Changes

|predecessor = [[Super Nintendo emulators|SNESSuper Family Computer / Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]

Nintendo was the second company approached by Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI), which wanted to roll out its previously enterprise-only technology in the consumer space. They originally pitched their idea to Sega, but it's assumed that Nintendo's offer was more appealing. With the NEC VR4300 CPU clocked at 93.75 MHz, 4 MBs of RAM, and an SGI RCP GPU, Nintendo had finalized much of the hardware at least a year before launch, preventing video games from needing drastic rewrites as a result of architectural changes. A separate add-on was later released called the "[[#Peripherals|Expansion Pak]]" that added an additional 4 MBs of RAM, totaling to 8 MBs. The development workstations were often Unix-based, which would later help reverse-engineers in some projects.­­

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|[https://ares-emu.net/compatibility/nintendo-nintendo-64 97%<br/><small>873 872 out of 900 reported titles</small>]

|[[Project64BizHawk]]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}|[https://githubgitlab.com/Rosalie241TASVideos/BetterMajorasMaskInstallerBizHawk/releases <abbr title="This installer automatically installs and configures latest versions of Project64-nightly, GlideN64 video plugin, Azimer's Audio Plugin, Iconoclast's Static RSP Interpreter and also MM HD Texture Pack.">Rosalie241's MMHD</abbr>pipelines Dev builds]<br/>[httpshttp://www.pj64-emutasvideos.com/nightly-builds Nightly]<br/>[https:org/BizHawk/www.pj64-emuReleaseHistory.com/public-releases html {{Project64VerBizHawkVer}}]<br/>[https://github.com/Rosalie241/PJ64Launcher/releases/latest Keygen]

|?<br/><small>[[Recommended N64 plugins|(Plugin dependent)]]<br/>[[BizHawk#Supported_systems|(Core dependent)]]</small>| <small>[[Recommended N64 plugins|Plugin dependent]]<br/>[[BizHawk#Supported_systems|Core dependent]]</small>

|[[BizHawkProject64]]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux}}|[https://gitlabgithub.com/TASVideosRosalie241/BizHawkBetterMajorasMaskInstaller/releases <abbr title="This installer automatically installs and configures latest versions of Project64-nightly, GlideN64 video plugin, Azimer's Audio Plugin, Iconoclast's Static RSP Interpreter and also MM HD Texture Pack.">Rosalie241's MMHD</pipelines Dev buildsabbr>]<br/>[httphttps://tasvideoswww.pj64-emu.orgcom/nightly-builds Nightly]<br/>[https:/BizHawk/ReleaseHistorywww.pj64-emu.html com/public-releases {{BizHawkVerProject64Ver}}]<br/>[https://github.com/Rosalie241/PJ64Launcher/releases/latest Keygen]

|?<br/><small>[[Recommended N64 plugins|(Plugin dependent)]]<br/>[[BizHawk#Supported_systems|(Core dependent)]]</small>| <small>[[Recommended N64 plugins|Plugin dependent]]<br/>[[BizHawk#Supported_systems|Core dependent]]</small>

|{{~✗}}

|[[CEN64]]Kaizen|align=left|{{Icon|Windows|Linux|macOS}}|[https://github.com/tj90241SimoneN64/cen64 Kaizen#pre-built-binaries git]|{{CEN64Ver✗}}]

| Partial Cycle?

| Low?|{{✓}}

|{{✗}}|{{✗}}<ref group=N name=1964GEPD>[https://github.com/Graslu/1964GEPD/releases/tag/latest 1964GEPD] is only recommended to use for Goldeneye 007 or Perfect Dark; because this emulator is primarily made for GoldenEye/Perfect Dark and modified for use with the Mouse Injector and their ROM hacks. '''It has poor ROM support outside of these games'''. Another and recommended option for Goldeneye: 007 is [https://github.com/garungorp/MouseInjectorDolphinDuck#supported-mupen64plusretroarch garungorp's MouseInjectorDolphinDuck] with mupen64plus_next_libretro.</ref>(WIP)

|RokuyonR64Emu

|[https://github.com/Hydr8gonrasky/rokuyon {{RokuyonVer}}r64emu git]

|{{✗}}(WIP)

|{{✓}}|{{✗}}(WIP)|-|[[1964]]|align=left|{{Icon|Windows}}|[https://github.com/Graslu/1964GEPD/releases/tag/latest 1964GEPD]<br /><abbr title="Official">[http://www.emulation64.com/files/getfile/936/ 1.1]</abbr><br /><abbr title="Unofficial SVN">[http://files.emulation64.fr/Emulateurs/EMU_1964_146.zip 1.2 r146]</abbr>|{{✗}}|{{✗}}|{{~}}|?| Low|{{✓}}|{{✗}}|{{✗}}<ref group=N name=1964GEPD>[https://github.com/Graslu/1964GEPD/releases/tag/latest 1964GEPD] is only recommended to use for Goldeneye 007 or Perfect Dark; because this emulator is primarily made for GoldenEye/Perfect Dark and modified for use with the Mouse Injector and their ROM hacks. '''It has poor ROM support outside of these games'''. Another and recommended option for Goldeneye: 007 is [https://github.com/garungorp/MouseInjectorDolphinDuck#supported-mupen64plusretroarch garungorp's MouseInjectorDolphinDuck] with mupen64plus_next_libretro.</ref>

