Is a N64 worth getting nowadays?

[Ed Oscuro]

What the fuck are you on about? If you knew anything at all about emulation, you'd know the Transfer Pak isn't needed.

this is hilarious in so many ways

The transfer pak isn't needed for Perfect Dark on any system, but some of us like having it around.

I guess it's time to point out that Perfect Dark isn't even available on the Virtual Console.

It was fun arguing about it as a hypothetical though.

[JSoup]

this is hilarious in so many ways

I have to agree. You seem to have forgotten that my argument was about cost and are adding things to the pile of 'what I might need' for owning an N64.

The transfer pak isn't needed for Perfect Dark on any system, but some of us like having it around.

You said Transfer Pak, but I was thinking Expansion Pak (or whatever the thing is called). My mistake. However, it doesn't change the fact that you can't get the cost any lower than I have.

I guess it's time to point out that Perfect Dark isn't even available on the Virtual Console.

Modded Wii, ROM, etc. We've been over this.

[Ed Oscuro]

Modded Wii, ROM, etc. We've been over this.

And it's a worse idea than simply putting an emulator on a PC for a reason that should be obvious (voiding the warranty).

[JSoup]

And it's a worse idea than simply putting an emulator on a PC for a reason that should be obvious (voiding the warranty).

Again, the argument was about cost. Cost wise, using a modded Wii is a better option (let's also consider that you can BUY modded Wiis), IF you already have a Wii. Otherwise, yes, the PC works too.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

What are you guys even talking about? First, you don't have to mod your Wii to use homebrew, it's done with a software exploit. Second, there is no good homebrew N64 emulator available for the Wii.


...word is bondage...

[exit]

N64 emulation sucks ass on a PC.

The emulators wasn't that bad when I played through Ocarina of Time, which was about 4 years ago and I'm sure it's gotten much better by now. The only downside was finding the right plug-ins, (obviously) game compatibility and getting the settings just right for your system.

[roushimsx]

Man, that's so pre-Project64_1.7.0.54. The only game I've tried thus far that didn't work properly won't be on the VC anyhow (Duke Nukem Zero Hour).

I haven't tested it out in the latest PJ64 (I've been slacking on sending in a donation), but on the last public release, Duke Nukem Zero Hour works awesome. Hell, it works better than on a real N64 (no slowdown!), the mouse and keyboard is easy to properly setup (far easier than Perfect Dark or Goldeneye), and the save states correct the one major drawback of the game's design / source of the game's high level of difficulty (no mid level save points mixed with at times cheap enemy placement). IIRC, the Rice GPU plugin had some issues but the normal Jaboo plugin with the N-Rage DInput plugin for m+kb did wonders. I think I still have my settings stored on my PC if you'd like me to shoot them your way sometime... the game is a blast to play on the PC (far, far, far more enjoyable than it was on the N64).

I don't disagree that N64 emulation on the PC is a bit of a mess. The sooner we move away from plugin-dependency and towards a singular software-based solution (akin to what Xebra and pSX Emulator do for PS1 emulation or SSF does for Saturn emulation), the better. I love how the latest ePSXe bundles in a high quality software-based render that you can toggle to at any point in time fairly easily. As it is, trying to enable and configure Z64 is a bit of a pain in the ass and it doesn't much matter anyway since it seems like hoping that Stunt Racer 64 gets its graphics emulated is on par with hoping for a stand alone hardware accelerated emulator for the arcade game War, complete with TCP/IP networking to handle multiplayer games.

Let's see which one happens first.

tl;dr - The emulation on PC has problems, but at least we're not talking about N64 emulation on the Mac or Linux. Good god do those guys get fucked.

[carlcarlson]

I played through Mario 64 ~10 years ago on my PC using UltraHLE and didn't have any problems. I got all the stars and everything. It's kind of funny that I was able to play that game flawlessly that long ago, yet we still don't have an emulator that works great with everything.

[Ed Oscuro]

What are you guys even talking about? First, you don't have to mod your Wii to use homebrew, it's done with a software exploit. Second, there is no good homebrew N64 emulator available for the Wii.

See, I like how things are so much simpler in reality than Gameboy Color makes them out to be.

roushimsx: The last two releases I played (1.7.1.0, and 1.7.0.54 which is actually newer for some reason) crash Hero Zour after the helicopter flies into the sky at the end of the first stage. Pain in th'arse.

[JSoup]

What are you guys even talking about? First, you don't have to mod your Wii to use homebrew, it's done with a software exploit. Second, there is no good homebrew N64 emulator available for the Wii.

I wasn't speaking of homebrew, I was speaking of modding. At one time, there was a chip that allowed for use of the Wiis internal emulator (or whatever the Virtual Console uses) at will, although a quick Wikipedia check tells me that it's no longer available (or, at least, the website selling them no longer exists).

Although, now that I think about it, you'd have to buy the damn chip for, probably, around $10, so PC emulation remains the most cost efficient method.

See, I like how things are so much simpler in reality than Gameboy Color makes them out to be.

Oh, come now. The world isn't as simple as you like, deal with it.

[Greg2600]

Again, the argument was about cost. Cost wise, using a modded Wii is a better option (let's also consider that you can BUY modded Wiis), IF you already have a Wii. Otherwise, yes, the PC works too.

I suppose if the argument is simply cost, then downloading N64 games on a Wii might be a couple bucks a game cheaper. However, it's unlikely Nintendo will ever relent on the RARE/Microsoft issue. Even now, there are only 15 N64 games I see on the VC. Unless you want to go the PC emulation route, the only proper choice is to get the system itself. If you only need the carts, nothing complete, there are plenty available, but as I said, some games are pricey. Again, the N64 is a great system to get, because it is very unique and you can make due with under 20 games.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

I wasn't speaking of homebrew, I was speaking of modding. At one time, there was a chip that allowed for use of the Wiis internal emulator (or whatever the Virtual Console uses) at will, although a quick Wikipedia check tells me that it's no longer available (or, at least, the website selling them no longer exists).

Wii modchips let you play the regular virtual console releases without buying them, but I've never heard of one that let you add whatever games you want to the virtual console.


...word is bondage...

[Ed Oscuro]

Oh, come now. The world isn't as simple as you like, deal with it.

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

* There's PC emulation, which is currently great if you have a controller and a good enough PC (potentially a high cost). Range anywhere from effectively "free" (in my case, since I bought a 360 controller ages ago for MAME) to $1000+ to buy a new system (although currently N64 emulation isn't so CPU intensive as it would be in a MAME-style setup, due to the use of graphics plugins).

* There's the cost of a N64 system, and the cost is determined by how many games you buy for it (and any needed accessories). The cost there is anywhere from $5 at a garage sale to $1000+? for all the games you can find...

* Then there's the Wii, and if I'm following along properly:
- Modded Wiis won't run N64 emulators since there are none
- Perfect Dark isn't in the store so you can't run it on the Virtual Console.
- Another option available? I've checked out Google but don't see anything relevant.

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. 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.

[Mordan]

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.

[justinec101]

There's just something. . . blech about downloading old games for the wii. I just like grabbing a cartridge, sticking it in the system, and turning it on. I'm even considering going and buying back a gamecube because I hate turning on the wii, having to select gamecube, clicking start game. . . And as far as paying for something that's digital. . . I've only done it a few times on xbox live, but I easily would've paid 14.99 to get a physical copy of pacman CE instead.

Anyway, get Bomberman Hero for N64. It's one of the best interpretations of 2D platforming in 3D. Tons of short levels and a bunch of bosses. Very Linear, one of the few platforming games of that era that doesn't try to be all big and exploration based like banjo or mario.

[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?

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.