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The Nintendo 64 Appreciation/Collecting/Emulation Thread.

Only N64 I ever had personally was actually my sister's, and she reclaimed it not too long ago. Just ordered an RGB-modded one to replace it, so I have the option of playing the games I'd bought for myself since getting hers.

Admittedly, I don't have any means of using RGB right now (HDTV doesn't support 240p over component, CRT only goes up to S-Video), but, y'know, future-proofing.
 

baphomet

Member
So, I got my Japanese n64 today.

Works fine using my GameCube's composite cable, but the SCART cable I have doesn't display any image - just sound. Do I need a Japanese SCART cable?

Composite is so, so, so bad.

Are you sure it's not just an extremely dark picture? Depending on what you're using you may need to add an RGB amp in there to actually get picture. You can always check the pinout and rewire the scart end if need be.
 

Cassius

Member
Finally this thread exists! Started collecting some N64 stuff earlier this year mainly because I started getting into speedrunning and the PAL versions are no good for that so I bought myself a Japanese N64 on Ebay, plugged in the cables from my old PAL N64 and it worked like a charm.

My holy trinity, the best 3 games I've ever played:


I have my N64 + CRT TV that handles NTSC somewhat decent set up on a table that I can drag around when I'm not using it. I say somewhat decent because the colors look a bit strange(like really strong/intense) but I'm sure could be fixed if I could find the TV remote and change the color mode/settings. At least I get a good picture, my old 14" TV did colors and all good but it was so small to play on and my other 22" TV didn't support NTSC very good so the picture was black and white. Of course my big LCD does NTSC but the input lag is too much for me to speedrun on. Old games belong on old TVs!


Hori Mini Pad controller for life, they are maybe a bit too small if you have big hands(like me) but anything beats the original N64 controller. Pretty hard(and expensive) to come by original controllers that still have decent sticks. Hori Mini Pads a pretty expensive on Ebay too, was lucky enough to grab mine off Ebay Germany for about $40 which is a good price. Been trying to get another Hori controller in good condition that matches my console's color but they go for $70-80 on Ebay and most of them have discolored analog sticks that look yellow and gross :p


EDIT: Of course I got a PAL N64 as well but it's in a box in the basement together with most of the "essential" N64 games like OoT, MM, SSB, SM64 and so on.

Really digging that controller.
 
Got the N64 I said I ordered.

The good news: powers on, reads carts fine, displays fine over S-Video (we'll have to wait and see about RGB once I get an XRGB or something).

The bad news: the games won't go past a "your controller's not plugged in doofus" screen, despite having a blue controller plugged into socket 1.

I'm having my sister lend me some more controllers to verify whether it's the controller's fault or the console's. I really hope it's not the console's. :\
 

dreamstation

Gold Member
Went digging through some boxes today looking for old games and look what I found! I was amazed at the condition it's still in after being packed away all those years.

7x5fFhT.jpg
 

D-e-f-

Banned
Went digging through some boxes today looking for old games and look what I found! I was amazed at the condition it's still in after being packed away all those years.

The schizophrenia of NoAU is really odd. Sometimes they get their stuff from NoA and other times (most of the time) they get it from NoE.

This one seems to be a case of the former.
 

DonMigs85

Member
Got the N64 I said I ordered.

The good news: powers on, reads carts fine, displays fine over S-Video (we'll have to wait and see about RGB once I get an XRGB or something).

The bad news: the games won't go past a "your controller's not plugged in doofus" screen, despite having a blue controller plugged into socket 1.

I'm having my sister lend me some more controllers to verify whether it's the controller's fault or the console's. I really hope it's not the console's. :\

Did you try other sockets? I believe many games like Mario 64 could have it plugged into any socket.
 
Did you try other sockets? I believe many games like Mario 64 could have it plugged into any socket.
I had to wait on my sister lending me Smash, actually, since most of my library insisted a controller be in port 1 and I didn't really feel like going through each and every game to find one that didn't.

