kazooie on my switch or a mini console I do t know why Microsoft won’t do this, it’s a license to print money. Goldeneye is a bit tricker because of the license, as someone else pointed out

[@farquoi]

@@fridaynightnicktoons6885 dude, you can't even spell "Bob Iger" in your login name

[@denxos]

@@Generalkidd Nintendo doesn't own the James Bond IP.

[@nickyaboi]

Cant wait for 2051, when we get the switch classic edition

[@microusb42069]

The switch mini mini aha

[@caleb2569]

Mini switch lite

[@Bladeballer57]

It’s gonna be a switch mini VR

[@luisreyes1963]

Uh, Yeah. 😶

[@desther7975]

Shit. By then, you'll be playing truly virtual consoles that exist purely in your augmented reality headset.

[@lstriker8d882]

Welp, now we know what the trademark for the n64 controller was for. RIP

[@jevansturner]

The minis were just a stop gap measure after the failure of the Wii U. When the Switch proved to be successful and Switch online subscription started (with Virtual Console), Nintendo wanted to stop selling minis. The minis would reduce interest in the Switch system and its online service. This is why they tried to discontinue he NES Classic Edition at the height of its popularity. Nintendo only wanted to get through the 2016 holiday season with something to sell.

[@endlessgaming9119]

If they want attention drawn to their online service, then why don’t they add n64 games to NS Online?

[@vgrepairs]

@@endlessgaming9119 No need. They have enough idiots buying their products. Nintendo has always been satisfied doing the bare minimum. They rely on 35 year old IP.

[@jevansturner]

EndlessComplexity they definitely will.

[@sparcx86channel42]

no, you are wrong. nintendo is very well succeeded with Nintendo Switch

[@jevansturner]

sparcx86 Channel that's what I said.

[@kingjoe3rd]

If the refection in Mario Kart 64 is working then you know its a good emulator.

[@IceKoldKilla]

Lol basically what I got out of some videos I watched including his.

[@Nimta]

The what now?

[@metroidmayhem8463]

Yep good test

[@GreenSwede]

@@Nimta on the first course on mario kart 64, there is a "TV" over the tunnel meant to show a reflection/mirror of you racing like in this video footage. many older emulators and especially worse graphics plugins often has issues getting this to work and will just be replaced with a black screen. 4:28

[@MuscarV2]

Reflection* Nobody: S G G: spelliign haaard

[@HauntedCorpseGaming]

I just want a Dreamcast Mini... Even bought a Genesis Classic to show Sega support. :D

[@BarbadosBeerFestival]

Dreamcast!!! Yes!!!

[@mcgreggers99]

Retropie runs Dreamcast REALLY well with Redream

[@NaviciaAbbot]

@@mcgreggers99 I would say that if SEGA were going to make a DC Mini, they'd have to use something akin to Flycast just because of the networked games. Let's be honest - the little thing'll have PSO, Chu-Chu Rocket, and Q3A on it. And we're all going to want to go online with those titles.

[@theconsigliere8463]

@@mcgreggers99 only problem with redream is it's not compatible with all games. For what it does play it does play well.

[@frankrizzo7663]

@sonic_man 10 not if you know what your doing ;)

[@pokepress]

“Never” is a long time, but you’re right that it’s a different situation than the previous consoles.

[@shazmosushi]

Yeah I don't get this. It doesn't matter if running an accurate general purpose N64 emulator cannot be achieved on hardware similar to a Raspberry Pi 4. Regular consumers don't care if Nintendo added a tonne of game specific ROM hacks to make the emulation work. Few had complaints about the Wii Virtual Console's N64 emulation, and modern ARM chips are far more powerful. I expect Nintendo to release a near carbon copy of the Wii VC game list: 1080° Snowboarding, Bomberman Hero, Cruis'n USA, F-Zero X, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Mario Golf, Mario Kart 64, Mario Party 2, Mario Tennis, Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber, Paper Mario, Pokémon Puzzle League, Pokémon Snap, Sin and Punishment, Star Fox 64, Super Mario 64, Super Smash Bros., The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Wave Race 64, Yoshi's Story.

[@thecommentato4]

Gonna give you uo

[@ArtisChronicles]

@@shazmosushi thanks for reminding me that I should've bought Ogre Battle 64 when the VC was still up... I'm disappointed that I missed that and every time I tried to run it in the past on pc I'd have a random issue where it would lock and crash. Might have to try sorting that out for the next time.

[@6beezy]

I watch your videos every work morning, even when they're old. Getting to the office and seeing that there's a brand new MVG is such a treat. Just wanted to say thanks.

[@darkstatehk]

Agree 100%, this channel is so well produced and packed with loads of great info.

[@samueleproiettimicozzi8134]

darkstatehk yeah, it's definitely not an unlimited content farm, but a big "storage" of information about consoles. He knows all these things because he was directly involved in the homebrew scenes back then, that's why this channel is so precious. He's giving us what he learned by years of experience, just for free. It's awesome! One day he will inevitably run out of info though, but I feel he's ingenious enough to find other ways to make us learn. He's great.

[@aaronanglea]

you know Nintendo: "if it ain't broke, don't sell it"

[@patricksedler9697]

Darth Kai Yeah thats the truth, idk why people want another $100 emulator. Like you can play n64 games on your phone. Idk, i had alot of fun with the NES mini. Even though it's kinda a bad deal.

[@patricksedler9697]

Darth Kai Nice dude! I personally use a heavily modded wii i bought online, dosent have a dvd drive but has a huge hard drive. Loaded with, wii, gamecube, n64, snes, nes, ps1, atari, sega, you name it. But it's systems like my wii, or your RG350M that are actually worth it. Thats the bueaty of emulation, you can play everthing from atari too the wii. And you can do it for basically free, i just bought a pre loaded wii cause i don't have time to download thousands of roms.

[@goldensilence5841]

🤣🤣🤣

[@professionalfangster1510]

@@darthkai8242 I wish I could buy that. Is there anything similar on the internet?

[@dankolord]

@@professionalfangster1510 There are numerous retro emulation handhelds. I recommend looking at Taki Udon's youtube channel where he reviews the handhelds. The Retroid Pocket 2 is a very good handheld under 80 dollars.

[@WesCoastPiano]

I think Rare games are the biggest issue sadly.

[@mattierenton701]

deffo think you have a point there !!

[@cirozorro]

@nunya baznus All comes down to Taste, Mario 64 is way more fun to play than sunshine for me, and was the epic first 3d platforming game. Lots of memories in Golden Eye and perfect dark before the days of Halo. Also I am very partial to pokemon puzzle league which I think is the best adapation of Panel de Pon ever. Star Fox 64 was also a lot of fun. I liked the 64 more than the gamecube(Smash bros is better on GC, give you that). But the original controller breaking mario party, and mariokart 64 while rough, I prefer over the SNES version and I don't care much for double dash. All about taste you see, for me I would buy this in a heartbeat, If it ever came to life, I would think the price would be in the $120 range, more than that and it likely will have less market penetration.

[@Kevin123619]

@nunya baznus Your first point doesn't really make sense since ofc a newer gen title will be better than the past generations. The same thing with Mario Kart 64. However, with Super Mario Kart a point could be made though many would still prefer Mario Kart 64 because, objectively, 64 is better in many ways. A point is definitely made for Metroid since there isn't any representation of it on the console other than Smash Bros. RPG's definitely was weak for N64 when compared with its competitor, the PS1, but that was because of the exclusive deal with Square and Sony, and also there was Paper Mario which is actually good unless you're mentioning another RPG that idk of. You also forgot to mention games such as the Rare titles, Waverace 64, The Legend of Zelda games, Mario Party, and many other classics from the console.

[@joaquinodriozola4963]

@@cirozorro man if they created the n64mini theres $120 would be prob 1/2 its price. that thing is not cheap to make and they gotta get good profit

[@JBBrickman]

Im sure Microsoft would license it for a nice check.

