There’s a particular smell that comes off a Nintendo 64 when it’s been running for a couple of hours — warm plastic, dust burnt onto the cartridge connector, the faint static tang of a CRT being pushed hard. For a generation of us who grew up wedged into beanbags playing four-player GoldenEye with the screen-watching rules nobody actually followed, that smell is Proust’s madeleine. It’s also, increasingly, the smell of obsolete hardware. The N64 is now twenty-nine years old in Japan, and the components inside it — the SGI-designed Reality Coprocessor, the Rambus memory, the analogue stick assemblies that Nintendo somehow thought would survive a teenager’s grip on Mario Party — are entering their final useful decade.
Enter the Analogue 3D. Announced in October 2023, delayed twice, finally shipping to early backers in late 2024 and now arriving in wider quantities through the first half of 2025, this $249.99 (roughly £210 once you factor in shipping and the inevitable customs charge) FPGA console is the long-awaited fourth pillar of Analogue’s revival project. We’ve had the Mega Sg for the Mega Drive, the Super Nt for the SNES, the Nt Mini Noir for the NES, and the Pocket for handhelds. The 3D completes the set in spectacular fashion — at least on paper. It promises 4K output, original cartridge compatibility, a custom OS called 3DOS, and the holy grail: zero-lag, pixel-accurate N64 emulation that isn’t really emulation at all.
I’ve spent the better part of six weeks living with one, plugging in everything from pristine boxed copies of Sin and Punishment to a battered, label-peeling WWF No Mercy that’s been with me since 2000. What follows is not a review in the traditional sense — Eurogamer’s John Linneman has already done the technical deep dive better than anyone — but a sustained, considered look at whether this machine actually deserves to replace the console gathering dust under your telly.
The Long Road to a Proper N64 FPGA
To understand why the Analogue 3D matters, you have to understand why it took so long to exist. When Kevtris — the pseudonymous FPGA savant who designs Analogue’s cores — released the Super Nt in 2018, the community immediately started asking the obvious follow-up: when’s the N64 one coming? The answer, repeatedly, was “not soon, and possibly never.” The Nintendo 64 is, by some distance, the most architecturally hostile console of its era to reproduce in field-programmable gate array silicon.
The reasons are well-trodden ground in the homebrew community but worth restating. The N64’s Reality Coprocessor (RCP) is a custom 62.5MHz SGI part that combines a Reality Signal Processor and Reality Display Processor, both running microcode that varies dramatically from game to game. Factor 5’s microcode for Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine is functionally different from Rare’s bespoke microcode in Conker’s Bad Fur Day, which in turn bears little resemblance to what LucasArts shipped in Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. This is partly why software emulators like Project64, Mupen64Plus, and even the more recent Ares and Simple64 have spent twenty-plus years still arguing about which games render correctly.
Then there’s the Rambus RDRAM — that infamous, scorching-hot memory architecture that gave the N64 its bandwidth advantage but also its latency problems and its reputation for cooking itself. Replicating its timing in an FPGA is non-trivial. And looming over all of it: the cartridge bus, which carries not just program data but the actual game’s microcode, plus optional expansions like the Controller Pak, the Rumble Pak, the Transfer Pak, and of course the 4MB Expansion Pak required for Donkey Kong 64, Majora’s Mask, and the high-res modes in a handful of others.
Why Analogue Took the Plunge Anyway
The breakthrough, as Analogue founder Christopher Taber explained in scattered interviews throughout 2024, was the move to a larger Altera Cyclone 10 GX FPGA — one of the most capacious chips Analogue has ever used. This gave Kevtris (or whoever’s actually doing the core work now; Analogue has been characteristically opaque about their development team) enough logic elements to actually take a serious run at the RCP. The 3D isn’t using a “compatibility layer” or HLE (high-level emulation) — it’s a gate-level reimplementation of the N64’s silicon, the same approach that made the Super Nt feel indistinguishable from a real SNES.
