Changes

Historically, the majority of N64 emulators all shared the same plugin spec (known as the zilmar spec, after the creator of Project64, the first emulator to use it), and could therefore all use the same plugins, meaning you could take a plugin DLL file, use it on one emulator, then take that DLL and use it on another, and it would also work there. Of these, the big three emulators were [[Project64]], [[1964]] and Mupen64. Each had advantages and disadvantages, and some games worked well in one only to not work in another, even when using the same plugin configuration. This necessitated having all of these emulators and sometimes even older or modified versions of them, along with a great many plugins, to be able to play most of the N64 library with the least amount of issues possible - though admittedly a good amount of games (particularly the most popular ones) were playable with just the best few of them.  To illustrate the point, [http://bhemuhelp.unaux.com/n64mgcl/N64ConfigList.html here] is a site that, as late as 2012, was dedicated to documenting the exact emulator, plugin and settings combination necessary to get each and every game to at least a playable state, if at all possible. Unsurprisingly, this situation often led to a lot of confusion from users, who often wondered why there were so many plugins, and which ones were the best to use, only to find out it often depended on the game, and even then, some games would refuse to work as intended no matter what was tried. Hence the label "plugin hell" was coined, and stuck as a description of the travails of trying to emulate N64 games well into the 2010's.

*The zilmar spec - Utilized by Project64 and most other legacy emulators; only Project64 still uses it today.*

|Glide64**

An LLE video plugin based on inspired by and referenced against Angrylion's RDP plugin, ported made to run on the GPU through the use of the Vulkan API's compute shaders. It was introduced in the ParaLLEl-N64 libretro core, is also available in the newer Mupen64Plus-Next core, and is included in [[m64p]] and [https://www.64dd.org/downloads.html this build] of Project64 (if you just want the plugin for Project64, grab it [https://www.mediafire.com/file/neig4q7r788puj3/pj64-parallelrdp.rar here]). This is currently considered the best video plugin by most measures. It is just as accurate and compatible as Angrylion's RDP, but much faster. Like most Angrylion forks, it allows disabling of VI features such as anti-aliasing and blur. Unlike the software-rendered Angrylion, however, it also allows a number of enhancements, including hi-res upscaling, resulting in a sharp, high-definition picture while simultaneously retaining accuracy, essentially what the N64 output would look like if the original console could render in HD. It has higher system requirements than the other plugins, however. It requires a GPU with Vulkan support (most GPUs from 2014 onwards are covered) and up-to-date drivers, and upscaling increases the GPU requirements even further, far more than GLideN64. At native resolution, however, a modest PC with Vulkan support can handle it without much issue, even on integrated graphics. Due to its LLE nature, it does not support widescreen hacks or high-res textures - try GLideN64 if you seek to use such features.

*Mupen64Plus HLE RSP - Comes with Mupen64Plus. Based off of the old Mupen64 HLE RSP plugin, but much improved. Though it is only compatible with HLE audio and video plugins, when paired with GLideN64, it can play almost every single N64 game without issues, and it now has MusyX support as well for games that used it. This If you wish to use it with Project64, a zilmar-spec port is available and can be obtained by using [https://github.com/Rosalie241/BetterMajorasMaskInstaller/releases/tag/4.0.2 this installer]. It works out of the box with both the default Project64 Audio plugin as well as Azimer's, but it will not with Jabo's, as that is exclusive to the Mupen64Plus spec a pure LLE audio plugin and libretrorequires LLE RSP emulation.

*ParaLLEl-RSP - A fast and accurate RSP based on the work of [https://github.com/Themaister/parallel-rsp Themaister]. It is almost as accurate and compatible as CXD4, while being much faster. It is an RSP option mainly used in the [https://www.libretro.com/index.php/parallel-n64-with-parallel-rsp-dynarec-release-fast-and-accurate-n64-emulation/ ParaLLEl-N64 and Mupen64Plus-Next libretro cores]; however, it is also possible to use it with Mupen64Plus, its forks [[M64p]] and [[RMG]], and now even Project64 as a plugin ([https://64dd.org/downloads.html this version] comes bundled with it). It only works with LLE video and audio plugins, however.

*Mupen64 HLE RSP - Comes with the old zilmar-spec Mupen64. A very fast and compatible HLE RSP plugin. Written by Hacktarux and Azimer. Has issues with some games, particularly those using MusyX microcode. MusyX support was and many other compatibility fixes were later added to the Mupen64Plus version, but those changes have yet to be backported which has now been ported to the zilmar-spec versionafter years of exclusivity on the Mupen64Plus side of things. Hardly needed these days for the zilmar-spec emulators and especially Project64As such, as zilmar's RSP plugin this version is fast enough, and Azimer's audio plugin now incorporates much of the new HLE RSP code from Mupen64Plus anywayofficially obsolete.*z64 RSP plugin pack - Largely deprecated by the Static Interpreter/CXD4 RSP plugin. This set of RSP plugins comes with the z64 video plugin (though a version of it comes with mainline Mupen64Plus), each with their own purpose:

**Zilmar's RSP or Mupen64Plus HLE RSP**Make sure you configure the graphics plugin to show texture enhancement options. Then you'll have an extra tab to change more options. Go to the texture enhancement tab and click on the button that gives the best performance and it should improve framerate once you saved the settings. There's also another button for best texture quality. There's little need to touch the other plugins. Recommended for the older zilmar-spec emulators as well (replace Project64 Video with Glide64 Final for those). If you absolutely need more performance, you can try Jabo's plugin (specifically version 1.6.1, NOT the buggy version bundled with Project64), though it comes at a cost to compatibility. Also, try out the Mupen64Plus HLE RSP if you'd like to eke out that extra bit of performance.