[@TechDunk]

Didn't this start with the Wii mini? (Don't worry, I'm not serious)

[@TimmyTurner421]

I'M WORRIED

[@Nandru85]

The Wii (mini) ddin't start the fire

[@TechDunk]

@@B000en the edit actually was adding a questionmark lol

[@AmartharDrakestone]

Technically, it started with the Atari 2600 Jr. :P

[@MaximumDong]

I remember when first playing Paper Mario on an emulator thinking: a few minor visual issues but I can still play this. Then I get to Toad Town and am quickly saddened

[@rainbowspongebob]

MaximumDong what happens when got to toad town

[@aymanaboufarise4346]

@@rainbowspongebob probably horrible and buggy graphics that made it unplayable

[@gamerxt333]

And when was that ? Probably less of an issue now, for example modern emulator plugins like angrylion or Gliden64, upscale 2d more accuratly now. They also have more accurate buffer reads and writes.

[@dankhill6851]

@@gamerxt333 Eh, I doubt they fixed it all, they aren't utilizing the chip set and all that stuff that was in the console.

[@october5150]

@@dankhill6851 Pretty sure they did, played paper mario and it looked fine.

[@p_mouse8676]

People always dive into the details. But the thought behind the mini's was pretty obvious I think. From a technical point of view they are cheap as it can be basically. They very obviously went for a very cheap ARM chip and probably could just buy in an already made design. They obviously know that emulation is pretty popular these days, so they just made a very simple 1+1=2 conclusion. Close to no development costs, cheap board production (in these quantities probably $7 or less) and cheap mechanical design, no development in an already available emulation core. Plus it made them even look good towards the fans, so it's good marketing for cheap. It left a good impression about the brand name overall. A lot of people don't realize but very often certain products are not being sold for profit or to make customers satisfied, but are part of a marketing campaign to drive more people to your main products and brand name.

[@alinepiroutek8932]

I thought you were talking about PS1 Classic mini when you said "no development in an already available emulation core" because Sony used the open source PS1 emulator.

[@JonThysell]

I think the combination of basically cheap off-the-shelf hardware, minimal development costs, and minimal licensing issues made it easy to crank out the NES and SNES minis in a way that doesn't map with any of their other systems. An N64-mini would surely require way more software development costs, more expensive hardware, and they may never get the licenses for the Rare games. The same thing with a Gameboy Mini - it may have zero software development costs, but surely the hardware costs wouldn't be worth it - maybe could use some off-the-shelf CPU/GPU to run it, but they'd have to also design/source LCD screens and Li-ion battery packs that meet their quality bar - and it would be more of a direct competition with the Switch, which is where they're making their money.

[@put4558350]

NES / SNES Classic used in house emulator. I think Nintendo can make N64 Mini with ARM and in house emulator. It will be profit as we already see on NES/SNES Classic edition. Microsoft also don't mind rare's old properties like banjo on smash. But I think there is no time to make it. Switch is out. All hand already make games for it. bigger profit, bigger challenge.

[@alinepiroutek8932]

@@JonThysell I want Game Boy Classic edition. With at least the same size as Game Boy Pocket and lots of first party games(we would hack the console anyway to put games such as Megaman V anyway). And no, not ultra micro like Game Gear micro.

[@JonThysell]

@@alinepiroutek8932 I want one too, I'm just saying it probably won't happen.

[@Throggy]

I may not have a clue what he’s talking about at times when it comes to the super technical stuff, but I always appreciate these videos. I always learn something new

[@mycoinsyourpurse2244]

Well he definitely tries to put it in laymen's terms.

[@petergianakopoulos4926]

@@mycoinsyourpurse2244 I hope you are joking

[@GaZlovesGames]

Haha. Yea agree.. i loved the detail!!

[@eebu4053]

blears

[@DasAntiNaziBroetchen]

@@petergianakopoulos4926 Nope, he's not joking. As an engineer, I can tell you he's dumbing stuff down. Probably not enough for laymen, but that would ruin his content.

[@cammywammy420]

Short answer: They can't license the best games, so they won't make it. Who would buy this console without Goldeneye?

[@TheTrueBro]

Well you could still get Perfect Dark (which IMO is superior, gameplay wise)

[@loafloader6061]

@@TheTrueBro perfect dark is a microsoft ip...

[@SCJhoops]

For real, Goldeneye, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Donkey Kong 64 and Banjo Kazooie are all games that should be in the running to be on the console yet they most likely wouldn’t be on the console, even despite Microsoft and Nintendo having a good relationship

[@rockyfromtpot7346]

Mario 64 Kirby 64 Paper mario And many more fantastic games

[@kaputpack3541]

@@rockyfromtpot7346 so why isn't there a n64 mini

[@r3cycledPl4stic]

What if Nintendo could be bothered to code their own emulator, based on their actual knowledge of the N64 microcode. Would that mitigate against some of the issues raised in this video?

[@johnjohnson6142]

Not really. Now Nintendo needs to contract M2 to develop a new emulator. That would both work on a tegra chip and the reduced instruction set of arm devices. That will take time and money, which will impact the cost. Realistically, they would just create a custom emulator to run each game, like the wii

[@mariodelrio2387]

@@johnjohnson6142 true, they know thier hardware

[@aiayou]

Or release the microcode publicly and wait half a year for good open source emulator for free lol

[@metaleggman18]

If Nintendo could be bothered to code their own emulator? Yes, of course, they have likely the only recorded design documents for the N64 hardware. What John Johnson says is more what they would actually do.

[@jr2904]

@@aiayou and not control it? They want money

[@Firthy2002]

I just can't see it happening. I have tried N64 emulation on my SNES Classic and it really does show the pitfalls of that particular SOC. A higher spec SOC would drive up the price and still needs a decent emulation core that is capable of supporting a wide range of games. It would also need to have 4 controller support as standard. No Rare games automatically excludes a good chunk of the AAA titles. Without them it would be a struggle to get 20 games worthy of the system and that's assuming they would still be able to include the Lucasarts and Acclaim games. It’s just not plausible.

[@MichaelStroup]

Surprisingly the ps1 classic is run some N64 games. But I haven't looked into it in a while.

[@LoneWanderer905]

I have owned some devices with the Mali-400 GPU and dude... It opening an N64 game to me is already a lot, everything that had it, even the MPx (multi core, from what I searched at the time), ran like shit even just UIs like WhatsApp. It's a REALLY cheap SoC.

[@Firthy2002]

@@LoneWanderer905 Good enough for the intended purpose of emulating the NES and SNES though.

[@Firthy2002]

@@MichaelStroup I don't have one so can't compare it with the Nintendo Classics.

[@shagstars]

@@LoneWanderer905 I hyad a mali400mp12 octacore mediatek device from china in 2014 and n64 emulation was pretty smooth on that (legend of zelda ocarina of time ran good).

[@CabeliotCometier]

Man, remember the days where people didn't think Nintendo would use even slightly inaccurate emulators in their major products? Fun times.

[@AmstradExin]

They fought Emulators tooth and nail like no other company and now it bites them in the ass, hehe! :D

[@Bustermachine]

Honesty, as a dumpster goblin who had to make due with Pentium 1 Pavilion for . . . WAAAYYY too long as a child. The slight amount of jank and inaccuracy in competent emulation is basically trivial. And I'd rather have that than see whole chunks of gaming history rot away.

[@ulink265]

I mean at that Time they were using the wiiu emulators wich are even worse than the nso emulators

[@CabeliotCometier]

@@ulink265 I'm talking Wii and GameCube, mostly. The amount of care put into those helped a lot.

[@mario4everd]

@@CabeliotCometier wut, the NSO emulators are still better than those XD The wii and gamecube emulators had plenty of inaccuracies, bad input lag and also altered color. Nostalgia is a heavy drug

[@edurevelfood]

Easy: Classic series were released to offset the lower revenues from the gap between Wii U and Switch. Wouldn't expect it until the fading of the switch...

[@Felly117]

So next year then?

[@batman182]

Yea, this is the answer. Why make a video for it?

[@JamesR624]

@@batman182 Because stupid questions like this for people to lazy to do even the tiniest bit of critical thinking are perfect for these types of youtube channels with no other purpose than to keep pumping out videos for profit.

[@troywright359]

@@JamesR624 emulation of the N64 is not perfect without higher cost increase. I think this video makes it clear.

[@jr2904]

@@Felly117 not likely lol

[@Generalkidd]

Come to think of it, why does Nintendo *have* to go with an ARM SoC if they were to make an N64 Mini? I know Intel Cherry Trail SoCs like the Atom x5 have pretty decent performance (much better than the SoC used in the SNES Mini) and are very cheap for OEMs. That's why you can find plenty of sub $100 Atom x5 tablets out there. And based on your video, it sounds like if Nintendo went with Intel Atom for the SoC powering an N64 mini, it would easily solve all the performance issues associated with the ARM versions of N64 emulators. I wish Microsoft would eventually make an Xbox Classic Mini based on an Intel Atom chipset as well. I'm pretty sure the Cherry Trail SoCs are still in production by Intel as well hence why some SBC makers like LattePanda and RADXA (Rock Pi) are making Atom x5 SBCs.

