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Nintendo 64 Mini?

DrNeroCF

Member
I'd bet on N64 games being added to Nintendo's online service first, but we're never getting Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, or Banjo, so...

My biggest question is whether Nintendo would run them in HD or not. The 480p on Wii was never enough to be a marketed feature, but running n64 at 1080p looks more like a remaster than original + better image quality.

N64 emulation on Switch is in great shape at the moment, though.
 

SegaShack

Member
Don't get the point of classic consoles. If I want to play I'll use the real thing. These systems are cheap to get and anyone can buy a flash cart for it and have an actual authentic experience.
 

Shifty1897

Member
There's a lot of issues around an N64 mini...

There's the cost of a faster processor and higher storage capacity, the cost of the trident controllers with analog sticks, the fact that many of the games that would be on the mini ran at 20 fps or lower and would need significantly more work done than a ROM dump to feel good in 2019, the lack of some game genres on the system entirely, the fact that many of the biggest games would be tied up in licensing issues (All the Rare games).

I think a GBA mini would be a much better product.
 

Speedwagon

Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel. Yabuki turned off voice chat in Mario Kart races. True artists of their time.
Just want Mario Party that game never gets old.
 

Zog

Banned
I would much rather get n64 games on my switch
N64 games generally play better on an N64 controller. For example, the shooting minigame in Ocarina of Time is fine with a real N64 controller but almost impossible with a Gamecube controller. A second analog stick is also a poor replacement for the C buttons.
 

Codes 208

Member
N64 games generally play better on an N64 controller. For example, the shooting minigame in Ocarina of Time is fine with a real N64 controller but almost impossible with a Gamecube controller. A second analog stick is also a poor replacement for the C buttons.
As someone who hates the n64’s trident controller i completely disagree and greatly preferred playing OoT on the gamecube.
 

Smasher89

Member
100% would skip that, the mark up price for snes mini is costing like a switch lite over here in sweden, and at release it was about the half cost of a switch.
 
I'd like to see this, though much like the other mini systems, I'm not their market as I still have all my cartridges.

The system had a lot of great games. Mario 64, Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, Banjo Kazooie and Tooie, Goldeneye, Starfoz 64, Wave Race 64, etc. There are a lot of games on the system that I still remember vividly to this day, flaws and all. I still consider some of them among my favorite games ever made.
 
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Joe T.

Member
Forget N64 Mini, just give me a brand new console with four built in controller ports and 4K/60fps as standard so we can go back to four player splitscreen multiplayer games. Then just remake all the N64 classics. I'd run back to Nintendo in a heartbeat if they did that.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Also, the Mini console boom may be over now and that's another thing Nintendo may have taken into consideration. The newly released Sega Mega Drive/Genesis was fantastic, especially after all the half-arsed efforts that were coming out from third parties until Sega finally gave a shit and did it themselves, but is already available in some places with a significant discount.
The Genesis mini started here for $100 cdn. I don't know what happened the first month or two, but since November it's been on sale constantly, bottoming out at $65 one week at Walmart Canada. The regular price is now reset to $75. Someone on Ebay.ca was dumping them for $55, but has now set their regular price at $75 too.

Best Buy has had sales too. It's on sale for $80 now.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
Won't happen. Not because of any computing power but because having an analogue stick drives the cost of the controller hardware right up over just a simple all digital button pad with all the specialised and tiny moving parts required.

It's why Sony cheaped out on including Dual Shocks in with the PlayStation Classic Console.
Analog sticks are not expensive. A few cents to produce.
 

marquimvfs

Member
You still have it?

Doing an Ebay check, everyone seems to be selling them for $250 used, or more in good condition. You can actually make money off it.
I'm aware of the value, but I like to collect games. Will only sell them if I, somehow, really need to raise money.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I'm aware of the value, but I like to collect games. Will only sell them if I, somehow, really need to raise money.
Too bad I didn't follow the same thing. I've always dumped my stuff or traded it in when done.