[https://wololodocs.netgoogle.com/spreadsheets/d/talk13izCg9TYUWpF3Ot3P3wVUzAk_qpsNtsNqmydakELIUQ/viewtopic.php?tedit#gid=50252 141172263683 61%<br/><small>44 97 out of 308 157 reported titles from 1.1.6-1.1.8 (PSP)</small>]

|align=left|{{Icon|GCN|Wii|WiiU}}

|[[Nintendo Switch Online ]] <small>(Hovercraft)<small>

|align=left|{{Icon|GCN|Wii|WiiU|PS3}}

|{{✗~}}

::Both are heavily modified forks developed as [[libretro]] cores. They introduce many features and optimizations that aren't present in the mainline build. Alongside [[RetroArch]]'s general features, it adds 3-point texture filtering for Glide64, superior A/V sync and latency, and even an initially exclusive LLE Vulkan renderer based on Angrylion's pixel-perfect RDP plugin, now known as ParaLLEl-RDP, making it a better alternative to the standalone version in some cases. ParaLLEl-RDP has a special "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzR93F9gPdc Super VI Mode]" option, which, if used, can make the visuals of N64 games look less blurry with fairly mitigated jaggies even at their native resolutions, although it may need a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7_D_D419S0 powerful GPU]. It also offers native high-resolution rendering, only available in integer scales of the original N64 resolution.::As for the difference between the two cores, ParaLLEl-N64 is actually the older of the two, as it is based on the 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 with the fact that going forward, all further improvements and new features will be applied to the Mupen64Plus-Next core. As a result, 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.

::Rosalie's Mupen GUI aims to close the gap between Project64 and Mupen64Plus in terms of user experience. Its interface is about on par with simple64's in terms of cleanliness and ease of use, but unlike simple64, it remains a shallow fork of upstream Mupen64Plus and allows you to use other plugins. The latest development versions come bundled with GLideN64, Angrylion RDP Plus and ParaLLEl-RDP for video plugins, and mupen64plus-hle-rsp, CXD4 and ParaLLEl-RSP for RSP plugins It can still use the older plugins that come with regular Mupen64Plus in case if your PC can't handle the newer plugins. If you prefer GLideN64, this is a superior alternative to simple64, as the last version of simple64 that uses GLideN64 is becoming increasingly outdated.

: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.Note if you do use Project64, there is a exploit allowing people to remotely access your computer. This exploit only works if you have a rom from a random website, So watch where you get your roms if you using project64

:An Android-exclusive Nintendo 64 emulatorbased on Mupen64Plus by freeman_zy. It is similar to Project 64 1.6 in terms of compatibility, although it is unknown who authored it, as the . The APK for n64oid circulates on many legally-questionable APK sites. n64oid has the infamous problem in Mario Kart 64 of the screen in Wario Stadium not displaying properly, as it displays nothing but black. It upscales all games to widescreen, which works well most of time, but it will have performance issues on many some older phones. The emulator is relatively poor, but it is much easier to set up than other options. The emulator features a menu with many similarities to the mobile edition of Snes9x EX+ and the My Boy! family of Android emulators for Game Boy systems.

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| rowspan=4 6 | Graphics

| Ray-tracing<br/><small>([https://devblogs.microsoft.com/directx/announcing-microsoft-directx-raytracing/ DXR], [https://www.khronos.org/blog/ray-tracing-in-vulkan VRT] and [https://developer.apple.com/documentation/metal/metal_sample_code_library/accelerating_ray_tracing_using_metal MRT])</small>| colspan=9 | <small>Implementing ray-tracing in an emulator is unfortunately quite challenging and unlikely to be feasible in the near future.<br/>However you can try "[[Shaders_and_filters#Notable_ReShade_shaders|Screen-Space Ray Traced Global Illumination]]" shader using ReShade.[https://reshade.me/forum/general-discussion/5442-release-misc-emulators-with-depth-buffer-access#34637]</small>|-| [https://github.com/NVIDIAGameWorks/rtx-remix/wiki RTX Remix]| colspan=9 | <small>Implementing RTX Remix technology in an emulator is unfortunately quite challenging and unlikely to be feasible in the near future.<br/>Besides, some of these emulators already supports most of RTX Remix features such as texture replacement and post-processing effects etc.<br/>On top of that you can use ReShade for post-processing.</small>|-| rowspan=3 4 | Performance