[@LeminskiTankscor]

That sounds still too expensive, but I'd love to test one and see how it can do N64 and GC.

[@xerzy]

I would argue ARM chipsets are not a bottleneck per se at all, it's more of at which cost you can get games to run with the currently available software and hardware. I seriously doubt they either want to spend the cash on Atoms, Tegras or Snapdragons (which afaik Nintendo can also buy at less than $100/unit, but it's still too much) or develop a full, in-house emulator considering they're most likely not able to license half of the N64's best library.

[@gam3rmom3nt3]

they should just download more computer.

[@Generalkidd]

@@LeminskiTankscor Currently an Intel Atom x5 Z8300 costs $21 for OEMs. You can find raspberry pi like boards with the Atom x5 for anywhere from $40-70 depending on the specs. So an N64 Mini Classic based on an Intel Atom SoC should easily be able to stay at or below the $99 price mark.

[@Generalkidd]

@@xerzy Nintendo could do the same thing that Sony did which was just use an open source emulator and call it a day. And I'm sure even if the N64 classic library is just largely Nintendo's own 1st party games it'll still be a hit. But as MVG mentioned in his video, the problem with these cheaper ARM chipsets is that they don't handle LLE very well and have to resort to HLE which isn't as accurate and has a lot of bugs. So considering x86 can handle those LLE plugins better than ARM can, an N64 classic mini using an Atom x5 Z8300 ($21 for the SoC for OEMs) would make sense and keep the N64 Mini affordable while giving the best performance for LLE.

[@southwestjohnny7767]

I hope this system still comes out someday. I would buy it in a heartbeat, and so would a lot of others. I have the SNES mini and I love it. I would love to add this to my console collection.

[@TheySeeMeTrollen]

I always assumed the next mini would be a gameboy. I'd love an official "gameboy mini" complete with link cable included in the box.

[@breadstick6143]

Already have one its called game boy micro

[@St4yGr34t]

@@breadstick6143 Or gameboy pocket... Better unistall Internet Explorer

[@hikmori7]

I didn't see that coming after what Sega did to Game Gear Micro's reveal.

[@joelnachos7988]

TheySeeMeTrollen, You’re obviously trollin..

[@RetroArcadeGuy]

Or, you know, re-release the original game boy with official backlight would still be nice.

[@GoofPaste]

I'm just sitting here waiting for Nintendo to add the N64 and GameCube to their virtual console lineup on the switch

[@lokekleemo5565]

Same, it would also be cool if they released a wireless version of an original N64 controller for the Switch, just like they did with the NES Joy-Cons and the SNES controller

[@not.por.u]

Dude, GameCube switch games need to be added, like it’s a no brainer

[@FroztiProductions]

They might be keeping it in their arsenal to use against next gen competitors.

[@Reoko77]

I quit waiting and just got a harddrive of IOSs and ROMs from esty for my modded wii. Worth every cent.

[@Seawolf.Gaming]

@@FroztiProductions Nintendo doesn't compete anymore, they just do their own thing and it works.

[@PreRendered]

High quality content on this channel. Thanks for making it!

[@hakureicirno6059]

Well, if you want a mini N64, there is technically already one: The iQue Player.

[@samantharedacted9226]

If you wanna pay hundreds of dollars and learn to read Mandarin

[@IceKoldKilla]

@@samantharedacted9226 Why not? Always wanted to learn Mandarin. 😂

[@paparansen]

the ique player only supports 14 n64 games.

[@maianmaian449]

The iQue player is a console for *smart* people.

[@StoneyTBoI]

@Literally a White Male dude chill out

[@latrace1986]

Didn't realize I had enrolled in The Challenges of Emulation: 201 grad school class by clicking on this video, but I think I understand what's going on here

[@josephrjt1]

I remember them announcing the NES Mini, and thinking if they make this a yearly thing, there would be a N64 Mini 2 years later. As such my excitement skyrocketed, when they announced the SNES Mini a year later. Nearly 3 years on from the SNES Mini, with the N64 Mini looking increasingly doubtful, my inner 90s child is not happy.

[@cjones3710]

One day we grow up.and realize the Kingdom of Heaven is the goal. Not silly games.

[@BOTHaven]

@@cjones3710 this is a gaming video. People like games. Like, I understand it but just why you gotta be like this lmfao

[@marcusbardstown505]

​@cjones3710 BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, an adult who believes a millennia old fairy tale book... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

[@marcusbardstown505]

Bro, just get a refurbished + RGB/HDMI modded N64 and an everdrive

[@nathanaelries5567]

Spot on video. Covers the hardware/software limitations, and the licensing issues. I feel like even with the hardware / emulator software limitations sorted out, the licensing issues alone make this extremely unlikely.

[@gfaren]

Still easier than the Saturn Mini, I guess.

[@hitkid2456]

Can you _imagine?_ Panzer Dragoon Saga in ENGLISH... As well as the likes of Mr. Bones, Burning Rangers, and other holy grails?!

[@dannish8119]

@@hitkid2456 Panzer Dragoon Saga is already in English.

[@khhnator]

i want a video of when he realizes he could have played panzer dragon saga anytime in the last 20 years

[@khhnator]

anyway... not really Saturn emulation was in a better place than N64 emulation till very shot while ago. saturn is not the nightmare that people think it is

[@gfaren]

@@hitkid2456 boy, do I have some good news for you!!!

[@LinxOnlineGames]

At that price point the option of recreating the original hardware would come into play.There is a possibility it would be cheaper and easier to produce.

[@ArtemisWasHere]

The b64 hardware is old, really old, and like crt tvs, it’s likely that necessary components would be either stupid expensive or simply impossible to get

[@ethantheenigma5513]

@@ArtemisWasHere Well for things like the CPU and GPU you'd have to re-design them to be fabricated in modern fabs like TSMC, if there's no licensing issues preventing Nintendo from doing so. Most of the rest of the N64 uses more standard components to my knowledge, like capacitors and resistors. Of course things like the cartridge slot and memory expansion interface would have to be manufactured too.

[@Vexonia_Music]

How most N64 video plugins handle 2D sprites and text is honestly the reason why i don't like emulating the N64. The N64 parallel core for Retroarch for me is probably the best experience as far as visuals go when it comes to 2D sprites and text, and even then I still get issues in games like Mischief Makers visually. Plus then I'm not able to use my raphnet controller plugin to have native N64 controller support. The only reason I ever emulate the N64 is for stuff like HD texture packs, and sometimes netplay. I think N64 emulation is on the up, but for me right now it's definitely not at the point where I'd rather use it over my original hardware.

[@gabrielgoldsztajn3265]

Maybe we'll get lucky and Near's Ares multi-system emulator can solve these issues by the time it's released. Fingers crossed.

[@cameronskeem1860]

I'd honestly be happy if Nintendo just made more available on the switch. seeing n64, gamecube, and even wii games come over would be awesome

[@patricksedler9697]

Yes! Us collectors would appreciate it too, the gamecube games are in super high demand latley. But they have only been officially released on the cube itself. Having them released on modern hardware officially, would make the demand lower for the classic discs. Therefore, us collectors can get our games cheaper.

[@gunplaygaming6830]

You just mod a wii bro..., it’s pretty easy

[@mondobe]

Well, you’ve got N64 and Genesis for a few extra bux, might as well just emulate

[@mondobe]

Well, you’ve got N64 and Genesis for a few extra bux, might as well just emulate

[@AshleyWolf125]

monkeys paw

[@fgfhjfhjfbhfghf5771]

"It's not worth it without rare games" Super Mario 64 Star Fox 64 Ocarina of Time Majoras Mask Mario Kart Super Smash Bros Pokemon Snap 3 Mario Parties (granted 1 might be hard to release nowadays cuz of the joystick spinning) Pilotwings Donkey Kong 64 Wave Race 1080 Mario Tennis Mario Golf Technically they could include Animal Crossing and advertise it as a star fox 2 deal in the west Paper Mario Mischief Makers (Don't remember who owns this but eh) Dr Mario 64 Pokemon Puzzle League

[@stretchedmonkey6490]

Donkey Kong 64 is a Rare game, but your point is very valid

[@arnox4554]

As he said. You can still put a list together of other great games, absolutely, but it's just not gonna be the same. It'll be a compromised list. And it gets even trickier considering Microsoft already released a, actually all things considered, really damn good remaster of the classic Rare games through Rare Replay.

