It's important to note that the Analogue3D isn't magically remastering games though—you're getting an output of up to 4K60 quality with no blurring or distortion, but the games will still look as they did originally, just palatable on a modern display.
Taking Control
When it comes to how to play those classics on Analogue3D, gamers are spoiled for choice. It's chiefly designed to work with the 8BitDo N64 Controller, which reformats the N64's original trident pad into a modern, wireless grip that boasts a Hall effect thumbstick and built-in haptics. In short, it's a fantastic update of that 30-year-old model. Unfortunately, the console doesn't come with one, or any controller at all—you'll need to pick them up separately.
Some players will have gotten a feel for the new pad already though—delays in the Analogue3D's planned summer 2025 launch meant that 8BitDo's controller released first, and given it's also compatible with the Switch or Switch 2, it can be used with the N64 catalog there. It's fiddly to pair with Nintendo's consoles though, and needs to be re-connected each time you want to use it. Here, it not only pairs quickly but stays paired, and can even wake the Analogue3D from sleep with a long-press of its power button—explaining why the power switch is a slide, rather than a hard on/off toggle.
Alternatively, two USB-A ports at the rear of the console let you plug in other third-party controllers, or charge any wireless pads you connect. Finally, if you still have any original wired N64 controllers around, the Analogue3D supports them too—just plug them into the perfectly recreated physical ports at the front. Best of all, you can mix and match, with up to four pads of any type connected to recreate that old-school local four-player vibe. Actually finding four players whose schedules line up to play video games together in the same room in 2025 is tough, but I strong-armed some friends into a bit of GoldenEye 007 and F-Zero X using three 8BitDo pads and one original N64 pad, and it all worked perfectly.