Analogue, the company best known for modern takes on retro hardware, is turning its attention to the 64-bit era with the Analogue 3D, a reimagining of the Nintendo 64. The company says the new console will have “100 percent compatibility” with N64 cartridges in every region and will even support 4K output. It will also include “Original Display Modes featuring reference quality recreations of specific model CRTs and PVMs” for the purists out there, along with Bluetooth support and four controller ports.
Today’s announcement is mostly a tease. While we have some details, there’s no word on price or a specific release date beyond 2024. Analogue isn’t even showing the hardware yet — right now, we just have these brief glimpses of what appears to be the console, as well as the wireless 8BitDo controller that’s launching alongside it.
Even without a lot of details, the announcement is still an exciting one. Analogue has a strong history of releasing high-quality recreations of consoles like the NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis, making it possible to play old cartridges on modern televisions. Most recently, the company turned its attention to portable gaming with the sleek Analogue Pocket.
“This is one that nobody thought was possible.”
The N64 is particularly interesting because Nintendo’s console is infamous for being difficult to emulate — even Nintendo has a hard time getting it right. But Analogue says this shouldn’t be a problem because it uses a solution called field-programmable gate array (FPGA) technology that essentially lets it function like the original hardware. (Hence the 100 percent compatibility promise.) The company has been working on the Analogue 3D for the last three years, according to founder Christopher Taber. “This is one that nobody thought was possible,” he says.
More details on the Analogue 3D are coming, he notes, including not only the hardware, price, and release information but also additional features.
