I’ve developed a sixth sense for old video game cartridges. I can spot them at flea markets and thrift stores, spy them hidden behind stacks in used book stores. It happened after I first bought an Analogue Pocket, when the hunt for new and interesting Game Boy games became as important as actually playing them. Now my attention has turned to the Nintendo 64. Analogue’s long-delayed take on the console — dubbed the Analogue 3D — might just be the most premium way there is to play N64 games, making it ideal for collectors.
After playing with the Analogue 3D over the last week, I’ve found a new appreciation for Nintendo’s oft-neglected console. I’ve played through games for the first time and revisited old favorites, all with the benefit of modern conveniences like wireless controllers and 4K visuals.
Analogue first made waves in 2015 with the Analogue NT, a modern re-creation of the NES. Since then, it has done the same for platforms like the Sega Genesis and SNES, all of which are designed to play old cartridges — which can cost anywhere from a few bucks to a few hundred, depending what you’re buying — on modern televisions. The consoles use field-programmable gate array, or FPGA, technology to function just as the original hardware did.
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1 / 6 Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The Analogue 3D takes this concept and applies it to the N64. There are easier and cheaper ways to play many of these games, such as with the Nintendo Switch Online subscription or through emulators on the App Store. But, much like how a high-end record player preserves the physical element of listening to music, a console like the Analogue 3D offers a different and more tactile experience. It’s one that I’ve found creates a deeper connection with what I’m playing.
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