Changes

|[https://docs.libretro.com/library/mupen64plus/ Mupen64Plus-Next]<br/><small>[https://github.com/libretro/parallel-n64 ParaLLEl-N64 (obsolete)]<ref group=N name=obsolete>Obsolete and replaced by Mupen64Plus-Next. ParaLLEl-N64 should now only be considered for older ROM hacks that don't play well with the newer, more [[Emulation_accuracy|accurate ]] plugins.</ref></small>

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|<small>[[Recommended N64 plugins|Plugin<br/>Dependent]]</small>|[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/10AhvborAoFjTdVvnJ8lMl6PH_RT_3LXUhCknNqycg7A/htmlview?hl=en_GB&pli=1#gid=0 23%<br/><small>45 out of 194 reported titles</small>]<br/><small>[[Recommended N64 plugins|(Plugin dependent)]]</small>

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|<small>[[Recommended N64 plugins|Plugin<br/>Dependent]]</small>|[https://wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/Wii64_Compatibility_List 71%<br/><small>303 out of 424 reported titles</small>]<br/><small>[[Recommended N64 plugins|(Plugin dependent)]]</small>

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|<small>[[Recommended N64 plugins|Plugin<br/>Dependent]]</small>|[https://wiki.gbatemp.net/wiki/Wii64_Compatibility_List 71%<br/><small>303 out of 424 reported titles</small>]<br/><small>[[Recommended N64 plugins|(Plugin dependent)]]</small>

Although many Nintendo 64 emulators have been made and many games can be run between them, until recently, complete compatibility/and [[Emulation_accuracy|accuracy ]] left a bit to be desired. For half a decade, Mupen64Plus and Project64 have vied for the most playable emulator. Which was more compatible often depended on when and in what configuration each emulator had been tested. As of August 2017, both emulators have roughly equal compatibility and [[Emulation_accuracy|accuracy ]] when running with the same [[recommended N64 plugins]] setup, though both default to Glide64, a now relatively lackluster plugin.

:A multi-platform emulator based on Hacktarux's Mupen64. It's about as [[Emulation_accuracy|accurate ]] as Project64<ref>loganmc10. [https://github.com/mupen64plus/mupen64plus-core/pull/336 ''Ignore TLB write if TLB entry is unmapping itself'']. "By the way, once this, along with the other PR's I have waiting are merged, we are at "compatibility parity" with Project64 as far as I can tell. I don't know of any game that doesn't boot with mupen64plus that works in PJ64."</ref> when both emulators are run with GLideN64. However, Mupen64Plus lacks a native GUI, instead being launched either from the command line or by dragging and dropping ROMs into the executable and editing the config with a text editor. It also only comes bundled with outdated video plugins, so to ensure the best possible compatibility, sourcing better third-party plugins such as GLideN64 is a must. [[BizHawk]] and [[OpenEmu]] use forks of Mupen64Plus and its plugins for their N64 emulation, but they seem to be shallow. As of 2022, Project64-style overclocking for faster frame rates has been added under the option 'CountPerOpDenomPot'.

::As for the difference between the two cores, ParaLLEl-N64 is actually the older of the two, as it is based on old Mupen64Plus libretro core, having been renamed to ParaLLEl-N64 upon its initial integration of the ParaLLEl-RDP and RSP plugins. In addition to the ParaLLEl plugins, it also retains the older HLE plugins (glN64, Rice and Glide64) and Angrylion Plus. Meanwhile, Mupen64Plus-Next is a new rebase off the bleeding-edge mainline, which is the more compatible of the two. It does away with the legacy plugins and replaces them with GLideN64 as a better HLE solution (though, of course, the ParaLLEl plugins and Angrylion Plus stay), considerably cleans up the Core Options menu for easier configuration and adds Transfer Pack support. Add to this the fact that going forward, all further improvements and new features will be to the Mupen64Plus-Next core, and Mupen64Plus-Next is now the more recommended of the two. Thus ParaLLEl-N64 should now only be considered for performance reasons or perhaps for older ROM hacks that don't play well with the newer, more [[Emulation_accuracy|accurate ]] plugins.