Is it perfect? No. We’ll get to compatibility shortly. But the fact it works at all, on real cartridges, with sub-frame input latency and 4K scaling, is a small miracle of engineering. When you sit it next to the various other “modern” ways to play N64 games — Nintendo Switch Online’s notoriously inconsistent offering, the various Raspberry Pi boxes, the MiSTer FPGA project’s still-developing N64 core — the Analogue 3D feels like the first commercial product that takes this console’s preservation seriously.
Out of the Box: The Analogue Experience
Let’s start with the physical object, because Analogue have always understood that hardware is theatre. The 3D ships in the now-familiar matte cardboard box, all clean typography and minimalist branding. Open it up and you get the console itself — a chunky, charcoal-grey slab roughly the footprint of a hardback novel, with a single cartridge slot up top and four controller ports across the front in homage to the original. There’s an HDMI 2.0 output, USB-C for power (a welcome change from the proprietary nonsense of older Analogue products), two USB-A ports for controllers and storage, and a microSD slot tucked discreetly into the side.
No controller is included. This is the bit that’s caused the most grumbling in the community, and not without reason. Analogue’s official line is that they wanted to give users flexibility — bring your own original controller, or use one of the various third-party options — but at $249.99 the omission stings, particularly when the only “official” partnership is with 8BitDo for their forthcoming 64 wireless pad (expected around £40 when it lands properly in UK retail). For our testing we used a mix of original OEM N64 controllers with refurbished sticks from the excellent Kitsch-Bent and a pre-production 8BitDo 64, which we’ll discuss below.
Build Quality and First Impressions
The build is excellent, as you’d expect at this price. The cartridge slot has the right amount of resistance — firm enough to feel secure, not so tight that you fear snapping plastic. The four front controller ports accept original cables with the satisfying chunky click that anyone who owned an N64 will remember. The casing is heavier than it looks, suggesting decent shielding inside. There’s no fan, which means no fan noise, which is a small but meaningful blessing for late-night sessions.
Power on, and you’re greeted by 3DOS — Analogue’s new operating system, distinct from the firmware on previous Analogue products. It’s a clean, responsive interface with options for video output, audio, controller mapping, and a surprisingly deep set of scaling and filter options. Insert a cartridge and it boots almost instantly. We’re talking under two seconds from cart insert to title screen on Super Mario 64, which feels genuinely magical when you remember the chuntering pause of an original console booting up.
The Picture Quality Question
This is what most people care about, so let’s address it head-on. The Analogue 3D outputs at native 4K (3840×2160) via HDMI, with options to scale to 1080p or 720p for older displays. There are no analogue outputs — no composite, no S-Video, no component — which means if you’ve spent the last decade building out a CRT setup, the 3D is not for you. Frankly, if you’re playing N64 on a Sony PVM and you’re happy, you should keep doing exactly that. Nothing about this product is going to convince you otherwise, and Analogue clearly know this isn’t their market.
For everyone else — anyone playing on a modern OLED, LCD, or projector — the difference between the 3D’s output and even the best alternative is stark. We tested against:
- An original N64 routed through a RetroTink 4K (a £750 setup once you include the Tink and an N64 with HDMI mod)
- An original N64 with the EON Super 64 component-to-HDMI adaptor
- The Switch Online N64 emulator on a Switch OLED
- MiSTer FPGA running the in-development N64 core
The Analogue 3D’s image is, to my eye, the cleanest of the lot. The integer scaling is mathematically precise, the colour reproduction is accurate to a calibrated RGB capture from a real N64 (which I checked against using a Datapath VisionRGB card), and the various scanline and CRT emulation filters are genuinely usable rather than gimmicky. The “CRT Trinitron” preset in particular does a remarkable job of recreating the soft warmth that made games like Banjo-Kazooie look like Pixar films in 1998.
