After successful runs with the NES, SNES, Mega Drive, and Game Boy, neo-retro console creator Analog is finally going 64-bit.
Analogue 3D is described by the company as “a reimagining of the Nintendo 64”. The machine will maintain 100% compatibility with all games from all regions – and will be able to display N64 games at 4K resolution.
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If you, like me, are someone who feels that a crisp HD presentation just doesn’t look right for the N64, Analog has you covered too. Analogue 3D will also include ‘display modes’, with what the company is calling “reference quality recreations” of that famous CRT fuzz.
This feature previously appeared on the Analog Pocket, the company’s Game Boy-style handheld entertainment, allowing players to have a crisper presentation or one that mimics the screen from certain Game Boy models. Similar to the output. For analogue 3D, the display modes will be based on the popular nineties CRT and PVM display models – much more specific than a typical ‘CRT filter’.
Analog 3D is again powered by FPGA. This technology has been the basis of analog consoles. FPGA stands for ‘Field-Programmable Gate Array’, but forget that mumbo-jumbo. Basically, an FPGA chip is programmed to work exactly like any other chip at the hardware level – for example, the chipset you’d find inside an N64. There’s more to it all, but it’s different from software emulation – and far more accurate.
This means that games typically play pixel and frame exactly as they did on real hardware – and where this doesn’t line up, the FPGA is patched to ensure accuracy. can go.
It’s what powers things like homebrew MiSTer setups, and FPGA-powered chips are now the go-to for things like arcade overhauls if the board needs to be replaced with something more modern. It has worked brilliantly on the analog consoles of the past – which is why the company has earned a reputation as the Rolls Royce of retro gaming.
It comes at a price, obviously. The analogy I always use is that the retro gaming revival is a lot like the vinyl record revival. Just like you can go to your local electronics store and pick up an inexpensive Bluetooth turntable, you can pick up an SNES Mini or some less official, ROM-driven, software-emulated throwback online. But analog makes flash gear – the equivalent of expensive, high-end turntables for gaming audiophiles. Some will balk at the price, but if you’re into that sort of thing, they’re a premium item to own.
If you’re familiar with other Analog Machines, in most ways the Analog 3D is more similar to the company’s other efforts. It runs on Analog OS, supports wireless Bluetooth and 2.4G for syncing multiple controllers (a modern N64 controller equivalent was teased in 3D’s press release), and if you want to use an actual pad It also includes four N64 controller ports.
Analog consoles are designed for original software – meaning it takes OG N64 carts, and won’t run ROM files natively. However, fans often break open like an egg. In particular, Analog 3D doesn’t support OpenFPGA, the Analog Pocket feature that allows this machine to play games from many systems. It’s more traditional, it seems – closer in style to the Analog Nt (NES), Super Nt (SNES), and Mega Sg (Mega Drive/Genesis).
Right now, Analog isn’t showing any images of the machine, and only has a loose release window of ‘2024’. The company is currently focused on releasing new limited edition colorways of the Analog Pocket, and also has the Analog Duo, which plays TurboGrafx-16 and other NEC brand games, yet to be released.