[@printthelegends]

Mischief Makers is a Treasure joint.

[@PaleVoyager]

Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon clapped too.

[@viiralviper2510]

You also forgot to put in there pokemon stadium 1 and 2 , conkers bad fur day, clayfighter schulpture, gauntlet , snowboarding kids 1 and 2, and resident evil

[@FlameLFH]

I always feel like Nintendo has this secret, unreasonable hatred for the N64.

[@squabbbb]

It is the console that kind of fucked them over. The hardware was underutilized, the third party support wasn't great, and the use of cartridges is one of the main reasons PlayStation is the juggernaut it is today. And giving playstation that path to success no doubt proved to Microsoft that the console market wasn't as hard to break into as it once was. Obviously this is just one way to look at it but it wouldn't surprise me if there was some regret over the N64

[@carotteatomique]

It was the 1st time they weren’t first in the console race, maybe that’s why?

[@randytyson]

It sold poorly in japan and nintendo was rare making hits made staff salty

[@kaiserrino8774]

Well along with the Gamecube it sold like crap. Nintendo usually re release (Ala revisions) their successful products.

[@cacomeat7385]

@Mr Heck miyamoto can be really damn petty sometimes, not just in this instance.

[@AmyraCarter]

Nah; they'll make 'official' N64 gamepads for the Switch and release some of the N64 games with optimizations in place for the Switch, if they do anything. However, I wouldn't hold my breath.

[@alastairward2774]

I thought the gamepads would stop it being a thing, some of the best games required four players for maximum fun/nostalgia, four pads would be a tad pricey.

[@Deadsea_1993]

I can definitely see N64 and Gamecube being on Switch. Nintendo owns a lot of important titles on both and Switch can easily handle both

[@VictoryReviews]

That seems most likely

[@vivisect53]

They can just make the controllers use the Wii u Game Cube adapter they released for the Switch for Smash, and release that again also.

[@vivisect53]

Actually they would release anew adapter just for N64 controllers probably.

[@YoursTrulyLXIX]

We lost this for Nintendo Switch online. Unbelievable

[@ConsumerOfCringe]

Could you make a Wii U: mistakes were made video? i'd love to know how the Virtual console and browser hacks work and how they were discovered

[@maladjustedtv]

+1 I love my Wii U & play it often!

[@tim-5549]

Bumping this comment, would love to see this!!

[@NobleRaider2747]

Bump

[@Walking_bandaid]

Very much agree. I love the homebrew I'm able to do with my Wii U. Definitely makes it worth owning still today

[@muhaxiiii]

Would be great, but to be honest, isn't the entire Wii U just one big mistake :P (yes I own one, hacked to oblivion :) )

[@jacquespaught]

Honestly you're better off just getting a real N64 and an Everdrive 64 cartridge.

[@ConkerTS]

Yes, and that's what I use, but there are two big problems with that; 1) Most of the Super Mario 64fan made mods (some of which are really good) won't work on real hardware, only on (specific) emulators, 2) Many or most modern TVs don't display the N64's video output too well. Including my new TV.... The only hardware based HDMI enabled mod M64 (which is supposed to be superb) is very expensive, difficult to install, and worst of all, has apparently not been manufactured in the last two years, for some reason. I've been trying to locate a source, with no luck. I tried one of the third party RCA to HDMI solutions, and whilst it did improve the output when I played PAL games on my PAL N64/PAL TV, when I tried playing NTSC games on the PAL N64/PAL TV (which the Everdrive 64 allows) then the TV output is ruined, with coloured lines all over the screen, and some screen jumping, making NTSC games unplayable on it (though they display properly when the N64 is plugged into the TV normally, it's just that then both the NTSC and PAL games look bad due to the TV not liking the N64's output, and rendering it badly).

[@alinepiroutek8932]

We want accurate handheld N64 emulation because obviously playing on the original hardware using TV is the best outcome.

[@blakryptonite1]

@@ConkerTS build an HTPC, install all the emulators, download all the game libraries, install BigBox, and call it a day. That's the only way you can future-proof your retro gaming experience.

[@kvleggo]

And back up the emu’s/games to a second storage source

[@InputArchive]

I have this combo, but as someone with only HDTV’s, the image quality is beyond piss poor. Thinking about selling it tbh and just sticking with emulation.

[@ElladanKenet]

Some observations: 1- While the NES Classic essentially had the 30 best games on the console, the SNES Classic limited to 21 was a bit disappointed. There were several 'killer apps' that were not included, for varying reasons. The amount of data storable was identical: 512mb. 2- The N64 library would've been even more limited, barring several very popular licensed titles and titles from 3rd parties, namely RARE. Titles that come to mind: Banjo Kazooie/Tooie, Donkey Kong 64, Jet Force Gemini . Goldeneye (all rare), Star Wars Episode 1 Racer, Star Wars Rogue Squadron, to name a few. 3- The game size was hugely bigger relative to SNES. Mario 64 was 8mb and both Zeldas had 32mb storage sizes. At an average of about 16mb per game, a smattering of 21 games would come out to 336mb. Which, while still within the size parameters of the flash drives used in the previous systems, there's a lot less space for onboard flash memory and the OS 4- As is brought up on the video, emulation is an issue. And while a lot of those games have been successfully emulated, no single emulator handles all of them. There have been at least 2 or 3 emulators floating around, and for some of those uncommon titles out there, have specialty emulation software specifically for the game.... just to be functional. 5- Price and effort. Nintendo is capable of fixing all of these issues of course. I mean, the N64 could do it, so why not just recreate the N64, in small form? Well, they could, but there would have to be a lot of R&D involved (which you bring up in the end), and yes, brings up the price. $150? I think the price would be closer to $200, which at that point, is just silly, when you could get a Switch and play several of these games (and many others). 6- Market. The big thing about R&D costs is they get rolled into the overall budget of the system development and then spread out. The more devices you end up shipping, the less overall you are spending per unit. In order to be really profitable and worth it, they'd have to probably sell a million or more of these, and the market just isn't there, Nintendo figures. In fact, they probably need more like 10 million units for that much R&D to be worth it, and the idea of the N64 Mini selling 10 million units is kind of laughable. So where does that leave things? Well, with Nintendo's ongoing Switch market: 143 million and counting, with enough power to play Switch games and anything older (with the right emulation). The Online Catalog is pretty robust and all of the games that are there work pretty flawlessly, granted, a lot of those games are specially modified to work optimally on the hardware (hence why so few games are there, relatively speaking, aside from licensing deals). It is, in the end, far more economical for Nintendo to focus on the easy N64 games they have no problem working on and putting it on the Switch, rather than make a dedicated N64 Mini. But then why did they make the NES and SNES Classic? They didn't have the hardware or licensing issues. As mentioned earlier, the NES Classic is basically a best of the best already, and the SNES Classic has about 3/4 of the games most people want anyway. The hardware is easy to run and doesn't take up much space. It was a non-issue then, but NOT a non-issue with the N64.

[@LAG09]

You mentioned what they did to achieve that on the Wii and it's pretty paltry PowerPC 750 CPU so it's definitely possible to make an N64 mini that runs games without hitches. Hence I believe the reason why we haven't seen an N64 mini is Nintendo's internal politics, not technical. The NES and SNES minis were both developed by Nintendo of Europe and their Japanese division, who has always been in charge of hardware, was *enormously* resentful over that. Not just that they went "out of their lane" like this, but particularly over the fact that the devices turned out to be success. When the NES mini launched the shortage was because of hostility from Nintendo's head office leading to them cutting back on production massively. When it turned out to be a smash hit they only very begrudgingly increased production to meet demand.

[@madmax2069]

I have to agree

[@flecom5309]

ah politics, seems like a much more plausible answer than software/hardware issues

[@Objection010]

Wow that's interesting. I am curious though; where did you hear that?

[@TN_AU]

What's your source?