Original Display Modes Preserved
One of the things the 3D does that few other solutions manage is properly preserving the N64’s various weird output modes. The console famously supported multiple display configurations — 240p, 480i interlaced, and a handful of high-resolution modes used in Perfect Dark, Turok 2, Quake II, and the aforementioned Rogue Squadron. The 3D handles these correctly, with each game getting its native output properly scaled rather than forced into a single resolution.
The “Original Display Modes” feature lets you replicate specific period-correct displays — there are presets for the Sony BVM-20F1U, various PVMs, and even a “1998 Argos catalogue Goodmans 14-inch portable” option that I am only slightly joking about. The PVM preset in particular is so good it made me physically laugh the first time I switched to it mid-game. Star Fox 64 in PVM mode on a 65-inch LG C3 is one of the most arresting things I’ve seen on a screen in years.
Compatibility: The Elephant in the Living Room
Here’s where things get complicated. Analogue have claimed “100% compatibility” with the N64 library, but the reality at the time of writing — firmware version 1.1 — is more nuanced. Across our testing of around 80 cartridges, we encountered the following:
- Games that work flawlessly: Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark (with Expansion Pak emulation), Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Sin and Punishment, F-Zero X, 1080° Snowboarding, Wave Race 64, Pilotwings 64, Star Fox 64, Diddy Kong Racing, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Paper Mario, and the vast majority of the AAA library.
- Games with minor issues: Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine has occasional texture flickering. World Driver Championship has minor audio glitches in the menu. Body Harvest shows some shadow rendering quirks.
- Games with significant issues at launch but patched since: Pokémon Snap was initially broken at launch — would freeze on the photo evaluation screen — but firmware 1.0.3 fixed this. Donkey Kong 64 had Expansion Pak detection problems that were resolved in 1.1.
- Games still problematic at firmware 1.1: A handful of obscure Japanese titles, some PAL releases with unusual region locks, and frustratingly, The New Tetris, which has occasional rumble pak issues that Analogue have acknowledged.
This is, in the grand scheme, an excellent compatibility rate. Compare it to MiSTer’s N64 core, which is brilliant work but still firmly in alpha territory, or to Switch Online which famously can’t render GoldenEye‘s smoke effects correctly. But it’s worth being clear-eyed: this is not yet the perfect, no-asterisks N64 experience. It is, however, getting closer to it with every firmware update, and Analogue’s track record with the Super Nt and Mega Sg suggests they’ll keep iterating.
The Expansion Pak Question
You don’t need a physical Expansion Pak. The 3D simulates one in hardware, so games like Donkey Kong 64, Majora’s Mask, and the high-res modes in Perfect Dark just work. This is genuinely useful, given that original Expansion Paks have crept up to around £40-60 on eBay in working condition, and the third-party clones can be unreliable.
Controller Pak saves are handled through the system — you can have multiple “virtual” Controller Paks stored on microSD, swap between them, and back them up. This is a small thing but a meaningful one. Anyone who’s lost their Mario Kart 64 ghost data to a battery-dead Controller Pak will appreciate it.
The Controller Problem
The N64 controller is the most divisive peripheral in Nintendo’s history. The three-pronged “trident” design, the analogue stick that wears out if you so much as glance at it, the famously bad D-pad placement — these are not features anyone seriously misses. And yet, playing Mario 64 with anything other than the original controller feels wrong, like wearing someone else’s shoes.
The 3D supports four input options:
- Original N64 controllers via the four front ports. Works perfectly, including Rumble Pak and Controller Pak functionality.
- USB controllers via the rear USB-A ports. Compatibility varies — most Xbox-style pads work, the 8BitDo Pro 2 works well, and 8BitDo’s forthcoming 64 controller is the obvious pairing.
- Bluetooth controllers if you add a Bluetooth dongle (not included).
- The forthcoming 8BitDo 64, which is a wireless reimagining of the original N64 pad with a Hall-effect analogue stick and a more modern button layout. We had a pre-production unit for testing and it’s excellent — the Hall-effect stick alone is worth the £40, given how grim the original GameCube-style replacement sticks for OEM controllers can be.
