Analogue's Nintendo 64 4K remake finally ships November 18 after repeated delays

[Shawn Knight]

Something to look forward to: After multiple delays, Analogue is finally gearing up to ship its highly anticipated Analogue 3D console. No, like… for real this time. According to the company, the sleek retro console has a ship date of November 18 and considering that's just around the corner, we're hopeful it sticks this time.

The Nintendo 64 clone was first teased in 2023 with a due date of late 2024. Once formally introduced, Analogue said the system would ship in time for the holidays… then in Q1 of the following year. Unfortunately, the console maker was unable to meet these deadlines and ended up pushing the machine back to August.

Summer came and went, however, with nary a system in sight, with the company blaming sudden tariff changes for its most recent delay.

The Analogue 3D is an FPGA recreation of Nintendo's iconic cartridge system from the mid-90s. The stylish machine features four original N64 controller ports, is region free, and is compatible with original accessories like the Expansion Pak. It also supports an array of modern technology including Bluetooth LE and dual-band Wi-Fi, and plays original games in 4K resolution with a variable refresh rate. There's only an HDMI output, so older CRT televisions are not supported… but there is a CRT mode, if that helps.

Included with the console is a 16GB SD card that comes pre-installed as well as an HDMI cable, a USB cable, and a USB-C power supply. Analogue notes the system doesn't play copyrighted ROM files but it is likely only a matter of time before modders change that. What else would be the purpose of an SD card reader?

Now for the bad news. If you don't already have a pre-order lined up, you're likely not getting an Analogue 3D in time for the holidays (not without turning to a third-party marketplace). The initial batch of units has been sold out for months, and it's unclear when – or if – Analogue plans to add more inventory.

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Analogue's Nintendo 64 4K remake finally ships November 18 after repeated delays

 

[Megalomaniac]

It would be nice if Nintendo made a retro N64, but the reality is, you can get N64 games on Switch/2 and play them with 4 players on wireless controllers - or play solo. A Retro console for the N64 probably doesn't make sense. Not to mention, we aren't so far removed from the N64 days that you can still get the OEM console/hardware from ebay - even though I think that's the least efficient and cost-effective way to play those mostly lackluster games.

 

[NumberNine]

My original N64 is still going strong and the image looks great. Played a solid two nights of Diddy Kong Racing last week. Neat tech though. If they're aiming for preservation then it's a shame they make such small runs. Everything Analogue makes is usually "sold out" because that is their business model.

Another example of a company getting in the way of their own products.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

It would be nice if Nintendo made a retro N64, but the reality is, you can get N64 games on Switch/2 and play them with 4 players on wireless controllers - or play solo. A Retro console for the N64 probably doesn't make sense. Not to mention, we aren't so far removed from the N64 days that you can still get the OEM console/hardware from ebay - even though I think that's the least efficient and cost-effective way to play those mostly lackluster games.

You can RENT, but not buy, n64 games on the switch, have to be subscribed to their cloud service ad the library is very limited.

Thank goodness emulation comes to the rescue as usual.

 

[amghwk]

Yeah, with the existence of great emulators, I don't see the need to waste more money with these remake BS. Yeah, "roms" are in the grey area, but, not going to spend again for the consoles I already own.

Besides, I can play emulated games anytime, anywhere, with my laptop and gamepads.

(I actually have many controllers for the specific emulated systems. For the authentic feel. Though, many games can use overlapping controllers. I just don't carry them all, but play using desktop.)

When I was still using Windows, I used Project64 to play N64 games. I still use it under WINE in Linux now. Native Linux emulator I use now is the Mupen64Plus.

 

[gamerk2]

When I was still using Windows, I used Project64 to play N64 games. I still use it under WINE in Linux now. Native Linux emulator I use now is the Mupen64Plus.

PJ64 is the main reason N64 emulation has been a train wreck for ages; people really need to stop using it. Mupen64Plus is the gold standard, but I'm not sure it supports the Parallel RDP plugin yet (which a number of the harder to emulate titles need). I'm defaulting to Parallels under Retroarch for that reason.

 

[KnightSayNI]

After all these years I could never go back to that N64 controller or probably the one in this picture. I need the 2 sticks with one moving the camera like the xbox and ps. They'd have to redo every game to work with the camera and they will never do that. Bah.

 

[Megalomaniac]

After all these years I could never go back to that N64 controller or probably the one in this picture. I need the 2 sticks with one moving the camera like the xbox and ps. They'd have to redo every game to work with the camera and they will never do that. Bah.

You brought up a good point. The N64's control scheme was new and introduced a generation to analog sticks - but it was terrible considering they only had one stick. Ironically, I had the PS Dual Shock and they hadn't figured out how to properly use the control scheme. I don't remember them actually getting the modern controller layout right until HALO on Xbox. That changed with the release of CoD: MW to make grenades one push button throwables.