As it turns out, the controller does work... in ports 2-4. Port 1, it just flat-out refuses to work. However, I doubt it's the console's fault, since the replacement controller my sister brought along works fine in Slot 1. We swapped controllers, since she had two and I only had one; might as well be that I have the one that works for 1P and she the one that works for 2P, I guess.

Anyway, played some Beetle Adventure Racing - boy, turning those things is remarkably difficult! Interested to find all those flower crates, though.

Then followed it up with Shadows of the Empire - first time ever playing it. Tank controls are complete shit, but it's surprisingly playable despite that. Had to look up what I was doing wrong with the AT-ST boss in stage 2, though - after I'd wasted the Invincibility that'd have made the boss a complete joke.
 

baphomet

Member
Donkey Kong 64, Paper Mario, Goldeneye, and some Duck Dodgers game for $25 locally. That's pretty decent right?
 

Rich!

Member
Here's a recommendation I haven't seen in this thread:

Bomberman 64 2. Fucking amazing game. Great co op too.
 

Fox Mulder

Member
Donkey Kong 64, Paper Mario, Goldeneye, and some Duck Dodgers game for $25 locally. That's pretty decent right?

Yeah, three are high profile games that people often over charge for, and paper Mario is pretty much worth $25 by itself.

The only games I can find around here are sports and the shitty wrestling games. Good thing I'm moving soon, this place is dry for retro games.
 

Brofield

Member
Hey guys, I've been looking to expand my N64 collection (among other retro consoles), and Toronto only has a few reliable choices.

I find myself in Michigan for today wandering about Frankenmuth and the surrounding area. Are there any notable games stores that specialize in older games (effectively anything not named GameStop)?
 

Teknoman

Member
Hey guys, I've been looking to expand my N64 collection (among other retro consoles), and Toronto only has a few reliable choices.

I find myself in Michigan for today wandering about Frankenmuth and the surrounding area. Are there any notable games stores that specialize in older games (effectively anything not named GameStop)?

Never pass up any thrift, flea, resale, or pawn shops if there are any. Also book/record/cd stores.
 

McCloud?

Member
Hey guys, I've been looking to expand my N64 collection (among other retro consoles), and Toronto only has a few reliable choices.

I find myself in Michigan for today wandering about Frankenmuth and the surrounding area. Are there any notable games stores that specialize in older games (effectively anything not named GameStop)?

It's a few days late, but there actually are a few good stores right in that area. Try these, if you don't mind driving a little bit:

Disc Replay:
3192G S. Linden Rd.
Flint, MI 48507

Video Games Plus:
3766 Tittabawassee Road
Saginaw, MI 48604-9429

Game On:
5691 Bay Road
Saginaw, MI 4860
 
Will be getting my N64 and NGC from my parents attic when I next return, have a hankering for some classic gaming.

It will end in tears though as I know my copy of No Mercy has the save glitch and I never knew it could be exchanged back in the day for a fixed copy. Ebay would be a totally lottery to get a newer fixed cartridge.
 

baphomet

Member
Found a super tiny game store kinda close to the house that me and my girlfriend checked out. They had some somewhat uncommon stuff there as well. I picked up Mischief Makers and Jet Force Gemini for about $15. He had really good prices on a bunch of the N64 stuff. I'm going to have to go back real soon. Also had stuff like Castlevania IV and TNMT IV, but they were priced $35 and $40.
 

IrishNinja

Member
hey, was hoping one of youse could help me out before retro_console_accessories sells out of her cords again! my RGB modded unit is, according to the modder:

I use the THS7314 to amplify the RGB signals.

thing is, there's 2 for sale that'd work:

this is the SNES one i've been using and it's great, i interchange it with the 64 as needed & havent noticed any issues yet. however, she's also selling this raw sync one with the following caveat in the description:

I have an RGB N64. Which SCART cable do I buy?
retro_console_accessories : Most N64s do not have sync connected, therefore to play it safe we advise people with such consoles to buy the non raw sync cables.
Please note we are not responsible in these cases for bad results with the cable as it will depend on how your RGB N64 was wired originally.

