Rare US N64 disk-drive retail prototype found in Seattle

If you subscribed to Nintendo Power in the 90's, you probably remember reading about the Nintendo 64DD, a console disk-drive add-on design to bring higher storage capacity, a real-time clock and internet connectivity to the Nintendo 64. You may also...

Ben Heck’s console wars: PlayStation 1 vs. Nintendo 64

The console wars have begun! Ben compares the inner workings of the original PlayStation and Nintendo 64 by tearing them down to their chips and highlighting the electronics design considerations, in case you want to make your own portable version...

Nintendo Wii U’s spring update, Panorama View arrive next week

Nintendo Wii U's spring update arrives next week

Nintendo's Wii U game console is getting its promised spring update next week, said company president Satoru Iwata in a Luigi-filled video presentation this morning. The update is said to launch software dramatically faster than before, as Nintendo demonstrated in a video last month. Iwata also said the update adds continuable downloads while the console is off, and that Virtual Console won't arrive until the following week -- should you wish to directly launch into the Wii menu, you'll be able to hold down the B button as the console is starting up.

That said, if you wanna play those VC games directly from the Wii U menu, you'll need to re-buy them for $1 apiece for NES games and $1.50 for SNES games. A variety of games were shown off as available at the Virtual Console's launch, including classics like Super Mario World and Punch-Out! Apparently GameBoy Advance and Nintendo 64 games are planned for inclusion on the VC in the coming months, but no definitive date was given. He also said Panorama View will arrive next week for free, and it sounds like it'll be a separate download from the software update.

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Source: Nintendo Direct

Hailrazer stuffs a Nintendo 64 into a GameCube GameBoy Player (video)

Hailrazer stuffs a Nintendo 64 into a GameCube GameBoy Player, creates a nostalgia singularity  video

Hailrazer is clearly a fan of the Nintendo 64 and GameCube, but his projects have kept the systems as separate beasts. Until now, that is. His latest mod puts a Nintendo 64 into a GameCube's GameBoy Player add-on, linking the audio, power and video to those of the more modern system. Gamers just have to plug in relevant controllers and flip a switch to play whichever console best triggers a nostalgia trip. About the only setback is the absence of space for a proper Nintendo 64 cartridge slot, which effectively mandates using a not-quite-above-board storage format instead. Given that the two-in-one console is strictly a personal labor of love, it's still quite the achievement -- and it guarantees that Hailrazer's inner circle won't have to travel far for a trip down memory lane.

[Thanks, Jon]

Continue reading Hailrazer stuffs a Nintendo 64 into a GameCube GameBoy Player (video)

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Source: Bacteria's Forum

Switched On: The Old Adventures of New 3D

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

DNP Switched On The Old Adventures of New 3D

In the unmarked office of 3-D Vision, Inc., you can see a television or PC display a videogame or movie with a convincing stereoscopic effect. That might not seem very unique. However, the television is a CRT from the 1990s, the video game is Super Mario for the Nintendo 64 and the movie is The Wizard of Oz, made in 1939.

Despite the growth in 3D television sales, the requirement to wear 3D glasses has loomed as one of the most significant barriers to adoption. 3-D Vision's technology still requires glasses, at least for now. However, with some caveats, it overcomes some of the other, oft-overlooked barriers to 3D adoption by creating 3D video from 2D content on 2D (or 3D) displays. On televisions, this is achieved via a small set-top box -- a prototype of which approaches the size and noise level of a mini-fridge -- that plugs into the video source and the TV and converts the video in real-time with virtually no latency. The box should be available early next year.

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Switched On: The Old Adventures of New 3D originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 17:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Modder conjoins two N64 controllers for dual-analog play in Star Wars Ep. 1 Racer, Goldeneye

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We've seen a fair share of controller mods over the years, but a dual-analog Nintendo 64 pad intended for Star Wars: Episode 1 Racer? That's certainly a simpler concept that can apparently turn out to be quite intriguing -- and functional. As the story goes, a friend of a modder named Clarky is an avid player of the sci-fi title, especially a hidden mode that allows users to individually command both the left and right engines of their pod-racer using the joysticks of two controllers. To make the control scheme less fiddly, Clarky essentially chopped off the D-Pad section of one and the action button section on another to join the two as one. The final result is impressive as well -- we'd be hard-pressed not to believe it's some rare prototype from the Nintendo labs at first glance. The unit also functions with the classic shooter, Goldeneye 64, as well since the game supports a similar dual-analog mode. Notably, the gamepad plugs in with two cords, so it's unlikely you'd be able to reap its full benefits on most of the system's games. You'll find a video of the controller in action below, and a full build log at the source link. Now, if only we could get our 4MB graphics Expansion Pack to work with the titles as well.

Continue reading Modder conjoins two N64 controllers for dual-analog play in Star Wars Ep. 1 Racer, Goldeneye

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Modder conjoins two N64 controllers for dual-analog play in Star Wars Ep. 1 Racer, Goldeneye originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 18:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Kotaku  |  sourceclarky2010 (YouTube), Made By Bacteria (forums)  | Email this | Comments

Project Unity stuffs 20 classic consoles into one: if you can’t play it, it’s probably too new (video)

Unity Project stuffs 20 classic consoles into one if you can't play it, it's probably too new video

Most gamer who want to play with more than one or two vintage console platforms often turn to software-based emulators that may or may not be above-board. How about stuffing all of the authentic hardware into one controller and one base unit? Modders at Bacteria's forums have developed Project Unity, an attempt to natively address 20 consoles across 17 actual platforms folded into a single device. The gamepad, arguably the centerpiece, includes two each of analog sticks and directional pads, along with multiple shoulder buttons and a central button grid that can either be used to steer an Intellivision or fill in for otherwise missing controls. Stuffing the unique controller hardware into one gamepad obviously presents problems with board sizes and the laws of physics, so much of the relevant circuitry sits in modified NES cartridges. Our only dismays are the lack of original Xbox support and the slightly imposing challenge of aggregating and modifying that much classic gaming componentry in one place -- if you're more concerned about convenience in your retro gaming than preserving the original feel of that Sega Master System or SNK NeoGeo, though, you've just found Utopia.

Continue reading Project Unity stuffs 20 classic consoles into one: if you can't play it, it's probably too new (video)

Project Unity stuffs 20 classic consoles into one: if you can't play it, it's probably too new (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 17:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tiny N64 controller guaranteed to cause serious crampage

Tiny N64 controller guaranteed to cause serious crampage

On the list of nerd pastimes, miniaturization ranks pretty high. So, we're not exactly surprised to see a tiny N64 controller, but we're kind of amazed that this rather extreme hack managed to avoid detection since January. The itty bitty controller isn't a mod, but an original construction built around a PIC microcontroller. You might notice that the yellow C buttons are absent, instead Kirren (the creator) went with a tiny four way switch, which you'll see above the blue and green A and B buttons. The design skips the L key, but you'll find R and Z on the rear face. For a short clip of it in action head on after the break and, if you want to build one yourself, hit up the source.

Continue reading Tiny N64 controller guaranteed to cause serious crampage

Tiny N64 controller guaranteed to cause serious crampage originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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