What About Original Stick Wear?
If you’re planning to use original N64 controllers with the 3D — and a lot of us will, because muscle memory is hard to shake — please, for the love of god, replace the sticks first. The OEM sticks were dying in 2001, let alone 2025. Kitsch-Bent’s GC-style replacement, which costs about £15, is the gold standard. Steel Sticks 64 (the brand) offer a more authentic feel for around £25 and are arguably the best option. Whatever you do, don’t try to play Mario Party mini-games on a worn stick — that way lies blistered palms and ruined plastic.
Sound and Audio Output
Audio is delivered through HDMI at 48kHz, with the 3D doing accurate emulation of the N64’s distinctive audio processor. The N64’s audio has always been a contentious topic — the system used software audio mixing on the RSP, which meant developers had to “spend” cycles on audio that could otherwise go to graphics. This is why some N64 games sound astonishingly good (Banjo-Kazooie‘s dynamic music, Perfect Dark‘s atmospheric soundtrack) and others sound like they’re being played through a tin can (Mortal Kombat 4, sadly).
The 3D reproduces all of this faithfully — the good and the bad. Side-by-side with a real N64 routed through a quality DAC, the differences are inaudible. There’s no analogue audio output, which will frustrate some, but for HDMI-based setups it’s flawless.
3DOS and the Software Experience
Beyond playing cartridges, 3DOS offers a surprisingly robust software experience. The menu system is fast, clean, and includes:
- Per-game settings (you can save unique scaling, filter, and controller configurations for individual games)
- A library view that catalogues cartridges you’ve inserted, with cover art pulled from a community database
- Memory pak management with multi-slot virtual paks
- Screen capture (saved to microSD)
- Save state functionality — yes, really, on real cartridges. This was contentious in some quarters of the purist community, but it’s an optional feature and frankly a godsend for anyone trying to finish Banjo-Tooie without the time commitment of their 1999 self.
Openness and Future-Proofing
One of the most interesting aspects of 3DOS is that Analogue have been more open than usual about FPGA development. The Pocket eventually got “openFPGA,” which let community developers create cores for other systems — Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket, even early Atari systems. Whether the 3D will get similar treatment is unconfirmed at the time of writing, but Christopher Taber has hinted at it in interviews, and the hardware (a large Cyclone 10 GX) is theoretically capable of more than just N64 work.
If — and this is a big if — the 3D opens up to community FPGA development, it could become something more interesting still: a platform for accurate FPGA cores of fifth-generation systems. Imagine a proper FPGA Saturn core, or a 3DO core, running on this hardware. That’s speculative, but the precedent with the Pocket is encouraging.
The Alternatives, Properly Considered
No piece of hardware exists in a vacuum. Before recommending the Analogue 3D, it’s worth seriously considering what else you could do with £210 (plus the cost of a controller, so realistically £250-280 all in).
The “Just Use Your Real N64” Option
A working PAL N64 with composite cables will set you back £40-80 on eBay. Add a UltraHDMI mod from PixelFX (around £150 if you can find someone to install it, or £100 plus your soldering skills) and you have an excellent HDMI-modded original console for about £200-250. The picture quality is superb — many would argue the UltraHDMI is still the gold standard for accurate N64 output — and you have the satisfaction of using original hardware.
The downsides: the UltraHDMI is permanently sold out (PixelFX moved on to other products), the install is non-trivial, and you’re still relying on increasingly aged components. Your N64 motherboard will not last forever.
The RetroTink Route
Mike Chi’s RetroTink 4K, at £750, is the connoisseur’s choice for retro upscaling. Pair it with an unmodded N64 via S-Video or component (using something like the EON Super 64) and you get superb image quality with all the flexibility of the Tink’s processing. The downside, obviously, is cost — you’re spending three times as much as the Analogue 3D for arguably similar (though some would argue better) image quality, and you still need a working original console.