i don't know if i have "sync connected" so i just emailed my modder, as i'm not sure if his amp info applies. i emailed her too but she's not usually quick to respond, and again, hoping to sort this before they're gone...if i don't hear back in the next few hours before passing out i might just buy the one ive already got to be on the safe side, but what do you guys think? if the raw one would produce better results ("Outputs pure sync to your SCART to component or VGA. May also eliminate visual artifacts caused by using composite as sync in RGB enabled N64s"), it might be worth it?

edit: wait i'm already using her XRGB sync booster SCART cable adapter thing, which mentions raw signals in the description, so shouldn't i be okay?
 

Irate Drake

Neo Member
I had some stooge offer me $30 for Paper Mario, Clay Fighters 63 1/3, Banjo Kazooie, South Park, Pokemon Snap and Pokemon Stadium.

I kindly abliged with a "NO"
 

oatmeal

Banned
Went digging through some boxes today looking for old games and look what I found! I was amazed at the condition it's still in after being packed away all those years.

That's my favorite box of all time. Mine's still pristine.

I love the Japanese releases of it and MM, too.
 

baphomet

Member
hey, was hoping one of youse could help me out before retro_console_accessories sells out of her cords again! my RGB modded unit is, according to the modder:



thing is, there's 2 for sale that'd work:

this is the SNES one i've been using and it's great, i interchange it with the 64 as needed & havent noticed any issues yet. however, she's also selling this raw sync one with the following caveat in the description:



i don't know if i have "sync connected" so i just emailed my modder, as i'm not sure if his amp info applies. i emailed her too but she's not usually quick to respond, and again, hoping to sort this before they're gone...if i don't hear back in the next few hours before passing out i might just buy the one ive already got to be on the safe side, but what do you guys think? if the raw one would produce better results ("Outputs pure sync to your SCART to component or VGA. May also eliminate visual artifacts caused by using composite as sync in RGB enabled N64s"), it might be worth it?

edit: wait i'm already using her XRGB sync booster SCART cable adapter thing, which mentions raw signals in the description, so shouldn't i be okay?

It's going to depend on the model of the N64 as far as I know. Later revisions don't even have c-sync (raw) anywhere on the board. I modded both, one with composite sync, and one with c-sync. Using the same cord on both provided the same results on my pvm. Could be the monitor, but I don't know for certain if it would make a difference on the XRGB. I think it's serial numbers after 144XXXXXXX don't even have it, so the regular cable would work fine.

I'm by no means an expert, but I think that's correct.
 
no but because it was a low ball offer. I mean seriously all those games and system for $30.

You cant honestly tell me you would have jumped on it.

I picked up a system, 3 controllers and 14 games for $20 at a garage sale. I guess we have different perceptions of the value, lol.

So I'm guessing Nintendo 64 software values are rising?
 

hlhbk

Member
Due to this thread I just picked up off of Ebay for $178:

1. N64 console that came with the expansion pack, controller, rumble pack, 4 games I don't care about, power cord, a/v cables.

2. Memory card.

3. Zelda 64 gold cart.

4. Super Mario 64.

5. Star Fox 64.

6. Goldeneye

7. WCW/NWO Revenge.

8. WCW/NWO World Tour

9. WWF No Mercy

10. AV/cables that included Svideo

I was looking at getting Conker but its like a minimum of $60 on ebay!
 

amnesiac

Member
So I go to load up Majora's Mask today on my HDTV and quit after five minutes because it looked horrendous. Back to the old CRT it seems...

I don't understand why emulated N64 games on a computer with an HD screen look better than real N64 games on an HDTV
 

oatmeal

Banned
So I go to load up Majora's Mask today on my HDTV and quit after five minutes because it looked horrendous. Back to the old CRT it seems...

I don't understand why emulated N64 games on a computer with an HD screen look better than real N64 games on an HDTV

The computer is upressing it, rather than the HDTV just stretching the tiny picture to fit.
 
