Introduction: The market for vintage gaming experiences is a niche space in the video game industry, but also one that can be extremely lucrative. Analogue is a company working in this very space and it has recently announced that its latest product will take on the gaming library of Nintendo 64, one of the most famous video game consoles of all time. That prospect is interesting not just because it offers a chance for players to enjoy many classic games in 4K resolution, but also because it can dramatically impact the global market for second-hand vintage gaming cartridges, as well as the growing problem of digital games disappearing and being pulled from online sell points.
Article: The Nintendo 64, better known as N64, is one of the most well-known video game consoles of the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was launched in the summer of 1996 by Nintendo as the direct successor of the previous Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Even though the fifth-generation console still used the ROM cartridge standard, being the last major home gaming system to utilize it, the company intended it to be a direct competitor to the first generation of Sony PlayStation and the then-available Sega Saturn. The console had a few delays in its development due to the slowdown of the production of its main flagship games but did offer a powerful 64-bit CPU, which allowed for advanced 3D rendering.
The console began selling exceedingly well in the US in particular and in the next six years, it managed to ship over 32 million units across the world. It ended production in 2002, but the console’s famous three-pronged controllers are still a seminal image of that period of gaming. Naturally, due to its popularity and widespread use, many of its cartridges remained on the second-hand gaming market. Here is exactly where the company Analogue comes in. The same business is famous for creating new iterations of old console models, which focus on full backlog support of games. Its latest product is called Analogue 3D, which is a digital version of the Nintendo 64. The product, while operating in a gray legal area, offers a chance not only to enjoy all of the vintage 64 games in an upscaled 4K resolution but also a possible method of once again purchasing physical games that the owners keep forever in their current state.
2025 Release
Analogue, which found fame with its version of Game Boy called Analogue Pocket, has been ready to take on N64 for some time now. Originally, the company planned to launch the console in late 2024, but its official press release set the date for early 2025, most likely Q1. The cost of the console will be 249.99 USD and its preorder page is up and working already. This product will continue the growing list of console and gaming system reworks that Analogue offers. So far, its catalog has covered, besides Game Boy, NES, SNS, and Sega Genesis. According to the company’s website, several of these are currently out of stock, meaning that they did find their audience. In each of these console rework cases, the pitch of the Analogue company is the same – allowing gamers to enjoy their old collection of titles in an upscaled 4K resolution. Furthermore, these vintage games are free of any kind of digital license constraints that come with the current market for video games.
Bespoke 4K Uspcalers
At the heart of all Analogue consoles lies the company’s system for taking old games and boosting their resolution to full 4K. For this, its engineers created a bespoke 4K upscaling mechanism that is purpose-built for each new console variant. In the case of Analogue 3D, the upscaler will also be able to offer a range of visual modes. Some of them were designed with the purpose of imitating the look and feel of the old TV sets and CRT displays. While this system might not work perfectly in all cases, it will upscale any old N64 game nonetheless. Just as importantly, the console is completely compatible with the old cartridge library and has no regional restrictions. With region-free features, the console will be able to run any cartridge sold for N64, no matter in which region it was sold originally.
Hardware and Peripheries
Analogue 3D offers Bluetooth support and features four controller ports, a slot for an SD card, and two USB ports. It runs on a new operating system which is called 3D OS, but importantly, the console does not come with its controllers. Instead, users can get an updated version of the N64 controllers that will sell for 39.99 USD, but users have another option. If they still have their original N64 controllers or can purchase them, any of these will work with Analogue 3D and its controller ports. Chances are that not many of those survived the last 20 years in great working conditions. But, there are likely a lot of brand new ones in warehouses across the world, including Asian in particular, which simply failed to ship out to customers once the original console got phased out. Now, these might be a very interesting reseller product, especially as the new controllers will not come with that iconic third prong.
New Market for Old Video Games
Ever since the majority of video game sales became digital purchases, the market for used and resold games has been growing quietly and in the background. The reasons for that expansion are numerous, but the major points reside in the fact that gamers can get these titles for cheaper prices and that they can physically own them. Instead, digital copies of games are more and more sold as licenses of use, not items that provide permanent ownership. For many gamers, this licensing is something they do not like at all, feeling that their game libraries are at the whim of video game publishers and online vendors. At the same time, developers, including the biggest names in the industry, are regularly pulling old games from all big digital marketplaces. While Analogue is technically working in a slightly gray area, its consoles and other products so far had no issues with companies like Nintendo. Instead, it seems that they are filling a growing niche for customers unsatisfied with the current licensing rules of digital games. As that niche grows, the reseller market will grow as well. That is why, thanks to Analogue 3D, it is more than possible to see N64 games and peripherals only grow in price, as the demand for them grows as well.
Author: Ivica Milaric, game designer and assistant professor of game design at the Novi Sada Academy of Arts, Republic of Serbia