Changes

To understand the current plugin situation, and why there are several competing emulators that all appear to use the same plugins but said plugins are not compatible across emulators, a bit of history is in order. As for the terms HLE and LLE, which will occur with frequency throughout this page, and the difference between them, it is recommended to read this page on [[High/Low level emulation]] beforehand. 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.

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.

However, as time went on, things began to change, though slowly at first. 1964's development eventually ceased, and it completely fell off the radar. Mupen64 was forked into [[Mupen64Plus ]] and developed its own plugin spec that was incompatible with the older zilmar spec, making it unable to use existing plugins unless they were specifically ported to it. This left only Project64 as the only relevant and active emulator still using the zilmar spec. For some time, then, this left the fledgling Mupen64Plus missing out on most cutting-edge plugin development, as most people were still using Project64.

A semblance of parity began to come about as a result of several major developments: first, Mupen64Plus itself was forked by the [[libretro ]] team, which made many changes and improvements to the core emulator, and integrated its plugins into the core itself. Second, gonetz, the developer of Glide64, unveiled his newest plugin, GLideN64, which would officially support both the zilmar and Mupen64Plus specs from the beginning. Third, the Angrylion plugin, which is the most accurate and compatible (and slowest) video plugin there isbut was initially only available for the zilmar spec, began was ported to be ported both for use with standard Mupen64Plus and integrated into the libretro fork. Finally, Themaister, one of the creators of libretro and [[RetroArch]], began developing a unique plugin initially exclusive to libretro known as ParaLLEl-RDP, essentially Angrylion running on the GPU through Vulkan compute shaders, enabling near-perfect N64 graphics emulation at actually playable speeds. Add to this the fact that most PCs and many mobile devices are now more than capable enough of running the most advanced plugins, and the plugin situation, once considered a labyrinth, has been greatly simplified to just needing a few for the vast majority of use cases.

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

As of right now, not all plugins are readily available on all three. Consult the table tables below for reference:

|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 several forks of Mupen64Plus and Project64, such as [[m64psimple64]] 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 almost 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 can also render at a high resolution and downsample back down to a lower one, should one wish to improve the 3D graphics without making them stick out from the often low-res 2D elements. Due to its LLE nature, it does not support widescreen hacks or high-res textures - try GLideN64 if you seek to use such features. System requirements for ParaLLEl-RDP are higher system requirements than for the other plugins, however. It requires a GPU with Vulkan support (most GPUs from 2014 onwards are covered) and up-to-date drivers(most Nvidia and AMD GPUs made after 2012 should be covered, though Intel graphics requires Skylake or newer), and upscaling increases the GPU requirements even further, far more than GLideN64. It must also be used in conjunction with an LLE RSP plugin, preferably its sister plugin ParaLLEl-RSP, as it features a recompiler for added speed. 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.

A hybrid HLE/LLE plugin developed by the maker of Glide64, though its code is actually originally based on gln64 (with combiner hacks from Glide64 and LLE code from z64gl and, to a lesser extent, angrylion). It is included with the latest versions of Project64, the Mupen64Plus-Next libretro core, and [https://github.com/loganmc10simple64/m64psimple64/releases/tag/v2021.5.30 older versions of m64psimple64]. This is the best HLE plugin by far. The plugin currently supports mip-mapping, emulation of low-level triangles, microcode emulation of every game, gamma correction, flat and prim shading, VI emulation, and LLE graphics (though defaults to HLE)support. It is the only plugin that has [[Nintendo_64_emulators#High-level_vs._low-level_graphics|implemented HLE support]] of microcodes for every N64 game (including the infamous Factor 5 and BOSS games) to enable fast performance and graphical enhancements. It currently fixes numerous long-standing issues in games and is capable of smoothly emulating advanced framebuffer effects in hardware that Glide64 and Jabo could not. It also supports several enhancements, such as hi-res custom [[Texture_Packs|texture support]], AA MSAA and AF, a [[Widescreen_Hack|widescreen hack]], and even some shaders. There is support for an "[[Overscan]]" feature that helps the users to [[Widescreen_Hack#Nintendo_64|remove black borders around a game's visual output]]. It  GLideN64 requires at least OpenGL 3.3 in the latest versions to run, and OpenGL 4.x for some advanced functions, making this plugin more demanding than the plugins that came before it, though modern GPUs should be ok, even on mobile. It is not without its share of issues to this day, however. There are still several HLE bugs left to resolve, and its LLE mode, while much improved over z64gl's, is still not quite as developed as its HLE mode, and some of the plugin's enhancement features are disabled in this mode. Since it is hardware-rendered even in LLE, there are issues that may never be quite resolved due to inherent differences between the N64 hardware and the OpenGL API. It is advisable to use this over ParaLLEl-RDP only if you are unable to run the latter in HD at full speed or if further enhancements such as widescreen hacks and hi-res textures are desired.