MiSTer FPGA
The MiSTer project — built around the DE10-Nano FPGA development board — has been the open-source enthusiast’s answer to Analogue for years. As of early 2025, the N64 core is functional but still developing rapidly. Compatibility is improving but not yet at Analogue 3D levels. The total cost is similar (£200-300 for a fully kitted MiSTer setup with N64-capable RAM expansion), but the user experience requires significantly more technical commitment.
If you already own a MiSTer for other systems, the N64 core is a worthwhile experiment. If you don’t, the Analogue 3D is a much more polished out-of-the-box experience.
Nintendo Switch Online
The cheapest option, technically, if you already have a Switch and the Expansion Pack subscription (£34.99/year). The library is curated and limited, the emulation is inconsistent (GoldenEye‘s notorious smoke bug, various frame-pacing issues), and you don’t get to use real cartridges. For casual nostalgia it’s fine. For serious play, it’s not in the same conversation.
Who Is This Actually For?
The Analogue 3D occupies a peculiar niche. It’s not the cheapest way to play N64 games (NSO is cheaper, your existing N64 plus a £30 HDMI converter is cheaper still). It’s not the most authentic (a CRT and original hardware will always win on pure authenticity). It’s not the most flexible (a RetroTink 4K does more across more systems).
What it is, uniquely, is the best modern HDMI N64 experience available as a single purchase. If you have a 4K OLED, a shelf of N64 cartridges, and an enthusiasm for playing them in 2025 without faff, this is exactly the product you’ve been waiting for since the Super Nt came out seven years ago.
Strong Recommendation
I’d recommend the 3D wholeheartedly to:
- Anyone with a substantial N64 cartridge collection and a modern display
- Collectors who want a “reference” N64 setup without modifying original hardware
- People for whom the UltraHDMI is no longer available and who don’t want to mess with installation
- Players who care about input latency and frame accuracy (the 3D is essentially zero-lag)
Probably Skip It
I’d suggest holding off if you:
- Primarily play on a CRT — your existing setup is better
- Don’t own N64 cartridges and don’t plan to start buying them (the 3D requires real carts — there’s no Everdrive endorsement, though most flash carts work fine)
- Already have an UltraHDMI-modded N64 you’re happy with
- Only play three or four games occasionally — NSO is fine for that
The Everdrive and Flash Cart Question
A note on flash carts, because this matters to a meaningful chunk of the community. The Analogue 3D works with the EverDrive 64 X7, the X5, and most variants of the SummerCart64. Krikzz himself confirmed compatibility shortly after launch, and our testing with an X7 loaded with various homebrew titles (Pixel Purge, the excellent Mollusk, various demoscene productions) showed everything working as expected.
This is significant because it means the 3D isn’t just a museum piece for original cartridges — it’s also a perfectly good platform for the surprisingly active N64 homebrew scene, which has produced some genuinely impressive work in recent years. The Portal 64 project, before it was shut down by Valve’s lawyers in 2024, was running beautifully on the 3D in our pre-shutdown testing. Various Doom and Quake ports work flawlessly. If you’ve ever wanted to explore what hobbyists are doing with N64 hardware in 2025, the 3D is an excellent enabler.
What About ROMs?
Analogue, predictably, makes no provision for ROM loading. There’s no built-in storage for game files, no way to put a ROM on the microSD and play it directly. This is a deliberate choice — Analogue need to maintain a clear legal position, and “we only run real cartridges” is the line they’ve drawn. If you want ROM convenience, get an Everdrive. If you want pure cartridge purity, just use cartridges. Both work with the 3D.
The Community Response So Far
Reactions across the retro gaming community have been broadly positive, with the usual caveats. Modern Vintage Gamer’s launch coverage praised the picture quality and compatibility while noting the controller-not-included issue. My Life in Gaming did a typically thorough breakdown on the various display modes that’s essential viewing if you want to understand what the 3D is actually doing under the hood. The forums at Shmups and AssemblerGames have been generally enthusiastic, though predictably divided on the price.
