After a full year of teasing, retro hardware makers Analogue have just completely lifted the veil on Analogue 3D, a new console that lets you play Nintendo 64 games on a modern TV with all the bells and whistles you could expect. .
Pre-orders for Analog 3D will go live on October 21 at 8am PDT / 11am EDT / 4pm BST for $250. The company has yet to announce when these consoles will start shipping, and analogue products have historically suffered. both due to limited pre-orders and long wait times for those orders to be fulfilled. But Analogue has delivered many of the best retro gaming consoles you can buy today, and if this device lives up to the company's previous standards, it will be worth the wait.
Like previous analog products, the 3D uses field-programmable gate array (or FPGA) chips to replicate the functions of the original console down to the hardware level. Analogue's claim that this is not an emulation has always been a controversial semantic issue among retro gaming enthusiasts, but FPGA technology offers some key advantages over a software emulator that you can load on your phone, PC or other devices. , in particular, including minimal input lag.
Analogue 3D promises the “first 100% compatible recreation of an N64,” with full compatibility across the system's entire library. You can simply plug in any original N64 cartridge and that's it. The console outputs a 4K video signal via HDMI and Analogue promises configurations that will allow you to replicate the “soul of the CRT” on a modern screen.
“Analogue 3D's original display modes are meticulously reproduced recreations, virtually indistinguishable from CRT displays,” the official website promises. “Capturing warmth, depth and texture in every frame. Soft phosphor glow and vibrant colors are joined by immersive scan lines and shadow masks.”
that's something very flowery marketing for what amounts to CRT filters, but Analogue's history suggests these will be curse Good CRT filters. Arguably the best handheld retro gaming device enthusiasts can buy, the Analogue Pocket handheld showcased the company's attention to visual detail by replicating old display technology down to the individual subpixels that retro handheld devices used to create their images. I'd be surprised if the Analogue 3D did anything less.
I still have an N64 hooked up to a high-end CRT for my 64-bit gaming needs, and while I didn't think Analogue would be able to tempt me into playing 4K retro games, I have to admit that Analogue 3D is giving me pause. I'll probably end up refraining from pre-ordering the console in the end, but I don't know if I'll have the same restraint with the new controllers.
The 8BitDo N64 controller accurately recreates the button layout and strange analog stick gate of the original console, but instead of the strange three-pronged design we've been making fun of for years, this controller looks like it was made for human hands. The pad is Bluetooth, so it will be compatible with devices other than the Analogue 3D, including the Switch, and if 8BitDo follows the tradition of their other retro controllers by releasing an adapter that allows it to connect to an OG N64, I'm absolutely pleased. facing one.
Check out our list of best N64 games for 24 hits in a row along with International Superstar Soccer '98 as proof that these games were rated by GamesRadar+'s UK contingent.