This is a fork of Angrylion's RDP that supports multithreading. It is included in [https://64dd.org/downloads.html this build] of Project64 and in both N64 libretro cores. The standalone plugin version uses OpenGL 3.3 for drawing the picture and also supports Linux. The multi-threading helps boost performance significantly, as does using it alongside an RSP plugin with a recompiler such as ParaLLEl-RSP, but some games are still not full speed even on a Core i7-8700K. It also allows you to disable VI filters for slightly better performance. This fork has at least one accuracy regression, compared to the official version of Angrylion. It also allows you to disable VI filters for slightly better performance. Since it is a CPU-bound, software-rendered plugin, it has no enhancement options of any kind - what you see is what you get, exactly like on a real N64. Use this only if running a relatively fast CPU and ParaLLEl-RDP does not work with your GPU for whatever reason.

The former best general-use plugin. Versions of this are included in Project64, mainline Mupen64Plus, and the ParaLLEl-N64 libretro core. While it is no longer updated and is far less accurate and compatible than the newer offerings, it still has a few use cases, such as better support for older ROM hacks. It works relatively well for many (most?) games, has support for hi-res textures, and it is also faster than the newer plugins, which makes it suitable for slower devices such as the older Raspberry Pis. Otherwise, to ensure the highest possible compatibility, stick to either ParaLLEl-RDP or GLideN64.  Note that the Project64 version included with Project64 of Glide64 has been renamed to Project64 Videoand has undergone some changes and rewrites since it was initially forked, and thus may contain regressions compared to the last official standalone release of the plugin by Gonetz. Should Since this fork only works with current versions of Project64, should you wish to use this plugin on an older zilmar-spec emulator like 1964 or the original Mupen64, or if you want to avoid potential regressions with the Project64 version, use [https://storage.googleapis.com/google-code-archive-downloads/v2/code.google.com/glidehqplusglitch64/Glide64_Final.zip Glide64 Final] instead.