I still have my N64 and some controllers, but the only game I still have and didn't sell back in the day is OoT. :(

Time to start rebuilding. Luckily there isn't too much I really want to have.
 

oatmeal

Banned
ECBDF738-5612-4A69-AE14-EEADC0BFBB27-1502-0000018B748CB599.jpg


£1 from a local car boot sale.

I got it recently...the singleplayer is horrendous lol.

I remember loving it...

I know, games have changed...I couldn't stand the controls so I watched a walkthrough and the leves are SO bloated and long and convoluted.

Insane.
 

Recall

Member
I got it recently...the singleplayer is horrendous lol.

I remember loving it...

I know, games have changed...I couldn't stand the controls so I watched a walkthrough and the leves are SO bloated and long and convoluted.

Insane.

Yeah the controls are really bad, it hasn't aged well at all. Modern control schemes have spoilt me so going back to previous attempts is a real chore.

I do want to share another pic from my collection. Possibly the best racers on the console or at least the most enjoyable ones I own.

microchamp.jpg
 

oatmeal

Banned
Heh, that Micro Machines was the 8 player one right?

I still have WDC...it was finally the N64's sorta answer to Gran Turismo. Lack of licensed cars hurt, though.
 
I figure this would be the best thread to ask this:
I used to have a N64 a bit ago, but had to get rid of it because it stopped working, but I've recently been getting that itch to get one.

The question I have is - around what price is a N64, I don't want to end up paying like $20 or $30 more than I should have.

Also are pawn shops and used video game stores good for finding old N64 games?
 

IrishNinja

Member
you can get a working N64 on craigslist some days for like $20-30 tops, id totally not pay more than that unless you want a later revision with a clear case or something (i dug the jungle green one but i needed an early unit for RGB mod). and yeah, if you got swap shops etc go for that, N64 games are mostly cheap outside of amazon/etc markups, you shouldnt really have to pay more than few bucks unless its zelda gold carts (and even then...) or something like smash bros, paper mario, or on the high end, tactics ogre or conker's, for example. most games can be had for a song/ $5-10 tops, less so when bundled.

the SNES scene is crazy inflated, i think now's still a decent time to get N64 shit before people start acting like the millions of copies of Mario 64 somehow count as "rare" (no pun) alla sudden
 

Yasawas

Member
OP mentions they are region free if you snap the tabs off the inside but is this the case with PAL units too? Seems too easy compared to the SNES. Want to buy one again but I'd ideally want Japanese and US games for it.
 

Coreda

Member
OP mentions they are region free if you snap the tabs off the inside but is this the case with PAL units too? Seems too easy compared to the SNES. Want to buy one again but I'd ideally want Japanese and US games for it.

Apart from the tabs hack I believe you'd need the NTSC version of the console to play imported games from the US and Japan. As for the power brick it can be swapped out from the original into the NTSC version AFAIR.
 

IrishNinja

Member
...i'd be careful assuming PAL works fine; i did that with SNES and had to have my copy of Pocky & Rocky reprogrammed. region 1 with japan shit was fine, but PAL land (at least with that format) tripped me up, not sure if that's the case here or not
 

Yasawas

Member
Aye, it sounded too good to be true. I think the meaning was that a US machine can play JP games just by removing a couple of internal tabs like on the SNES in which case I think I'd be best sourcing an imported console.
 
1147064_203691853128900_659028313_o.jpg


Started to collect last year heavily. Taking my time but only doing CIB games, loose or CIB systems, and open or loose accessories. It's been fun so far going for all 296
 

goldenpp72

Member
N64 has been a big pain in the ass to find complete in box nice condition stuff.. I'm down to the last 5 games I want (out of about 75) and they never even appear on ebay for a fair price, soon..

Love n64 though, but damn people abused that shit.
 
N64 has been a big pain in the ass to find complete in box nice condition stuff.. I'm down to the last 5 games I want (out of about 75) and they never even appear on ebay for a fair price, soon..

Love n64 though, but damn people abused that shit.

Definite consequence of flimsy cardboard boxes. Good thing they finally upgraded to plastic with GCN and NDS
 
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