The most interesting reaction has come from the preservation community. The Video Game History Foundation’s Frank Cifaldi tweeted (in early 2025) that the 3D represents “the most significant N64 preservation milestone since the original hardware shipped,” which is a substantial claim from someone who doesn’t make them lightly. The argument is that having a stable, accurate, non-deteriorating platform for running original cartridges matters enormously for the next several decades of preservation work. Original N64 hardware is dying. Capacitors fail, RDRAM cooks itself, controller ports wear out. Having a reliable FPGA recreation isn’t a luxury — it’s an insurance policy.
The Purist Counter-Argument
There’s a vocal minority — you’ll find them on the more hardcore retro forums and on certain corners of YouTube — who argue that any FPGA recreation is fundamentally inauthentic. The argument runs: real hardware on a real CRT is the only “correct” way to experience these games, because that’s what the developers designed them for. The blooming and scanlines of a Sony Trinitron aren’t artifacts to be filtered — they’re part of the artistic intent.
There’s truth to this. Mario 64 on a 1996 Trinitron looks different — warmer, softer, more analogue — than Mario 64 on a 2024 OLED, no matter how good your CRT filter is. If that authenticity matters to you, no amount of FPGA wizardry will replace it. But for most of us, who watch modern television on modern televisions and want to play these games in our actual living rooms, the 3D is a profoundly good compromise.
What Comes Next
Analogue have already committed to ongoing firmware updates, and the cadence so far (three updates between launch and February 2025) suggests they’re taking compatibility seriously. The big unknowns are:
- Will openFPGA come to the 3D? If it does, this hardware becomes substantially more interesting as a multi-system FPGA platform.
- Will the 8BitDo 64 controller live up to the hype? Pre-production samples are excellent, but mass-production quality is the real test.
- Will Analogue produce enough units? The Pocket’s eternal supply problems are a sore point, and the 3D’s early production has been similarly constrained. If you want one, the second production wave (rumoured for late spring 2025) is your best bet.
The Bigger Picture
The Analogue 3D is the most ambitious FPGA console anyone has ever shipped. Whether you buy one or not, the fact that it exists matters. It demonstrates that gate-level reimplementation of fifth-generation hardware is commercially viable. It puts pressure on Nintendo (and Sony, and Sega) to take their own back catalogues more seriously. It gives a substantial library of games a future beyond the failure date of their original silicon.
Twenty years from now, when the last original N64s have given up the ghost, the work Analogue have done here — and the FPGA cores that succeed it — will be how people experience Ocarina of Time, Banjo-Kazooie, and Star Fox 64. That’s not a small thing. That’s preservation in its most meaningful form.
Final Thoughts: Is It Worth Replacing Your N64?
So, the question we started with: should you put your original N64 in a box in the attic and let the Analogue 3D take its place under the telly?
For most people, in 2025, with a modern display and a collection of cartridges they actually want to play — yes. The picture quality is superior to anything except the very best CRT setups. The compatibility, while not perfect, is excellent and improving. The input latency is essentially zero. The build quality is exceptional. The software experience, through 3DOS, is the most thoughtful Analogue have shipped to date.
At £210 plus a controller, it is not cheap — but it’s a one-time purchase that should last for decades. Compared to building out an equivalent CRT setup (a decent PVM costs £400+ on eBay these days, an UltraHDMI mod is functionally unavailable), it’s actually reasonable value.
Keep your original N64. Don’t throw it out, don’t sell it, don’t pack it away forever. It’s part of your gaming history and it deserves to be honoured. But for the regular Friday night when you want to fire up Mario Kart 64 with three mates round and have it look genuinely beautiful on your 55-inch OLED, the Analogue 3D is the machine you’ll reach for. It’s the N64 you remember, not the N64 that actually existed — and twenty-nine years on, that’s exactly what most of us want.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a four-player GoldenEye session to lose. Slappers only, no Oddjob, screen-watching rules in full effect. Some things, even FPGA wizardry can’t change.