*Jabo's Direct3D8 - Comes with Project64, and was once its default video plugin. Very speedy, has built-in AA and AF options, and includes a [[Widescreen_Hack|widescreen hack]]. The version included with the most recent versions of Project64 (1.7.0.57-ver5) is somewhat buggy and has regressions, however. [http://www.jabosoft.com/articles/114 Jabo's 1.6.1 patch] is better, though version 1.7 can run in LLE mode, which can help with a few games. Sadly, it will likely never see another update again, and though it is still included in Project64 to this day, it is no longer the default, and should not be used unless you have a very old PCthat cannot handle Glide64 or GLideN64.*[http://www.emutalk.net/threads/54166-Rice-Video-Community-version Rice Video] - A very fast, highly configurable video plugin primarily based around the Direct3D API. It was once famous for its ability being the first plugin that allowed the user to load [[Texture_Packs|custom hi-res textures]], making which made it a popular plugin within the N64 emulation community. The 1964 team at one point annexed it as its official video plugin, renaming it 1964Video. There are many versions and forks of it floating around, either all aiming to fix issues or add features(one fork even featured early shader support), and one such version is forks of it are included in mainline Mupen64Plus and in the ParaLLEl-N64 libretro core. It eventually lost favor to However, even during its heyday it lagged behind Glide64and even Jabo in both compatibility and accuracy, which can also and once Glide64 gained the ability to load hi-res custom textures, there remained little reason to use it beyond its speed. A "Community Version" popped up that aimed at improving it and fixing its compatibility as a whole is subpar even for an HLE plugin. The latest version is also full of issues, but it ended up introducing many regressions compared to older versions, even as it attempted to fix issues with thoseand the effort was eventually abandoned. As such, none of its variations are recommended for general use unless there's a very specific fringe case (such as some really old texture packs or ROM hacks), you're using a very, very old toaster, or are trying to emulate on a very old and/or severely underpowered mobile PC or handheld device . If you are absolutely resolved to try it out, seek out the original versions by Rice, primarily 6.1.0 or handheld6.1.1b, and stick to the Direct3D renderer, as the OpenGL backend included in some versions is buggy and incomplete outside of the Mupen64Plus fork.*[http://www.emutalk.net/threads/40640-Z64-a-LLE-graphics-plugin z64gl] - A hardware-rendered, low-level plugin developed by ziggy, derived from MAME's N64 driver. It A fork is only maintained by the Mupen64Plus team, though not included with mainline Mupen64Plusin their official releases. It was once notable for being one of the only plugins that could play games without an HLE microcode implementation such as Rogue Squadron. However, it was rather glitchy, had higher system requirements than the HLE plugins, needed an LLE RSP plugin to work (such as the bundled z64 RSP or Project64's RSP plugin set to LLE graphics), and configuration required editing the config file directly. A [https://github.com/purplemarshmallow/z64/tree/angrylion-integration fork] cropped up that aimed at improving it, but it did not go get very far. Nowadays, it's obsolete, as GLideN64 can now play every game through HLE (thus subverting z64gl's only selling point), and its LLE has been surpassed by Angrylion-derived plugins and even GLideN64's LLE mode.*[https://sourceforge.net/p/angrylions-stuff/code/HEAD/tree/ Official Angrylion RDP] - A software-rendered, hardware-accurate plugin, developed by angrylion (though derived from MAME, much like z64gl). This is the most accurate N64 video plugin in existence, emulating almost* every facet of the N64's RDP precisely and thus making it capable of playing almost every single game in the N64 library with no issues, fixing even notorious cases such as the ''Pokémon Snap'' red dot and the ''Body Harvest'' bridge. This, however, comes at the cost of insane CPU requirements while making games look like, well, N64 games running on real hardware, which means native resolution, no widescreen, no hi-res textures - just the N64 in its full, vaseline-covered glory. Since this particular version is single-threaded, uses DirectDraw and is Windows only, it is recommended to use Angrylion RDP Plus or ParaLLEl-RDP instead, which offer much more reasonable performance. Only try it out if you have a tricked-out rig and want to test your CPU's mettle, or if you can compile it from source and need it for testing/debugging purposes, as the latest updates are always made to this version first.

*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 work with Jabo's, as that is exclusive to the Mupen64Plus spec a pure LLE audio plugin and libretrorequires LLE RSP emulation.*[http://www.emutalk.net/threads/56919-quot-Static-quot-RSP-Interpreter-Plugin "Static" RSP Interpreter/CXD4 RSP] - Made by HatCat/CXD4 and originally released in [http://forum.pj64-emu.com/showthread.php?t=3618 Project64 Forum]. Comes with all versions some forks of Mupen64Plus as well as both libretro cores, and is included in [https://64dd.org/downloads.html this build] of Project64. For whatever reason, the zilmar-spec version usually goes by Static Interpreter, while the Mupen64Plus-spec and libretro versions go by CXD4. As of the most recent release version, it is not only one of the most accurate RSP plugins, but also one of the fastest if using the SSSE3 version, though zilmar's RSP in Recompiler mode as well as ParaLLEl-RSP both trump it in speed. It can take advantage of SSSE3 for greater performance, though it also comes in SSE2 and non-SSE variations in case your PC does not support those instruction sets. If using In both the zilmar-spec versionand Mupen64Plus versions (though not in libretro, it seems), it is capable of working with both HLE and LLE audio and video plugins via the following settings:

*ParaLLEl-RSP - A fast and accurate RSP based on the work of written by [https://github.com/Themaister/parallel-rsp Themaister], though it borrows heavily from both CXD4 and CEN64's RSP code. It is about as accurate and compatible as the Static Interpreter/CXD4 RSP, while being much faster owing to its inclusion of a dynamic recompiler. 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]simple64] and [[RMG]], and now even Project64 as a plugin ([https://64dd.org/downloads.html this version] comes bundled with it). It Note that it only works with LLE video and audio plugins, howeverthough it is highly recommended if using such.

