Palmer Luckey’s ModRetro has launched the M64 home game console, billing it as the ideal machine to play your favorite original Nintendo 64 games.
The game console costs $229 plus $29 for a controller. The machine is a labor of love for Luckey, the founder of Oculus and Anduril, and it is designed for retro purists to fit alongside the Chromatic handheld, a rethinking of the original Game Boy, launched last year.
While both machines mimic the functions of Nintendo classic hardware, Nintendo hasn’t sued. And in an interview last year, ModRetro CEO Torin Herndon said his company studied every patent for the Game Boy and Game Boy Color and worked around legal issues while avoiding any hint of embracing counterfeiting. Presumably, the company took the same approach with the similarity to the N64.
ModRetro’s site says every detail of the console exists to produce the most accurate N64 experience ever made: full compatibility with original cartridges and controllers, so you can go back and play all your old favorites.
The price is somewhat higher than the original $200 ModRetro first announced, but it’s clear that the memory chip shortage has only worsened since then. But the price remains far below that of other consoles in the market.
The M64 has identical gameplay timing and audio to the N64, ModRetro said, with improvements such as HDMI video output up to 4K. It has customization options like CRT filters and overclocking modes. And it has wireless (or wired) updates designed to unlock new features, accessories, and games for years to come.
The company said you’ll be able to introduce your kids to games like Rainbow Road and play Smash Bros. Rant with up to four friends in 4-player split-screen multiplayer. The aim is to help fans rediscover the joy of 90’s console gaming on modern TVs, together.
The console boots within seconds and it embraces 4K displays with deep video processing that lets you add optional filters like scanlines and CRT effects. It gets by with minimal thermal requirements, using a fanless thermal design that runs silently while you play.
ModRetro is also releasing dozens of brand new cartridge games, delivered in physical boxes with printed manuals.
M64 was made with the community in mind. The system has a FPGA core and firmware that are open-source. The hardware is mod and customization friendly, and wireless updates let the company add more improvements and features over time – like HDMI passthrough and Transfer Pak for Chromatic owners. The future of M64 is yours to shape, now and forever, the company said.
While other consoles are pushing higher, adjusted for memory chip price increases. The PlayStation 5 is $650 with physical disc and up, Xbox Series X/S is $830 and up, the Nintendo Switch 2 is $450 and up ($500 starting September 1). The main competition in the same price band is the $300 Nex Playground, but that motion-based console is geared toward a very different casual audience.
It’s unclear whether ModRetro is subsidizing the low price of the console. The company did say on its site that the M64 features one of the rarest, most expensive circuit boards ever created in consumer electronics, complete with gold traces to resist corrosion and improve conductivity.
At the center of M64 is a 16nm AMD Artix UltraScale+ FPGA, an advanced processor for a retro console, and the only choice for true hardware-level accuracy, the company said. There’s also a pro version of a console for $89.
As for the tech details, the company said it will have 4K Ultra HD video output at 60 frames per second. It will have CD-quality uncompressed audio (48 kHz 16-bit PCM). And it will be compatible with original N64 game cartridges, meaning the original Nintendo 64, ModRetro M64 Pro, Hyperkin Premium “Captain”, Retro Fighters, Nintendo Switch NSO (requires accessory), and 8BitDo 64 Controllers.
The console is also compatible with 720p, 1080p, 1440p, and 4K displays. It has a USB power port, HDMI video output, four controller ports compatible with N64-style controllers, USB accessory port (x2) – data-capable auxiliary ports for charging M64 Pro Controllers
MicroSD card slot for storage.