Following the successes of the Super Nt, Mega Sg and Analogue Pocket. Analogue is now turning its attention to remaking the Nintendo 64 for modern audiences.
Like with the previous Analogue consoles, the newly named Analogue 3D will not be emulating the Nintendo 64, but instead recreating its chipset via a field-programmable gate array, or FPGA.
Not only does this bypass any and all compatibility issues that are common with emulation, but also input lag. Not to mention that it will allow the Analogue 3D to render Nintendo 64 games on modern displays in 4K.
Again, as with previous Analogue console releases, the Analogue 3D will not support ROMs of any kind and will only play original physical cartridges. With the emphasis on being able to play these classic games as they should be, but on modern displays.
In addition, 8BitDo will also be making a custom wireless Nintendo 64 inspired controller for the Analogue 3D, something that has been a common theme with prior Analogue console releases.
Obviously, I think all of this is great news. I have a lot of respect for what Analogue does, not least because they seem to be the only one actually trying to preserve the history of gaming. Not to mention that I actually want to play Nintendo 64 games on my current TV without them looking thoroughly terrible.
Whether the 64DD peripheral will be supported is unclear, but it’s likely at some point considering previous consoles Analogue has done. So fingers crossed on that.
As for release date and pricing for the Analogue 3D, it’s not clear how much this will cost but the plan is to release it sometime next year. In the meantime, head over to Analogue’s site to sign up for any updates on the new console.
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