Analogue 3D: Finally, A 4K N64

For those still unfamiliar with the Analogue series of consoles, they’re recreations of classic systems but with modern bells and whistles. Instead of emulation, they use FPGA tech to perfectly recreate the mechanics of 80s and 90s consoles with zero lag. Currently, Analogue consoles exist to replicate the NES, Super NES, Genesis and PC Engine / TG 16, but as these machines grew more sophisticated, it became harder to recreate them.

Today Analogue announced they’d finally overcome a major hurdle: recreating the Nintendo 64. The Analogue 3D is a hyper-advanced N64 that can play every cartridge released for the system in full HD (4K even!) with no lag. If you prefer the original foggy appearance, filters can be switched on and adjusted. You’ll have the ability to take screenshots, use save states and other modern conveniences.

Analogue 3D will also introduce a new controller from 8BitDo that has rumble support, a turbo function and is compatible with modern systems like Switch. It will be sold separately for $39.99, but if you prefer the weird N64 controller, you can also use one of those.

is there anything the Analogue 3D doesn’t do? Yes….there’s no support for emulators. Previous Analogue consoles had support through their openFPGA OS, but as the company explains, Analogue 3D runs on a totally different OS that had to be built JUST to run this system. “The MSRP we achieved for Analogue 3D required… a heroic effort. Analogue 3D + the engineering and hardware for openFPGA included not only is not why we designed Analogue 3D but it would cost significantly more. openFPGA will continue to be fully supported for Analogue Pocket and we’re excited to announce more of what we have been working on.”

The Analogue 3D will cost $249.99, a fitting price as that’s how much the original N64 cost on its North American launch day (back when $249 was a lot more). Preorders open for the system on October 21; it’s estimated to begin shipping sometime in the first quarter of 2025.