[@yellowblanka6058]

@@flecom5309 Except he lays out in this very video WHY it's software/hardware issues. Remember, the N64 VC emulation on the Wii was basically a hand-tuned emulation solution on a per-game basis, and there were ultimately what, 21 games available? That's an extremely small subset of the N64 library. That's not even getting into licensing issues. They can either spend a lot of time testing and hand-tuning emulation solutions or invest in a powerful SoC - either option would be expensive.

[@AirskiiMusic]

It looks like its easier to rebuild the damn games from the ground up

[@MakotoIchinose]

Easier said than done. Remaking games from the ground up is way more difficult than porting source code to different CPU architecture. Even then, porting source code isn't as easy as flipping a switch.

[@AirskiiMusic]

@@MakotoIchinose yeah i know its a lot of work but 1) modern engines like unity and unreal are cross platform 2) we love the IPs and would probably be happy to pay again for them 3) the actual art assets can be extracted quite easily and even upgraded slightly. 4) additional features can be added...although as i talk i realise that we loved the old bugs and tricks that would be lost by doing all this :/

[@TatsuZZmage]

@@MakotoIchinose Did you not get the mario64.exe?

[@swindlesmccoop]

Zachary Scott oh? you mean the decompilation and porting project that took countless hours of hard work from a team of many people? definitely just a flip of a switch. yep.

[@nekohel]

@@swindlesmccoop I thought that project was different from the nintendo code leak that happened a few months ago. Are they related? It was my understanding the leaked code was super easy to recompile for whatever you wanted.

[@juanc.3372]

Ique was a single board N64 that gives me hope that they can do it and maybe get a nintendo 64 mini

[@dankhill6851]

They ain't doin it, nintendon't do what the customers want

[@denrico777]

Never heard of ique, but yeah, designing and manufacturing actual n64 hardware that is modern, and then running the games natively is the answer.

[@louistournas120]

@@denrico777 Look up ique on Wkipedia.

[@omegarugal9283]

@RaniaIsAwesome they have the designs, and it did replicate the N64 accurately, except for the parts that were not used

[@omegarugal9283]

@RaniaIsAwesome are you stupid or what?

[@FurEngel]

The error in your logic is thinking Nintendo would go the emulation route. The more likely scenario is Nintendo would contract a fab to make a chip similar to what iQue did: a custom MIPS processor or SoC running a micro-HDL that implements nearly all of the original hardware and then uses compiled and ported games.

[@1992Apocalypse]

I was thinking something like this the whole time

[@kylewavey6206]

Wouldn't something like that cost a lot of money? Probably not worth the cost for Nintendo

[@michelvanbriemen3459]

The N64's hardware is infamously complex though. It wouldn't prevent the implementation of course, but that might be prohibitively expensive for a Mini product.

[@rougenaxela]

If Nintendo felt confident they could sell a large enough number of them, I think this would be the way they'd go. Knowing what I know of the costs of getting SoCs made, the unit cost for something made with this approach could be very reasonable if the volume were decent. Trouble is, I don't think they're anywhere remotely near confident enough that they could sell enough of these to be worth that investment.

[@Generalkidd]

A custom SoC would probably be a lot more expensive than sourcing an off the shelf mass market SoC. The problem with ARM SoCs in the sub $99 price range is that they don't have the performance to accurately emulate N64 games in LLE mode. But there's no reason Nintendo HAS to stick with ARM for an N64 Mini. Intel also offers x86 SoCs which should have no trouble running N64 emulators in LLE mode. The Intel Atom x5 Z8300 only costs OEMs $21. Since PCs from the late 90's to early 2000's were already capable of emulating the N64 at full speed, an Atom x5 should have no trouble with that either all while keeping the price of the N64 classic mini at or below $99.

[@pkmngldnshwr]

Normally I really enjoy your videos but in this case you're making a lot of bold assumptions. - You assume that Nintendo would use a third party emulator, which has to assume functions of the original N64 or use the optimized ones made for the Wii. - You assume the hardware would be either a cheap arm based CPU similar to the SNES Classic or hardware such as Raspberry Pi. - You assume it hasn't been released because Nintendo can't get it to work. The emulator Nintendo would use would certainly make use of proprietary code the unofficial emulator developers don't have access to. They could of course optimize their code to work on whatever hardware they choose. The hardware chosen could be anything, but most likely would be anything in the same price range as the other classic consoles used at the time. By the time, if at all, Nintendo would actually release a N64 Classic, newer, faster hardware would be cheaper. Nintendo stated they released the classic consoles to bridge the gap between the Wii U and the Switch release. There is no reason for them to release a classic console now, especially if they have the intention of releasing any N64 games on the Switch as well. If they would, it might be between the Switch and the release of the next console.

[@robertsmentek4711]

This is an excellent comment, you are absolutely right about his assumptions. The challenge with N64 emulation has always been with the code, of course Nintendo would be using the original proprietary stuff when creating a mini console. The most likely scenario for it being released would be during the bridge between the Switch and Nintendo’s next console coming out, probably in 2022 or 2023.

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

- You are ignoring the fact that Nintendo themselves couldn't make a general purpose emulator for the Wii VC, so emulating the N64 is as much a challenge to Nintendo themselves as anyone else. - You are assuming that Nintendo would sink loads of money into a custom SoC solution for a niche product when they used ARM for all DS, 3DS models and the Switch. - As much as people would think Nintendo is the juggernaut it was back in the 80's, they have very little, if any grasp or deciding voice in the future of semiconductors. - Most, if not all, of the "revolutionary" stuff Nintendo developed semi conductor wise back in their prime was proprietary only to their devices and didn't appear outside of anything not made by Nintendo. - You are assuming Nintendo would not use the work of other people to their benefit and rely only on solutions developed in house. The fact they done that on the NES Classic shows that such assessment is incorrect.

[@pkmngldnshwr]

​@@BrunodeSouzaLino - Why would Nintendo create a general purpose emulator? Who said they even tried? It wouldn't make sense to develop such software when making an emulator and tweaking it per game made more sense technically and probably financially. They know what they're doing with their code better than you and I. A general purpose emulator only makes sense if you want to emulate the entire library. Which, due to many reasons such as licensing, wouldn't be necessary. - You are misinterpreting the hardware statement. No one said Nintendo would "sink loads of money into a custom SoC solution". Only stated they could buy better, faster hardware. Not custom. - Who is talking about Nintendo having a deciding voice in the future of semiconductors? Hardware performance increases and value decreases over time, this is due to a market where successor hardware is created at an enormous pace. This has nothing to do with Nintendo or any other singular entity making that decision but rather the economic model of supply and demand in combination with an open market with multiple competitors all of which influence price and development speed. - When you say Nintendo used other people's work in the case of the Nintendo Classic, are you referring to the header they found in the ROM? If so, that would be the ROM, not the emulator itself. It's their own work. Why would Nintendo spend money on developing something that has already been developed by someone else using Nintendo's own code? If it works, it works. If you mean the emulator possibly being based on an open source project - again, same as before. Why fix what ain't broken? - Also, nowhere have I said Nintendo wouldn't use any other code other than their own. That's you misinterpreting things, again. What I said was that Nintendo is more than capable of creating custom solutions to their problems. Be it code or hardware.

[@bitset3741]

1. Optimized code - we have optimized code. In fact our code is better then Nintendo's rather significantly in this case. "proprietary code the unofficial" - it really is the opposite case in this example, the unofficial guys have far more advanced code then the proprietary, not the other way around. Also "optimized" code can only do so much. It cant make non-functional magically functional. 2. THE price range for everything right now is ARM, period. An Intel compute stick could emulate all N64 games with one arm (pun intended) tied behind its back, but the price would be too high. A further cut down Wii chipset could use existing VC code, but again would be too expensive. 3. Of course by the time of release newer faster hardware would be cheaper, but you engineer to what you have, not to what you think you will have.

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

​@@pkmngldnshwr 1 - Sure. They could buy faster hardware. Would you buy it if it was 50 dollars more expensive, if not more? I don't think so. And I don't think Nintendo would sell those at loss either. They never do. 2 - As it goes with #1, the extra performance doesn't come for free. In many cases, you will pay for it as a consumer. It's estimated that for every dollar the product costs to make, 4 dollars have to be paid by the consumer. 3 - Nope. Other people diffed both ROMs and they were 100% the same, which means Nintendo didn't rip their own stuff using code they have or something like that. 4 - The Virtual Console example shows that it isn't the case. Some games from the library, like F-Zero X, don't display textures properly for example, which means their emulation is not perfect. The fact they had to ship a different emulator for each game proves this even further. If the emulation was flawless, it would work for every game. The prime example of that is the bsnes emulator, which can run every single game released for the SNES exactly like the SNES runs it. Stella is another example for the 2600.

