N64 image quality: Gray vs. Colored consoles

[Mega Mania]

Is the world's first pictures of image quality comparisons from Nintendo 64? Photos taken in digital camera, the Samsung TV (LCD) "27 and screen-size 4:3.

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N64 Image Quality Comparison Pictures here:
http://www.nesretro.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1354381429

Are authorized to use photos.
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6 Colored + 2 versions: Black Smoke, Jungle Green, Ice Blue, Fire Orange, Grape Purple and Watermelon Red. Also Clear Blue and Pikachu.

Like all N64 colored are not better image quality.

If you have, please send your the Serial Number, what colour, PAL, USA or Japan console, and the image quality is BETTER or NOT. As is known from the serial numbers from the "better" start consoles.

Sorry if english bad, translated by Google Translation.


NUP = Europe PAL
NS = N-America NTSC
NUJ = Japan NTSC

SHARPER / BETTER IMAGE:
Fire Orange: NUP 16339442
Grape Purple: NUP 16060024, NUP 16111072
Jungle Green: NUP 16085491, NUP 16237979
Smoke Black: NUP 16122646
Watermelon Red: NUP 16315707
Clear Blue: NUP 16748999
Pikachu: NUP 16476127

BLURRY IMAGE:
Ice Blue: NUP 16143699
Pokemon: NUP 15742019

http://www.nesretro.com/yabbfiles/Attachments/N64_Gray-vs-Colored.jpg

[j_factor]

Interesting, but I can't read Finnish, so I'm sure I'm missing some context. What accounts for the difference?

[Genesaturn]

I wish I spoke the language - the first one it looks a little smoother on the colored console...I never would of though to check differences in color quality as I figured..its the same machine beneath the shell.

[MASTERWEEDO]

I used Google's "Translate" feature, it works quite well.

I wonder if maybe some of the consoles tested had the Expansion Pak?

[Jack_Burton_BYOAC]

This is not really that surprising. It's common for various revisions of Nintendo systems to have different video quality. Since the colored N64's don't appear so different cosmetically from a standard N64 it has just taken a bit longer for someone to figure out that it might not be the exact same hardware.

I bet if you took some screen captures of the video output from a Gamecube and compared it to the output from a Panasonic Q you'd find some differences there too.

[The Adventurer]

Hmmmm... this is interesting. One of the more annoying things about the N64 is how it washes out all its textures into a shade of mud. The color console comparison gives things much more pixilated look... which to me looks a lot better, crisper.

[kedawa]

I wonder if this only applies to PAL units.

[Mega Mania]

More specifically: Better image quality are N64 Colored (latest model) consoles. Worse image quality are N64 Gray (first model) consoles.

I tested my European PAL N64 Gray and N64 Colored (Grape Shape), the same composite cable and is not used in the Expansion Pak (using Jumper Pak, both same yes).

First time I heard about it in Finnish game-forum. I got interested to do this N64 Gray vs. Colored comparison.

I was searching Google search but not found better N64 console discussions. That's why I want tell N64 and retrogame fans.

Insterested to know whether also NTSC USA and Japan consoles.

[theclaw]

True. PAL N64 to me doesn't appear that great of an investment with 50hz games and a smaller library. Though I don't own the PAL version to say much myself.

Either way I can assure you won't have problems obtaining NTSC USA consoles! They were produced in such numbers even I have a third I should let go...
Counting sets of multiple N64s... At any moment there's some 1000 units on US ebay alone, excluding any other sites or countries.

[wiggyx]

The race is on to figure out which revision has an encoder that will output YPbPr!!!