Video game hardware company Analogue—the team behind the widely successful Analogue Pocket—has announced a “reimagining of the N64” with a new device titled Analogue 3D.
On a vague teaser page, they’ve stated the Analogue 3D will be “the first and only aftermarket solution supporting 100 percent compatibility in every region.” They aim to take Nintendo 64 into the modern era while still retaining classic characteristics of the golden age of consoles.
The Analogue 3D will support 4K resolution and include “original display modes” to provide “reference quality recreations of specific model CRTs and PVMs.” It will also include Bluetooth support and up to four controller ports. Analogue 3D’s webpage contains very little information beyond a general 2024 release date, but there are some obscure images of what the device may look like.
The Nintendo 64 is notoriously hard to emulate, and as such, Analogue decided not to pursue that route. Analogue 3D will instead feature FPGA technology allowing it to essentially function like a real N64. It can run legacy cartridges from a dedicated slot, safeguarding the device from ROMs and potential piracy issues.
Analogue CEO Christopher Taber said the Analogue 3D has been in development for over three years in an Oct. 16 interview for Paste Magazine. He further highlighted the difficulty of supporting the N64 fully and how no one has been able to do it so far.
“Reimagining the N64 with 100 percent compatibility and accuracy, and what I know is necessary for it to be just like the experience we all had when we first played it in the context it was created for—CRTs, namely)—is not something anyone has achieved,” Taber said.
Analogue has cemented itself as a reputable brand for reviving consoles of ages past. Their Nt mini, Super Nt, and Pocket have proven fantastic vessels for bringing back timeless classics into the current age. The 3D is currently too veiled in shadow and mystery, but if their previous successes are anything to go by, we may be in for something truly wonderful.