[@retrod8bit158]

Paying for emulation... pfffff, Sony couldnt even emulate properly their games

[@jebe4563]

Sony used an emulator that was originally developed for the OpenPandora from 2011, without even doing to courtesy of talking to the dev.

[@InfernosReaper]

@@jebe4563 of all the versions of that emulator to ripoff, they went with that one? And made it worse? Good job, Sony...

[@rackzity7724]

It is all about Money, at least they had a few Options. Even a old PSP Model have native PSX Support.

[@REDWOLF0027]

Epsxe , fpse, ppsspp, ppsspp gold , damonps2 , damonps2 pro.

[@J43rv1]

you clearly are too young to remember Bleem! ha ha.

[@scottlawrenz6467]

I got to say that I've been popping in on this channel every once in a while over the past couple years. I never subscribed until today. Every time I watch a video on this channel I'd learned something and it's always more in-depth and better researched than just about any other gaming channel on KZbin. This video was extremely well presented. The explanations for clear and to the point, and the arguments for backed up with evidence. This was a great video and it's not the only one on this channel

[@mus247365]

Might make more sense for them to release an N64 collection for the Switch itself?

[@bobgoat158]

I'd like the option to play the games portably myself.

[@hdofu]

Honestly I’d wager hardware cost, the nes and snes mini were being emulated on practically the same custom Linux hardware , the hardware needed for the bigger and more complicated games would mean having to design new hardware and Nintendo has been known to be hesitant in that department

[@TrevelyanOO6]

I would love to hear the inside story on how NT let MS pull Rare out from under their feet; what was Nintendo thinking?!. Rare games in NT (SNES/N64) was such a huge part of my childhood, and then suddenly no more. I loved Perfect Dark, played a crazy numbers of hours in multiplayer with my siblings, and I never got to see a sequel (on a nintendo platform).

[@goranisacson2502]

I think there're plenty of similar articles like that already, and I found this reddit post on the subject with a bit of googling- www.reddit.com/r/nintendo/comments/cz83da/why_nintendo_sold_rare_official_statements_from/ With Nintendo's own words. Long story short seems to be that A- Rare were going through personnell at a rapid speed, as most Western tech-firms often do, but from Nintendo's point of view that simply meant Rare had lost the people who made their good games and were way less interesting to buy. B- Nintendo wanted to change it's business strategies by contracting third parties to release their games on Nintendo consoles, or develop their own first party teams. Essentially second party teams weren't as attractive to them anymore. C- they just felt that Rare's latter games weren't doing as hot as their earlier games.

[@briancoyer1060]

Honestly not too sad, rare was great at first but everything they ever released through microsoft was hot garbage, and that was all on rare (although quite a few people loved viva piñata, which to me was their last good franchise)

[@dan_loup]

The best bet would be if they still can use the IQUE hardware, but the rare licensing issues would still hurt a lot.

[@psirensongs]

Underrated point, I hadn't even considered the IQue. But yeah, licensing, and also price point. That thing was just straight up a whole N64 inside a controlller.

[@nitrax8629]

Not sure how they will produce the old SoC in a modern manufacturing process.

[@vivisect53]

Yea, that might make it a problem, then you got the issue that it didn't run on 5v USB either though. So they gotta throw in a power brick this time.

[@overwatch761]

It's not a question of if, Nintendo own the design, I don't think you understand the cost of such an idea? Mini hardware is using mass produced SoC and emulation to keep cost low, what your suggesting is a hardware rerun, that's not including custom redesign and everything else required today.

[@dankhill6851]

All they would have to do is pay for the license.... lol. Rare isn't actually going to make any of those games ever again. It's actually been so long that the original rare developers wouldn't be able to anyway, they're out of practice.

[@TampaTec]

N64, PS2, and Dreamcast and Saturn I would buy. I have ps1 mini, snes mini, NES mini, Sega genesis mini.

[@realmchat6665]

That shirt is next level - I must order a CAVE shirt, and the part where you mentioned the first old school n64 emus was nostalgic.

[@derekjenkins6614]

It'll come. For now, seemingly insatiable third party demand for Switch game card manufacturing means they can clip the ticket ($$$) without being distracted by new hardware manufacturing/distribution.

[@RiskierGoose340]

The SNES mini was so amazing not JUST because of the 20 games on it, but also the ability to add more SNES games to it, as well as Sega games, NES games, and even Gameboy and Gameboy advance games through modding. I actually got an SNES classic for Christmas a couple years ago but never really used it, until I realized that I could add more SNES titles to it, as well as also giving it another chance. Now I have plenty of games modded onto it, mainly SNES and Gameboy Advance games.

[@ConkerTS]

MVG, like, I imagine many people, I've long wanted a HDMI solution for the N64. I've never managed to track down the UltraHDMI, and apparently it's not even been manufactured in the past couple of years, which is all the more unfortunate considering how modern TVs seem to be less and less capable of displaying the native N64 output properly. Since you seem to keep your ear to the ground regarding older systems, then can I ask if you know anything about the UltraHDMI situation, or any other HDMI based solution, please? I live in a PAL region (England), by the way, which complicates the N64 TV output situation even futher, apparently. For some reason, some of the possible solutions to using an N64 with a modern TV are only designed to work with NTSC consoles. It does seem strange that the UltraHDMI is so hard to come by. People still seem to be interested in getting one, and I also don't understand why someone else hasn't developed a similar N64 to HDMI console mod. That's why I would be very interested in an N64 or third party clone; a reasonably priced N64 with a HDMI output would be very welcome. Assuming the console could be made to run games other than the ones supplied of course. An N64 without Perfect Dark, Goldeneye, Conker's Bad Far Day multiplayer, Body Harvest, Rocket: Robot on Wheels, etc, wouldn't be of much interest to me. BTW, I really like your videos, so thanks for them, and for the emulators on the original XBox, they are (still) great to use now. The XBox is still my emulation station, a task for which it's exceptionally well suited, thanks to the skill and hardwork of yourself and the other guiding lights of the XBox scene.

[@Z64sports]

CRTs are free most places

[@TheBotleyBoy]

I have a suggestion for you, my friend. Buy an old DVD player/recorder that upscales a standard definition signal to HD output. Pass the N64 through it and you might be pleasantly surprised with the results. For added clarity and image improvement, buy an mClassic too (got one recently and the difference is immediately noticeable).

[@bhayes444]

EON had a plug and play solution with the Super64 HDMI adapter. It doesn’t look as nice as the ultraHDMI mod, but is substantially more convenient. Sad part is that it is now apparently out of stock pretty much everywhere and is like $250 on Amazon whereas MSRP was $150 USD.

[@lil_lizzy]

@@bhayes444 I just purchased an Everdrive 64 x7 and an Eon yesterday. Stoneage Gamer has plenty of Eons in stock currently. Even better when paired with mclassic. Just an update for everyone. EON is probably the best thing that's not Ultra HDMI

[@railsrust]

The solution you could go for is a Rad2X HDMI cable with Tim Worthington's RGB mod with deblur functionality. Not cheap, but certainly doable.

[@CoolJosh3k]

I expect all games they would have put on an N64 classic will instead be “remastered” and released as Switch games. Not just emulation either, but rebuilt to work with the Switch hardware and features.

[@The2808erik]

or just play n64 on the switch.

[@citricdolphin]

That's quite a tall order. It's unusual (though not unheard of) for Nintendo to release remakes of games. One or two on the Switch makes sense, but a complete remake or even port of every beloved N64 classic seems unlikely.

[@The2808erik]

@@citricdolphin just emulate, the experience is very good with most games.

[@rashidisw]

why else N64 offering for WII's virtual console were mostly only Nintendo's 1st party published games?

[@citricdolphin]

@@The2808erik They specifically said "Not just emulation," and I was only saying that native versions are unlikely to happen. I'm still holding out for N64 games via Switch Online Service.

[@lovescarguitar]

I can answer without watching the video; however, this is me answering from the future so take that as you will. 1st, they did not go through with it because of the switch online features. The NES and SNES did well on switch, so they decided to move from a standalone console where they could make a one time profit from, to something they could benefit off of long-term. 2nd, this further helps prevent people from people being able to hack consoles and upload their own library. We all know Nintendo's track record with the internet retro gaming community.

