Is a N64 worth getting nowadays?

[Press_Start]

N64 would be great except for the controllers.

Playing GoldenEye totally screws the thumbstick. And we only play that over here.

Has anyone a cost effective way to solve this problem?

I bought brand new 3rd party controllers and the thumbsticks SUCK hard. GoldenEye is impossible to play.

really shitty thumbsticks. I hate Nitentdo for not thinking sturdiness with that one. because we have this N64 sitting there and nobody wants to play GoldenEye anymore.

Know the feeling. I remembered, at the April NAVA, seeing a third-party controller looking remarkably similar to the Gamecube's. Thumbstick an D-pad was on the left, A, B, and C button on the right, and don't know where the Z button was. Went back to the store after I recently purchased the system with games, but, alas, it was gone. :(

Even worse, I don't remember the name of it and I've searched online to find nothing relatively close. Does anyone know of a N64 controller in the above description?

[Spartacus]

Interact Superpad 64 Plus (P-300)?
The Z button is is under the left grip where you're middle finger would naturally rest.
I like that pad myself - comfort wise. Has slow and auto fire buttons too.

[murdoc rose]

no downloaded version will be better than the real thing at least in game emulation. Not that I'm against emulation its a helpful tool in game collecting but the quality of game play will always be better especially for systems with a multi tap built in. A N64 shouldn't cost you much even though they have been on the rise and there are only like two U.S. games I would even call rare. Hardware over software any day.

[Greg2600]

no downloaded version will be better than the real thing at least in game emulation. Not that I'm against emulation its a helpful tool in game collecting but the quality of game play will always be better especially for systems with a multi tap built in. A N64 shouldn't cost you much even though they have been on the rise and there are only like two U.S. games I would even call rare. Hardware over software any day.

N64 and Playstation 1 games are much better on a PC where the emulator can use the PC's graphic drivers (like Direct3D or OpenGL). Very clear, but you need to have a pretty fast modern PC to run them well. Also, you have to deal with now being able to see many of the imperfections that were hidden on the lower-res systems on a TV.

Then again, am I correct in assuming that if you play older PS1 games on a PS2 or PS3, or N64 on a Wii, that the graphics are improved? I think the
moral of this story is if you have a powerful PC already, then emulation is possible for N64, if you like breaking the "law." The Wii has only a small amount of games available, and at $10 a game, that's about what most of those go for loose (though that doesn't include shipping). Therefore, the only way to get the authentic experience, is to get the system and carts themselves.

[YoshiM]

N64 would be great except for the controllers.

Playing GoldenEye totally screws the thumbstick. And we only play that over here.

Has anyone a cost effective way to solve this problem?

I bought brand new 3rd party controllers and the thumbsticks SUCK hard. GoldenEye is impossible to play.

really shitty thumbsticks. I hate Nitentdo for not thinking sturdiness with that one. because we have this N64 sitting there and nobody wants to play GoldenEye anymore.

Goldeneye screws up the sticks? Really? Never had an issue after our marathons of that particular game. One controller died out kinda early (the second we ever owned, purchased on my wife and mine's honeymoon in 1996) but the rest of the controllers lasted a while. Just how exciting are your Goldeneye matches? :D

I think for their first 3D platform Nintendo wanted to have the best response out of the stick. I still think the stick is more sensitive than what's even available today. That precision comes at a price. I replaced my sticks with new ones and bought some extra off of eBay.

[Press_Start]

Interact Superpad 64 Plus (P-300)?
The Z button is is under the left grip where you're middle finger would naturally rest.
I like that pad myself - comfort wise. Has slow and auto fire buttons too.

Yes! That's the name of it.

I'm surprised how rarely it pops up. Even google images does not have a single picture of it.

[Rob2600]

am I correct in assuming that if you play older PS1 games on a PS2 or PS3, or N64 on a Wii, that the graphics are improved?

I believe that the PS2 and PS3 try to smooth out the graphics in old PlayStation games. The Wii doesn't smooth out the graphics in N64 games because they're already smooth, but it does run them in 480p, so those with an HDTV benefit from the higher resolution.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

Know the feeling. I remembered, at the April NAVA, seeing a third-party controller looking remarkably similar to the Gamecube's. Thumbstick an D-pad was on the left, A, B, and C button on the right, and don't know where the Z button was. Went back to the store after I recently purchased the system with games, but, alas, it was gone. :(

Even worse, I don't remember the name of it and I've searched online to find nothing relatively close. Does anyone know of a N64 controller in the above description?
That Interact pad is pretty good. The dpad is sort of shit, but I guess you don't use the dpad very often on the N64 anyway. It's the pad I use with my N64.

What I'd really like to get is a Hori MiniPad. Those things look absolutely lovely and really do feel great, too, from what I've heard. they were only release din Japan, though, and I've never found one for cheap enough to justify the purchase. They usually go for around $40, which is a hell of a lot for a controller.


...word is bondage...

[Greg2600]

Goldeneye screws up the sticks? Really? Never had an issue after our marathons of that particular game. One controller died out kinda early (the second we ever owned, purchased on my wife and mine's honeymoon in 1996) but the rest of the controllers lasted a while. Just how exciting are your Goldeneye matches? :D

I think for their first 3D platform Nintendo wanted to have the best response out of the stick. I still think the stick is more sensitive than what's even available today. That precision comes at a price. I replaced my sticks with new ones and bought some extra off of eBay.

As I recall, games like the WWF/WCW wrestling could burn out the analog if you manhandled it. I never burned any of mine out, but I was already much older than my cousins or friends' brothers, who being kids, threw caution to the wind. I have never liked 3rd party controllers for any system, but the especially the N64. The Nintendo model had the soft D-pad and a much smoother and sturdier Analog stick than any of the 3rd parties. Usually for classic systems, a used controller usually doesn't give you problems, but with analog and force feedback, etc., since the mid-90's, you have to be pickier.

[JSoup]

My only aim in this back and forth, which seems to not have entered your brain, is pointing out the various options available.

Did it ever occur to you that I already knew that and that there was a good reason for me dismissing it? I called it 'staying on topic'. We were arguing about price.


I don't mean to be offensive, but you keep coming back with unresearched "answers" to my devil's advocate questions that turn out to be utterly false.

My mistake about a single mod chip that is no longer available makes everything I've said false? Even ignoring that, homebrew allows for the same thing.


The idea somebody could theoretically pay $200 or whatever a Wii goes for on the basis of your misinformation (and don't say it wouldn't happen: how many people buy PSPs just for emulation? You'd be surprised) should be reason enough for you to be more careful in the future.

For possibly the fourth time, Wii emulation is a good option if you already have a Wii. Yeah, I guess there are people out there that bought a Wii for emulation purposes. Hell, I got my Wii just for the virtual console (and my PSP for emulation). That still doesn't change the fact.

[Rob2600]

I was listening to the Tetrisphere soundtrack in my car yesterday.

By the way, I remember there was a code to unlock an extra sound test that had Game Boy-style music. :)