Retro gaming hasn’t changed as much as some would have thought over the last 20 years. Now we have good ways to connect old consoles to modern TVs, a wide range of flash carts and emulation options available, and even new homebrew games are being produced and hardware such as controllers being developed. However, booting up an N64 and playing a classic or two remains as warm and nostalgic as it has been since about the year 2000. The N64, in particular, is home to some of the most innovative games of all time. It also is home to some fun multiplayer games, meaning it is a great console to have hooked up and ready to play constantly. Read on for a general guide to playing N64 in 2024.
Connection options
The Nintendo 64 was originally designed to be played on CRT televisions. ‘Cathode-ray tube’ televisions were big, bulky, and displayed a grainy, low-definition image. Most TVs were of this form in the 80s, 90s, and until around 2005. Modern HD TVs use a different mechanism to display the image compared to old CRT TVs. Because of this new mechanism, the TV doesn’t need to be big and bulky; a screen can only be a few centimeters in width. Modern TVs’ images are clear and detailed, and the definition is crisp, especially compared to old CRT TVs. An HDMI cable is often used to connect a console to a modern TV. However, an N64 and other old consoles do not have an HDMI port. So, to get the N64 to work on a modern TV, you need to choose from a vast array of converters and adapters that each have a certain chance of working to a certain level. Most of these will give you a flickering screen with certain games. It is a lottery as to whether you can get a playable experience out of the conglomerate of devices you attach to try and get this archaic technology to work. A quick and easy option is to use an Eon 64 plug-and-play HDMI converter. These will cost around £119 but will work straight out of the box and will fix 99% of screen flickering issues.
Emulation and Flash Carts
It’s amazing how far technology has developed in recent years. You can now emulate N64 games on a budget smartphone. While the ethics of doing this can be questioned (piracy), the frame rate and picture quality are quite good. However, for some of us, when we play N64 games, we strive for that grainy, barely visible look that can only be achieved with a legit N64 and dodgy TV connection (I’m only half being sarcastic). There is also the advantage of using the original three-pronged controller when playing on a genuine N64 compared to using emulation. If you use a flash cart with your N64, you can have multiple classic games on one cart, and for lazy people, this is great, as it means you don’t need to get up to change cartridges (although you still need to restart the system to change games, so that almost defeats the purpose of it). Regardless of how often you get up to restart the system, there can be no denying that having all your saves and games on one cartridge is nice. One thing I’ve noticed when using a combination of the Eon 64 converter and an Everdrive 64 is that the region of the ROMs is relevant to how the setup will function.
Regions
European N64 games have notoriously run at a lower frame rate than their American N64 counterparts. American versions run at a maximum of 60 frames per second, while PAL versions run at a maximum of 50 frames per second. Unfortunately, when using the Eon 64 converter and Everdrive 64 on a PAL system, the Eon 64 converter must be a European version, and the ROMs that you use must also be PAL. If they are NTSC, the games will not boot. This means that even with a good setup like the one described, you have to use the slower PAL ROMs for the system to work. I grew up playing on PAL consoles, so this doesn’t bother me, but I can see how it matters to speed-run artists who rely on exact frames to pull off glitches.
When playing N64 in 2024, there’s also a console appearance to take into account when making choices. Do you go for the regular grey and black slab? The semi-transparent consoles are probably the most appealing. The Smoke, Ice, and Watermelon variants look “90s-style cool,” too. I was a proud owner of the Fire variant back in the day. At one point over the years, the power cable must have snapped, and my mother discarded the system, thinking it was worthless (or maybe it still exists in a box in an attic somewhere). Whichever system you go for, remember the device’s region code is important to the setup in terms of compatibility and getting the thing to work properly.
Add-ons
The N64 was born into a world where the Game Boy dominated portable gaming. Shortly after the N64 was released (and increasingly with the arrival of the second generation of Pokemon), there were official ways the N64 and Game Boy could interact and exchange game data. Unlike the SNES Game Boy Player, which allowed Game Boy games to be played on SNES, the N64 connection options are usually related to special unlockable features rather than a simple conversion to play Game Boy games on your TV. The Pokemon Stadium games converted the 2D battle sprites of Pokemon Red and Blue into fully 3D animations. The games are connected via an add-on called the Transfer Pak. Other games that used the feature include the Mario Tennis games, Mario Golf games, and Perfect Dark.
In 2024, to get the most out of Pokemon Stadium and recapture the magic of Pokemon in the 90s, a Transfer Pak is recommended. It’s still possible to pick up an old one from eBay for less than £20. Unfortunately, unlike N64 controllers, I couldn’t find a manufacturer who makes new transfer paks. An issue related to this and Nintendo retro gaming in 2024 is that if you’ve been playing ROM hacks or reproduction Pokemon games on Game Boy, unfortunately, most of these versions won’t work with the transfer pack; it has to be official copies of Pokemon Red, Blue, Gold, and Silver. However, there are some exceptions. The great open-world homebrew title (hack of Pokemon Crystal), Pokemon Crystal Clear, does work with Pokemon Stadium 2 and the Transfer Pak.
Closing Comments
Although you can emulate N64 games and play them on devices such as the Switch, the Wii, a laptop, or even your phone, there is something authentic about playing on a genuine N64 with a grainy display and the original three-pronged controller. Of course, there are some aspects of using a real N64 that I have missed in this article, such as using the Expansion Pak. You need one to play some games, such as Zelda: Majora’s Mask (even if you are using a flash cart).
Some aspects of using an N64 are arguably worse than using emulation. There are no quality-of-life features when using an authentic N64. However, overall, I think it can be said that yes, it is worth the hassle to play an N64 in 2024, but only if you have nostalgia for the system. Otherwise, it is easier to emulate (specifically Nintendo Switch Online, if possible).
I hope I have written an interesting piece that 90s kids will appreciate. The N64 didn’t have many games; it had slightly less than 400 compared to thousands on rival systems, yet some of its best titles influenced their genres for years to come. Next time that you play Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, or Goldeneye, think back to a simpler time when the internet was young, and there were no smartphones, and maybe you’ll realize gaming would never get any better than at certain moments two and a half decades ago when you galloped triumphantly over a ranch gate, stealthily sniped a soldier in a toilet, or flew into eight red coins consecutively. We all had fewer responsibilities and worries, and gaming was a simple pleasure.