[@CaffeinatedTech]

FPGA to the rescue? Seriously though, they'll just re-release the games on the switch and make more money.

[@martinantelo7086]

There's no FPGA powerful enough for N64, nor there will be one in many years.

[@Samantas5855]

Lol no, fpga would be expensive and pointless since it's just one system

[@flecom5309]

@@martinantelo7086 I assure you there are FPGAs that could emulate the N64 without breaking a sweat, the problem is they are going to cost way more than a cheap ARM chip

[@bschinzel]

They don't even need an FPGA. They could do the entire system on an ASIC/Custom chip for practically nothing. They own all the proprietary information and schematics to do a 1:1

[@MegaLazygamer]

@@bschinzel Maybe, so long as the rights to the hardware aren't held by the SGI, NEC or someone else. It isn't exactly legal to reproduce an ISA which is held by copyright.

[@linkincsar269]

I feel like this guy enjoyed breaking my heart ....

[@TheOvalOwl]

I'm new to this channel and I've been enjoying this content. You got yourself a new subscriber. Awesome video

[@KomradeMikhail]

If you don't assume it _must_ run on an ARM chip... It could just be based on a PPC chip instead, and 80% of the work is already done... Just port over those same 20 or so VC games as a start, and add a few more.

[@qlum]

If they were to go down that route they would either have to get a modern PowerPC processor and build a board around that which may not be cheap or restart production of their older chips. They would have to design a motherboard for that and on the software side, it would also require a lot more work. So personally I think developing such a system really would not be viable for this purpose. At that point you may as well start manufacturing the original chips that were used in the n64 and have an arm based processor for the os. This too would be too expensive.

[@goclunker]

qlum nothing to restart, g4s are still in production

[@-eMpTy-]

Yeah why not use RISC-V CPUs?

[@Generalkidd]

Why PowerPC? Most N64 emulator LLE plugins are optimized for x86. PCs from the late 90's and early 2000's running Intel Pentium CPUs were already more than capable of emulating the N64 at full speed. The best solution for Nintendo would be to go with an Intel Atom x86 SoC such as the Atom x5 Z8300 which only costs $21 for starters and can run emulators like Project64 at full speed with no issues. If they need more power, the Intel's Cherry Trail Atoms go up to the x7 Z8750 which still only costs $37 too. It'll easily have the performance Nintendo needs while keeping the costs of the system at or below $99

[@KomradeMikhail]

@@Generalkidd Because you clearly didn't even watch the video, that's why... Those Wii Virtual Console ports run on the Wii. The Wii runs PPC.

[@Venserql]

0:38 you forgot Sega with Mega Drive/Genesis mini

[@atranfanatic]

Yeah I found that really strange that he missed that. lol

[@ShawnTheRazor]

Rare was top dog on the N64 platform. I remember always being blown away by what they achieved on the system. If Rare released a game, I bought it. I think you're right in thinking price would be an issue. There's much less risk and more monetary benefit from releasing games or a service on the newer systems.

[@myopiniondoesntmatter7068]

Same reason why a Saturn mini has no chance. The emulation for that is a gigantic mess - even the best ones right now still have massive flaws with so much of the library (sound and textures mostly). Also the power needed to emulate the Saturn dwarfs what you ever needed to do the N64.

[@jc_dogen]

mednafen and ssf?

[@cheapshot777]

Sigh... This misconception about Saturn emulation again, when accurate emulation has been around for over a decade with SSF and now nearly perfect with Mednaden.

[@DoubbleDdragon]

Have u play VC N64 games on wii or wiiu ? Its perfect

[@ThatOneSeong]

With your powerful Desktop PC, maybe - but we're talking about devices either on-par or below the specs of a $35 computer. You're free to provide video proof of Saturn emulators on a Pi device running the most requested games like Panzer Dragoon or Burning Rangers at fullspeed without running into framerate or accuracy issues if you want to disprove the notion. But until then, we have the right to feel skeptical about the prospect; similar to N64. :shrug:

[@madmax2069]

@@ThatOneSeong exactly

[@Michael18751]

Gamecube games actually can run on the Pi 4 now. Even Wii games. Not perfectly but they run. With extreme overclocking that is

[@hayleyscomet3447]

I mean I’m sure Nintendo could just remake the boards they used for the Wii or Wii U tbh. That’s all they need to run it perfectly.

[@kaisersoymilk6912]

@@hayleyscomet3447 Sure, and then sell it for 300 bucks.

[@parkpunk2]

Golden Eye: I buy. No Golden Eye: bye bye.

[@TIDbitRETRO]

I agree that they won’t do an N64 Mini, but I can absolutely see N64 games being added to the Switch Online. ...Also, people saying doing an N64 Mini would be pointless without Rare games are outta their minds. Yeah, it woulda been nice to get GoldenEye, but there are EASILY enough awesome non-Rare games to fill out a 15-20 game Mini console. Easy.

[@robertwarf3316]

Yeah I thought the same. I never owned a 64 but I can think of plenty of games that would be enough to get people wanting one.

[@sammyshehole]

It’s still not nearly to the level of the NES or SNES library and I highly doubt they’d have the price any lower than what the SNES Classic cost. At that price, I’m not so sure it is worth it.

[@FraserSouris]

Yes. But would people be happy though? I know many people that were quite angry at the PS1 classive because it didn't have the licenced titles that people wanted

[@matthewlister3755]

This comment has a ton of evidence to back it up Exhibit A: I got Turok 2 on the Switch. Runs great, not Rare. There's a lot more

[@FightersHeart]

For many people, N64 = Goldeneye. (Not even considering all the other Rare games he mentioned.) It'd be like a company selling a car with no wheels. It just wouldn't make sense.

[@michaelcarr6382]

There will be a 64 mini . Nintindo will just wait for a slow year. When they need to boost profits to make the shareholders happy. I think nintendo has the knowledge and software engineers to make the 64 run on a potato. P.s i love the videos

[@billcook4768]

There already is a 64 mini. Unfortunately, it's a *C*64 mini :)

[@sithlordmaster181]

Nah. The Japanese are very good with long term planning. It’s not uncommon for them to plan 5 years into the future, whereas Americans demand profit quarterly.

[@corrion1]

lol Nintendo dont need any money man they have enough cash to develop a dozen new consoles and make a loss on all of them

[@puwazatza]

I did not know that Wii's Virtual Console was using unique emulation codes for each N64 game title. Thank you!

[@phexus82]

If they do one, it needs to have HD graphics with anti-aliasing. N64 has not aged well when displayed on current tvs.

[@sethreign8103]

UltraHDMI modded N64's look great on modern tv's too. The reason they look good through the Wii is because they're running on an emulator.

[@pauls4522]

@@gundamzerostrike hook nintendo 64 up to a rad2x (no modded needed) and the n64 can look a lot better as well as no latency smoothing. What what a classic console would need to do for the Nintendo 64 though is hopefully improve framerates. N64 was early 3d, and because of it a playable framerate in a lot of pure 3d titles were 17fps. At least 30fps, maybe even 24fps would help the console a lot.

[@moviemania1137]

TRUMP 2020

[@RockuMan]

I know this isn't the most cost effective solution, but what about a miniaturized "actual" N64 hardware with some kind of custom everdrive built in?

[@coolie4u]

We need HDMI. Everything else looks like a mask of smeared mud on modern screens.

[@deelowe3]

That would be insanely expensive as they'd have to make custom chips for it.

[@adamsfusion]

Like you were saying with cost effective-ness, they'd have to restart chip fabs to do so. Chip fabbing is a very expensive process unless you do it in a massive scale.

[@EvilishDem0nic8732WhatItDo]

Emulatorception

[@Nobbie248]

Mvg is right its too expensive right now there is no chip on the market for it that will keep the price in range

[@IllusionSector]

I really enjoy your highly informed and technically inclined perspectives. Keep up the great work, man.

[@EpicTyphlosionTV]

If they do end up making the N64 classic, then Sony needs to remake the PS1 classic... *And do it right this time*

[@Nandru85]

The PSOne mini... I can see myself buying one of those

[@RiderNexus]

The smaller PS1 with USB DualShock controllers and the ability to power the machine through methods like the NES and SNES Mini’s? Hell yeah!