I had tons of old Genesis games I sold for $20 to video stores and flea market dudes. Many of them are now worth $100+.

Even bland shooters like Truxton are worth good money. And I had MUSHA too and many others. I can't believe a used boxed copy of MUSHA is going for $500 on Ebay. Who knew.
 

marquimvfs

Member
Too bad I didn't follow the same thing. I've always dumped my stuff or traded it in when done.

I had tons of old Genesis games I sold for $20 to video stores and flea market dudes. Many of them are now worth $100+.

Even bland shooters like Truxton are worth good money. And I had MUSHA too and many others. I can't believe a used boxed copy of MUSHA is going for $500 on Ebay. Who knew.
Yeah, I've sold things that I used to have as a kid and deeply regretted some years later. I've been trying to rebuy some things that I really like, but not thinking as a collector, just as a player that like to play things in the real hardware.
 
The truth is that a lot of the classic N64 games would have aged badly. Compared to the NES and SNES. Unless they can get goldeneye in the system I personally wouldn’t want one.

Though a Body Harvest remake wouldn't be the worst thing to have happen.

Oh and WCW/nWO World Tour/Revenge are still better than any wrestling game to date.
 
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Trimesh

Banned
FPGA won't do better than software if there isn't enough information/knowledge to make an accurate, 100% compatible, mature N64 emulator.

The internal workings on the N64 are extremely well understood - not least because the original Verilog source code that the RCP was built from has leaked, along with the original test suite that SGI used to validate the design. Of course, actually using this data puts you into very murky territory legally.
 

JLB

Banned
nothing great about n64. Yes those 18 fps Zelda games were really great... ROFL

Expensive to manufacture and the emulation is crap.

Just adding: FUCKING TRASH Controller. I don't even want it to scratch the depths of my ass.

How a console that had Mario 64 had nothing great is beyond my comprehension.
 
The N64 mini would be worth it if that meant we would have access to a legit n64 emulator on hackable hardware. I want to play some beetle Adventure racing without having to tweak options for an hour.

Otherwise it wouldn't be worth it for me, most of the good stuff wouldn't make it due to licensing stuff
 

Mattyp

Gold Member
You can already play RARE's stuff in vastly superior 4K on the xbox. Then we get to the licencing part of other third parties, complete nightmare. So we're down to Nintendo owned IPS.

Mario, Mario Kart, Pilot Wings, Pokemon Snap, Zelda & Wave Race is all I can think of. They would be better off getting their shit together and releasing on the Switch would display a lot better on a smaller screen with a huge install base making more money then they would of a mini.
 
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Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
If it lacks Rare games, it lacks the N64's heart, imho.

Rare and Nintendo games (Except the mediocre Pilotwings 64) was the heart of N64. if one of them was missed, N64 Could be the worst console ever.

I really hate the N64 for many things, but the most important was

1.- Expansion Pak sell it for separated

2.- Dont launch Nintendo 64DD to America.

3.- The 3rd companies support
 
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psygn0sis

Member
Seeing how good is relationship between MS and Nintendo nowadays I can see Rare N64 games being released on Switch; yeah Goldeneye would remain impossible to port being stuck in license hell...
 
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Won't happen. Not because of any computing power but because having an analogue stick drives the cost of the controller hardware right up over just a simple all digital button pad with all the specialised and tiny moving parts required.

It's why Sony cheaped out on including Dual Shocks in with the PlayStation Classic Console.
Damn, I've never seen you reply with so much seriousness.....
 

Gavin Stevens

Formerly 'o'dium'
I would kill for an n64 mini... but the trouble is, it’s aged utterly awful. The controller, if you use it now, is just painful. So that would need a lot of changes just to be usable for today’s market. The games themselves are rough, but not as bad as playstation classics offerings thankfully.