| colspan=6 | <small>Implementing frame generation technology in an emulator is unfortunately quite challenging and unlikely to be feasible in the near future, however post-processing techniques such as [[Wikipedia:Motion_interpolation|motion interpolation]] is quite possible. [[Input_lag|Input latency]] will be a crucial factor, but its impact likely varies depending on the specific technique employed, it's recommended to use '''after applying the "Internal Framerate Hack"'''.<br/>While '''AFMF''' or '''LSFG''' could be used with Mupen64Plus-Next?, please be aware that some visual glitches and artifacts may occur at this time.|-| Rendering latency reduction technologies<br/><small>([https://github.com/ishitatsuyuki/LatencyFleX LatencyFleX], [https://developer.nvidia.com/performance-rendering-tools/reflex Reflex] and [https://www.amd.com/en/products/software/adrenalin/radeon-software-anti-lag.html Anti-Lag'''+'''])| colspan=9 | <small>While most emulators offer frame pacing or framebuffer latency control options, implementing rendering latency reduction technologies isn't currently feasible. This is '''likely''' doesn't offer enough benefit to justify the development effort.</small>

| rowspan=4 6 | Post-Processing

| [[Wikipedia:Comparison_gallery_of_image_scaling_algorithms|Post-rendering scaling]]<br/><small>(Sharp bilinear, Lanczos and [[Wikipedia:GPUOpen#FidelityFX_Super_Resolution|FSR 1]])</small>

| {{NY}}[https://github.com/ares-emulator/ares/pull/1397 *]

| rowspan=6 8 | Quality of life

| colspan=5 | <small>Exclusive to [https://docs.libretro.com/guides/crtswitchres/ libretro cores] and [[GroovyMAME]] at the moment.<br/>Also there is a [https://github.com/psakhis/Groovy_MiSTer project] for achieving software emulators like libretro cores and GroovyMAME send the raw RGB data over a network to a core running on MiSTer, it basically turns the MiSTer into a GPU for the emulator allowing for easy setup and use with CRT TVs/Arcade monitors.</small>

| {{?N}}[https://old.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/1ay6fm1/ares_v136_released/krslaki/ *]

| rowspan=4 5 | Misc

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| [[Wikipedia:Nintendo_64_accessoriesEarly_Online_Services#ModemModem_cartridge_.28N64.29|Modem cartridge (NUS-029)]]

There was a special kiosk designed to promote ''Pokémon Snap'' called the ''Pokémon Snap Station'', which is also compatible with the North American ''Pokémon Stadium'' with its gallery mode. It is just a Nintendo 64 with special hardware designed for the station.<ref name="Sixty Formula">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMbjvGvPkV4|title=The Pokemon Pokémon Snap Station|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=2018-06-17|date=2016-05-21}}</ref><ref name="MetalJesusRocks">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_UGpRN6AnM&t=3m35s|title=VIDEO GAME KIOSKS - Extreme Game Collecting!|publisher=YouTube|accessdate=2018-06-17|date=2016-05-25}}</ref> Although the special cartridge does boot in emulators compatible with the regular version, the printing functions are inaccessible due to no emulation of the printer for the player 4 slot, credit system, or the special board to switch between the regular and special cartridges. [https://jamchamb.net/2021/08/17/snap-station.html On August 17 , 2021, jamchamb reverse engineered the Snap Station] and created a [https://github.com/jamchamb/project64/tree/snapstation Project64 fork (source code only)] and an [https://github.com/jamchamb/cojiro iCEBreaker FPGA board hardware implementation].

A few games, such as ''Mario Golf'', ''Mario Tennis'', ''Mario Artist: Paint Studio'', and the ''Pokémon Stadium'' games, can use the Transfer Pak, an attachment that allows interfacing with specific [[Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulators|Game Boy/Color]] games for certain features. Most N64 emulators can emulate the Transfer Pak's functionality to one degree or another, with the most robust being Project64 with N-Rage's input plugin. But there are still a few things that are difficult to emulate or are just not emulated at all:

*Playing the Gen 1 and 2 Pokemon Pokémon games through the Game Boy Tower in Pokemon Pokémon Stadium 1 and 2 is notoriously finicky. At the moment, only Project64, using the N-Rage input plugin, can properly load either game's Game Boy Tower at all, with other emulators either crashing or failing to establish the connection. Even here, extra steps must be taken: for Pokemon Pokémon Stadium 2, set the CPU core to Interpreter and Counter factor to 1 in the emulator's game settings. For the first Stadium game, in addition to the aforementioned settings, Delay SI Interrupt must also be turned on, and an LLE RSP plugin other than the default Projec64 RSP must be used, such as ParaLLEl-RSP.