[@shawnkratos1347]

The ps classic is perfect. They left weak security around it on purpose it appears and once modded is prob the best and not capable of all the classic systems

[@IceKoldKilla]

I can see a PS One being made and better this time.

[@EpicTyphlosionTV]

@@Nandru85 That's what I thought, lol. A PS1 classic with the slim white shell

[@shyguyftwfireblastbroftl202]

11:10 That is not a Virtual console on the Wii! That’s a virtual console on the Wii U!

[@jackomeara6395]

Okay Scott the Woz calm down

[@zuluecho5886]

*gαsφ*

[@newphilmz3605]

They Wii U's Wii side is an actual Wii.

[@CaptainFalcon333]

Skip to 12:03 if you don't want heavy trivia and just the answer to the video title.

[@exactspace]

Theory: They have a huge backlog of refurbished Wii's that never sold. They could repurpose some of the hardware, including the CPU, into an N64 Mini.

[@tomsvideosofrandomcrap6223]

They could have leftover Wii or Wii U Consoles in the factory that they could part out to get the pieces

[@alicev1500]

At that point, they could do that and make the Gamecube Mini.

[@LaC64]

That wouldn't really be possible. Besides Nintendo does not make these things. It's contracted out. You all are buying cheap cellphones cpus slapped in a cheap shell running emulators. It's total garbage.

[@not2tired]

Too many resources to put into a project that would be far less profitable than focusing on current gen products.

[@gyroninjamodder]

Why don't they just repurpose N64 hardware to make an N64 mini?

[@barc0deblankblank]

Fair points. Furthermore, the thumbstick's unique implementation would drive the price up, as well, given its peculiar and parts-rich assembly.

[@wupme]

Meh just give the device normal controllers, issue solved. The N64 controller was by far the worst shit they ever made.

[@supercattelephone]

Those thumbsticks were actually pretty accurate and precise because of how over complex they were. Using cheap normal stick boxes wouldn't make it as accurate I think. Even if the rest of the controller was the same as the original idk if Nintendo would do that.

[@barc0deblankblank]

@@supercattelephone Pot-based thumbsticks aren't ideal for N64 games, in my experience. There is a tangible difference in how the stick feels on the original hardware when playing any game designed for it, really.

[@supercattelephone]

@@barc0deblankblank Yeah I'm pretty sure they use ir sensors for the x and y axis on the n64

[@Streetpharmasist420]

I want the gamecube classic.. even though it flopped. I loved that little device. From the way u can carry, the way it looked, and the games, first HD wiring on a console, first wireless controller, there is just so much that was dope about the system.

[@crazedlunatic43]

The GameCube wasn’t a commercial failure. It lost to a chief competitor in market share, that being the mighty PS2, but it wasn’t a failure. Not by a long shot compared to other real platform blunders like the Atari Jaguar, 3DO, Wii U, Saturn/Dreamcast and etc.

[@kingjoe3rd]

Maybe Nintendo is releasing a special Switch controller that is N64 inspired that will be usable with N64 games that they add. Just an idea.

[@gmcnewlook]

That’s more likely... like they did with the snes and nes controllers for the switch

[@youngmaverick8702]

I just hope Sega makes a dream cast mini. I got sega genesis mini and im addicted. A 64 classic would be great also

[@targetrender9529]

i have no idea about any of the technical talk, but I still love watching this guys videos. He makes me want to learn.

[@TheGreenQuality3rd]

They could do it, even have it render in HD/4k, on lower-spec hardware. They would need to port the games instead of emulating them. Nintendo keeps all there source code(I have no idea about 3rd party games). It could be done, it would just take some time and money. In the end, it may not be worth it for them. They could also do a system on a chip/shrink the existing hardware(would be in the original resolutions).

[@7ngel]

It's true. With all these leaks it shows they clearly have the source code to at least the first party games but they're too damn lazy to port them. Smh.

[@patricksedler9697]

Lol 4k on a presumably $100 system. Thats not gonna happen.

[@TheGreenQuality3rd]

​@@patricksedler9697 Just like Quake 3 on raspberry pi 4. If ported, it could. Couldn't run modern games but n64 is low spec enough that it would work.

[@patricksedler9697]

TheGreenQuality3rd Yeah that is true, it was like 1am when i wrote that. I lack common sense that late at night lmao

[@ccharlot]

4 years later...guess he was right

[@thendakor]

All your comments are spot on. The combination of hardware and software emulation limitations and the lack of Rare games will make this very very difficult to pull off. I can't see it happening either.

[@adriannaranjo4397]

Nintendo: *Makes a perfect mini SNES console with some of the best games on the system* Sega: "I can do that too!" *Makes a Game Gear mini that's **_too small_** and 4 games for each color*

[@ransom6892]

I think you skipped a step

[@Xfade81]

All in all the patent ended up being the controller for the switch + it's n64 games.

[@V3ntilator]

This video is 1.5 years old now, so this were not known back then. N64 Mini probably never happened because of N64 Expansion Tier in Nintendo Online. Nintendo wanted to sell Switch instead for N64 games.

[@iamtheliquor809]

I would rather see Nintendo take some of the classic N64 games like Mario 64, Zelda OoT and MM and re-release them on switch with better visuals to be quite honest. A mini console was cool for 2d games but I think most people would rather play upgraded versions of 3D games.

[@silvervalleystudios2486]

And the capacity for improvement is better with 3-D games.

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

Didn't they re-release Wind Waker with better graphics twice already?

[@LosDefinit]

I was telling a lot of friends this wasn’t going to come ever since a saw that one video you did and I saw the problem Mario kart had with one of the signs on the track lol

[@briancoyer1060]

What's the sign problem?

[@MochaFatTart]

What's the sign problem?

[@GleidsonTseva]

Ward

[@gaminggoose2329]

The megatron screen above the tunnel on luigis circuit that clones the player camera to make it look like a live feed for the audience has never been able to be reproduced via emulation, it’s something very special that only original n64 hardware can produce. The screen when emulated is just black, there’s no picture.

[@arcadesunday4592]

As always, a fascinating and technically accurate video. Cheers for now!

[@drummer703]

I bet they’re just waiting to release it on the Switch. After all they recently released the NES and SNES on the Switch

[@ducknut300]

That shouldn’t be a problem since Nintendo put in Donkey Kong Country for the Snes and that game is also owned by Rare.

[@faithles2425]

Donkey Kong is Nintendos property. The game was just developed by RARE but they where hired by Nintendo to do the job.

[@ducknut300]

I’m sure if Nintendo can get Capcom games on a both the NES and SNES classic, then they can get Rare games on the N64 classic too.

[@Swordslinger-hb1ns]

I’ll only buy an N64 Classic Mini if they include a few stand out among the main staples and the Rare games of course. They are: Hexen 64, Body Harvest, and Space Station Silicon Valley. Hexen 64 in particular just so happens to be the first N64 fps to have 4 player split screen deathmatch. A full 86 days (that’s almost 3 months btw) before Rare did it with Goldeneye 007. Obviously, they’ll include Goldeneye in a proposed N64 Classic among Perfect Dark among others but include the 3 listed hidden gems for it and I’ll snap it up right away.

[@newmusicplus]

I still keep my fingers crossed for a cost effective and compact hardware to run N64 with good performance.

[@desther7975]

Right now, I'd say your best bet is a small PC to do that and other things. I use a home-built Ryzen rig on my TV (I'm using it to watch KZbin and post this reply to you, in fact). It can very easily handle console emulation in addition to its multimedia tasks. All that's left is to get the right adapters to use the original controllers on it, and you're all set.

[@silvervalleystudios2486]

Yeah my NVIDIA shield struggles.

[@santoyo85]

Bringing n64 games to Nintendo switch and selling the controller as a separated accessories makes more sense than selling a U$150 mini console.

[@Cinder896]

1:10 didnt they use this for when you uset the n64 controller icon on the switch home menu at bottom left corner

[@n00bc0de7]

This might sound crazy but they could just build a scaled reproduction of the hardware itself. All they would need is the kernel code.

[@blahuhm6782]

yea, they don't need to be emulated, but that would be more work likely

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

And probably hundreds of thousands of money in R&D to develop the reproduction hardware...also paying licensing fees to RAMBUS...And so on.

[@CMSonYT]

That would cost infinitely more than shipping a whole pc with a custom emulator made from the ground up.