::A fork of Mupen64Plus with a custom-made Qt GUI. This is probably the easiest "just works out of the box" solution for Nintendo 64 emulation, as it comes bundled with ParaLLEl-RDP and ParaLLEl-RSP, ensuring excellent compatibility and good speed without needing to mess with plugins or settings, provided your hardware supports Vulkan. However, unlike other emulators, it does not allow you to use other plugins. While it began as a shallow fork, it has increasingly become something closer to a hard fork, as its developer has opted to make various [[Emulation_accuracy|accuracy-focused ]] changes to the emulation core that will require additional work to port back to upstream or to other forks. It also currently features only a cached interpreter core, as the dynarecs used by Mupen64Plus are incompatible with the core timing changes made by the developer. While this makes simple64 more [[Emulation_accuracy|accurate ]] than most other N64 emulators, it also results in slower performance. If faster speed and more enhancements are desired, there is an older build that is closer to upstream and uses GLideN64 as its graphics plugin. Unfortunately, it lacks the texture enhancement suite required for using packs and upscaling, though.

:An open-source multi-system emulator and successor to Near's [[higan]] project, with a mostly original N64 core. Unlike most other N64 emulators, it aims for high [[Emulation_accuracy|accuracy ]] and does not employ HLE RSP or RDP emulation of any kind, nor does it use game-specific hacks. It uses Themaister's ParaLLEl-RDP Vulkan renderer (with the MAME renderer as a software-based fallback) for pixel-perfect LLE graphics. It currently passes several stringent [https://github.com/ares-emulator/ares/pull/613 accuracy tests] the other emulators do not, also [https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/181g1wk/ares_v134_has_been_released/kag3h4r/ CPU & RSP timings are really, really good] based on real hardware tests. But system requirements more demanding than other popular N64 emulators, having said that; for Windows users, it should be possible to maintain full speed on a Ryzen 7 3700X, system requirements for macOS and Linux users may be signficantly lower due to: [https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/zwq9fu/ares_crossplatform_open_source_multisystem/j1ys10k/ ARM64 ABI Microsoft has chosen for Windows] makes context switches more expensive than on the SysV ABI used in *nix.

:* v130 version brings 64DD emulation and macOS support, developer [https://twitter.com/LuigiBlood/ LuigiBlood] said [https://twitter.com/LuigiBlood/status/1568694009496756225 "This is the most [[Emulation_accuracy|accurate ]] 64DD emulation attempt I've ever done, honestly. A lot of the stuff I programmed are sometimes genuinely useless. A lot also involves timings of the drive itself and more"].

:An open-source emulator for Windows, as well as one of the oldest. Its official release builds are more up-to-date than Mupen64Plus', and the current stable version, 3.0.1, is roughly as [[Emulation_accuracy|accurate ]] as the development versions of Mupen64Plus when both are played with recommended plugins. It has a more user-friendly interface than some of the Mupen64Plus attempts and supports features such as Transfer Pak emulation and 64DD emulation. It now comes with GLideN64 out-of-the-box, but the default audio plugin isn't even the best in the box. Annoyingly, it also nags you with a timed, unskippable message asking for donations to the project upon launch, though this can be gotten around through a [https://github.com/Rosalie241/PJ64Launcher/releases/tag/1.3.0 script]. An alternative is to download it through [https://github.com/Rosalie241/BetterMajorasMaskInstaller/releases/tag/4.0.2 Rosalie's BetterMajorasMaskInstaller], which downloads the latest nightly version of Project64 with the nagging message removed and installs several useful third-party plugins (it also offers to install HD texture packs for OoT and MM, but you can opt out of those), though take heed - Project64 is currently in the middle of a major code rewrite in preparation for the upcoming 4.0 version, and more than a few regressions and bugs have crept into the nightlies as a result, so it might be better to just grab the latest plugins and stick to version 3.0.1. For the most part, it works well in [[Wine]], but if you're on a different platform, use Mupen64Plus instead.

:Aims for [[Emulation_accuracy|cycle accuracy ]] while at the same time aiming to be usable on modern PC hardware eventually. It lacks many features and has spotty compatibility, but it can already emulate some well-known edge cases, such as picture recognition in Pokemon Snap. Unfortunately, its creator appears to have abandoned the project [https://github.com/n64dev/cen64/releases/tag/v0.3 citing a lack of satisfaction with the program's performance in its current interpreter-based incarnation]. While the baton has been collectively passed to the n64dev community for further development, progress has been slow.

* Emulation [[Emulation_accuracy|accuracy ]] varies between games; sometimes, being worse than their Wii and/or Wii U Virtual Console versions;