If you’ve been following the retro gaming scene for the past decade, chances are you’re familiar with Analogue, a company known for creating remarkable hardware that lets you enjoy original game cartridges on modern hardware. This isn’t your typical emulation setup — Analogue leverages FPGA processing to faithfully replicate the experience of the original hardware. (We’ll dive into that shortly though.) While Analogue has previously wowed us with impressive devices like the NT and Super NT, designed for playing NES and SNES games, and their recent release, the Analogue Pocket, which supports a variety of handheld devices such as Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Game Gear, I’ve been patiently waiting for something to cater to the Nintendo 64 era and beyond.
Well, the wait is over! Analogue has officially revealed the Analogue 3D, a Nintendo 64 FPGA powerhouse currently in development, set to launch sometime in 2024!
That’s a lot of bits!
The Analogue 3D, similar to its siblings — the NT, Super NT, and Analogue Pocket — will have the capability to play original Nintendo 64 games and is compatible with genuine Nintendo 64 accessories and controllers. Additionally, it supports resolutions up to 4K and provides a variety of display modes to cater to your preferred gaming experience. Analogue has also confirmed that the 3D will offer 100% compatibility with games from all regions, a feat that can sometimes challenge even the best emulators when playing Nintendo 64 titles.
While specific pricing and an exact release date are yet to be disclosed, we can expect its arrival sometime in 2024. It’s worth noting that this won’t be an inexpensive solution. Analogue’s previous consoles have ranged in price from $189.99 to as high as $450. Given this track record, it’s reasonable to expect the Analogue 3D to be positioned closer to the upper end of that price spectrum.
100% Compatibility you say? I’ll be the judge of that!
Want to know more?
So… why is FPGA so desirable? Simply, FPGA uses something called an integrated circuit, that allows developers like Analogue to physically program the chip to emulate the circuitry of classic gaming consoles. That typically equals better performance, and compatibility for all of you classic games. As an Analogue Pocket owner myself, I can tell you that I have yet to find a single pixel or sound effect out of place in all of my favorite games, and for me, that’s worth the price of admission alone. For more information, check out the video from Video Game Esoterica below.
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Written by Jason Ganos
Nintendo super fan since birth, Jason is the creator of Amiibo News and editor-in-chief at Nintendo Wire. One of his life goals is to provide the latest Nintendo news to fellow gamers with his natural know-how.