Expansion disks are region-coded to either Japan or the US (obviously unused) and won't work with N64 games from the wrong region. Only F-Zero X has an official disk, but Ocarina of Time, Mario Party, and Pokemon Pokémon Stadium (JP) have fully implemented but unused disk support.

Recently, there has been an effort to emulate the 64DD, and now, [[Project64]] and [[MAME]] can run several commercial 64DD games as part of its N64 emulator. This is being ported to [[CEN64]] with the help of [https://twitter.com/LuigiBlood LuigiBlood]. Mupen64Plus supports 64DD aswell as well, which is the base of other emulators such as [[simple64]] and [[RMG]]. The latest newcomer is [[Ares]] with the (again) help of [https://twitter.com/LuigiBlood LuigiBlood].

* Ares supports 64DD aswellas well, [https://twitter.com/LuigiBlood/status/1568694009496756225 developer LuigiBlood said]: "This is the most 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", also supports disc-swapping with v134 version.

A number of N64 games were released for the Wii's Virtual Console service throughout its lifespan. While the emulators at the heart of each Virtual Console title were of average accuracy (rather than using one generic emulator used for every game, each title had an emulator specifically tailored to that game), they were good enough to render the games in full, playable capacity with few to no glaring errors. Many of these titles are emulated well through Dolphin. For a good while, due to persistent long-standing inaccuracies in N64 emulators and plugins, this was the best way to emulate certain N64 games, particularly Pokemon Pokémon Snap and Mario Tennis. The system requirements are much higher than running them on regular N64 emulators, but it's doable for many games. Today, regular N64 emulators and plugins have advanced to the degree that this has become unnecessary, relegating this method of N64 game emulation to little more than a curiosity, at least on PC.

* Pokemon Pokémon Puzzle League

* Pokemon Pokémon Snap

[[UltraHLE]] offered a compromise. In contrast to earlier consoles (whose video chips, in hindsight, had been easy to render to the host CPU's framebuffer), performant RDP emulation had to take shortcuts, including programming around specific games' microcode to cleanly translate their graphics commands into API calls using Direct3D, OpenGL, and even Glide. With this, the theoretical system requirements plummeted, and the host graphics card could reproduce a functional equivalent rather than the exact method. This also gave way to prettier, higher-resolution graphics, though whether or not this is an improvement is subjective and a common point of discussion. Unfortunately, it proved to be hit or miss, owing to the nature of per-game microcode detection and having to tweak settings to prevent some games from running into graphical glitches.

One of the biggest remaining problems in N64 emulation is the lack of accurate core timings, which , in practice, means games don't always run at the speed they would on real hardware. While this technically affects all games, the majority are only affected to a negligible degree. In some instances (particularly in Rare games) this can actually result in fewer framerate drops and lag, which can be seen as beneficial. However, some game engines actually depend on accurate timings for proper game behavior, and not emulating them properly can result in considerable to major issues. Some notable examples include the following:

Fortunately, tackling these problems has recently become a core focus of development in some N64 emulators, and attempts are underway to improve the situation. [[ares]] currently has the most accurate timings overall and already runs Earthworm Jim 3D's demos much better than other emulators. Meanwhile, [[simple64]] has recently pushed various timing-related commits aimed at improving accuracy, and as a result, it may now be the only emulator that runs Donkey Kong 64 properly. As these efforts progress, it should be noted that a side-effect of improved timings may be greater in-game lag. This shouldn't be seen as the emulator becoming slower, but rather as the emulator behaving exactly like the real hardware does, as many N64 games were notorious for framerate drops.

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch@ModernVintageGamer/search?vquery=gRslfM-MOOw n64 MVGvideos about Nintendo 64]* [https://youtu.be/xwls5SpNn1s Kaze Emanuar: Why was How we BEAT the Limitations that defined the N64s Artstyle]* James Lambert: [https://youtu.be/r4KGm7ixcqI How I optimized Portal to run on the Nintendo 64 so hard to develop games for?], [https://youtu.be/Sf036fO-ZUk How I implemented MegaTextures on real Nintendo 64 hardware]

[[Category:Consoles|!Nintendo 64]][[Category:Home consoles|!Nintendo 64]][[Category:Fifth-generation video game consoles|!Nintendo 64]][[Category:Nintendo consoles|!Nintendo 64]]

[[Category:Very early emulation (MAME)Driver Status: Preliminary|!Nintendo 64]]