I think as a system it would work, and I would buy. But for me? I would MUCH rather they made a game boy mini. Give me a gameboy colour shell, with a backlit decent screen, built in battery, and a ton of game boy games. You've got my money instantly.

Sure you can buy mod kits and unofficial ones. But nothing beats that official feel.
 

baphomet

Member
Yes everyone back in the day complained about the framerate, and how the games were unenjoyable because of it.

/s

Gamers now are so nitpicky. Awesome games on that system, which is all that matters.

Yes, people rightfully complained about N64 games running at 20fps even back then.

Only people who think that's something recent are people too young to have been paying attention back then.
 

mcjmetroid

Member
My least favorite Nintendo controller. It had some great games but the controller on the system was awful and the games were way too expensive back in the day.
 

Ban Puncher

Member
Damn, I've never seen you reply with so much seriousness.....
I seriously reply to your mum's advances with "No" all the time.

lb51rqi.gif
 
The N64 was probably the most dissapointing console I ever owned. After NES and SNES, I was convinced Nintendo consoles would always blow away the competition.

Starting with Mario 64 it seemed like it would again. But outside of Mario and Zelda, there wasn't a whole lot. Losing third-parties like Squaresoft was too much and I found myself spending 90% of my gaming focus on PlayStation.

Fully agreed. All the promises of what would be were broken. We were fooled.

First there was the "promise" of this:



Then screenshots like this...
8rVauQ7.jpg


Then...



What a disappointment. Not to say there aren't good games on the system, but it was not what I hoped for. Of course I was young, and naive in being susceptible to marketing, but...
 
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Bakkus

Member
The truth is that a lot of the classic N64 games would have aged badly. Compared to the NES and SNES. Unless they can get goldeneye in the system I personally wouldn’t want one.
Why do you use the example then of the most poorly aged game on the system as something you would want?
 

Grinchy

Banned
Don't get the point of classic consoles. If I want to play I'll use the real thing. These systems are cheap to get and anyone can buy a flash cart for it and have an actual authentic experience.
Buying a N64 from some ebay seller, and then buying an Everdrive, and then having a CRT to play it properly....these things do not sound anywhere near as cheap or easy as buying a mini version with HDMI.

The Everdrive alone is like $140 for the old version, and $250 for the new version on Amazon. I personally would prefer that setup too, but this is not a solution for "anyone."
 
Won't happen. Not because of any computing power but because having an analogue stick drives the cost of the controller hardware right up over just a simple all digital button pad with all the specialised and tiny moving parts required.

The N64 doesn't use a real analog stick, it's just a more complex joystick.

The reason why the N64 mini isn't going to happen is they don't have the right to the best titles and they would have to replicate the design of the controller. In addition, it was only really popular in one country and they would make more money charging you high prices for digital versions anyway.
 
You also have to look at software.

Midway is dead, the the franchises WB has ownership of are tight within there grip, I doubt Nintendo could convince them to release anything.

Hudson is dead and I highly doubt Konami would let them use their properties.

Rare is owned by MS.

Several Japanese devs are dead or part of companies like Taito, Sammy, and others that barely put out games these days.

THQ is dead.

Capcom doesn't care.

So what does that leave us with? Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Oot, MM, Wave Race, 1080 Snowboarding and F-Zero X? Not much of a collection there.
 
The N64 mini would be worth it if that meant we would have access to a legit n64 emulator on hackable hardware. I want to play some beetle Adventure racing without having to tweak options for an hour.

Otherwise it wouldn't be worth it for me, most of the good stuff wouldn't make it due to licensing stuff

N64 is an odd beast. It has an amazing library with gems like Beetle Adventure Racing, Pokemon Puzzle League (the closest we have to a Tetris Attack sequel), Goldeneye, Star Wars (Shadow of the Empire, Rogue Leader). I have my original system from 1996 and it has been the only way to experience these titles. The rights issues are a big deal and the primary reason these games have not been released again. The closest I have is the Wii U eShop N64 titles.
 
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