*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:

*'''Best Performance'''**Project64 Videoor Glide64 Final

**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, though you may want to do that even with Project64 should you run into a regression). 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.

**If you have a decent quad-core CPU, you can run many N64 games with pixel-perfect graphics at full speed, thanks to the new multithreaded version of angrylion's software plugin. The new Azimer's plugin (still WIP) works good in LLE. Since there's almost no visual difference, you may as well use PJ64's RSP or ParaLLEl-RSP to get better performance, and/or move to ParaLLEl-RDP outright for even greater speed and upscaling options to boot (though it goes without saying upscaling would no longer be accurate). Conversely, if you want even greater accuracy, disable "Hide advanced settings" under Configuration, then enable "Always use interpreter core" under Advanced, and under Angrylion's options, disable multi-threading and set compatibility to "Slow". Performance WILL crash, but hey, it'll be accurate!

[[The official releases of Mupen64Plus]] has its own set only come bundled with a handful of video and RSP plugins, namely Glide64mk2, Rice, and the HLE RSP. The developers also maintain forks of the CXD4 RSP and the z64 video and RSP plugins which , but they are incompatible with emulators based on not included in the zilmar spec official release bundles for some reason. Should you wish to use those plugins or third party ones such as Project64GLideN64 or the ParaLLEl plugins, you must build them yourself or get them from outside sources. Here Due to this fact, the mediocre nature of the "official" video plugins, and the overall lack of user-friendliness, it may be better to use a fork such as [[simple64]] or [[RMG]], though note that simple64 only comes and works with the ParaLLEl plugins, so RMG is an overview of recommended setupsa better choice if you wish to use something else, as that comes with more plugins and allows you to use whichever ones you want.

**RSP: cxd4-ssse3 or Parallel RSP**Glide64mk2 is just Glide64 with additional tweaks and enhancements for use with Mupen64Plus. cxd4 is one of HatCat's many names. The cxd4 plugin is a port of his RSP for zilmar-spec emulators. This appears to be the best combination for use with most games, though toasters may have performance issues.*'''Best Performance'''**Video: Rice**RSP: rsp-hleHLE**These are Mupen64Plus's default plugins. Rice's Video Glide64mk2 is a plugin used based on other N64 emulatorsGlide64 Final, most known for its support for hi-res [[Texture_Packs|texture packs]]and is named so as to differentiate it from the original, now enhanced for Mupen64plusobsolete fork of Glide64 that Mupen64Plus used at its inception. It is not quite up to Glide64GLideN64's level, but it does well enough for many games and is quite fast. The default RSP plugin appears to be just an enhanced port of vanilla Mupen64's RSP. Use this combination if you have a lower end PC and that can't handle the Commonly Used General Use setup. If your device STILL can't handle this setup, try the Rice video plugin, but expect many missing effects, glitches and incompatibilities.*'''Accuracy/Rogue Squadron'''**Video: z64 Angrylion Plus or angrylion's PerParaLLEl-Pixel RDP with OpenGL**RSP: cxd4CXD4-ssse3 or Parallel ParaLLEl-RSP**z64 is a port Any combination of z64gl, a low-level emulation video plugin for N64 emulatorsthese should result in very high accuracy. It comes with its own accompanying z64 RSPTechnically, but cxd4 (a port of HatCat's RSP Interpreter plugin) appears to be more the most accurate and very well optimized. This setup is capable of playing difficult games like Rogue Squadron Angrylion combined with very few graphical glitches CXD4, but the difference between these and faster than on Project64 the ParaLLEl plugins is almost negligible, while being a lot slower. Be sure to set the CPU core to bootPure Interpreter for even greater accuracy, along with plummeting framerates.

*'''Best Performance'''