8bitdo SFC30 Controller & SNES Receiver

[Black Tiger]

Try the N64 Hori pad.

You'll never go back.

I've got two Hori Pads, and while they fix the crusty analog stick issue, they introduce other problems that are hard to bear with.

I have large hands and the hori pad is tiny, but the difference for me is still going from unplayable to playable.

If this turns out well enough, I'll be selling my hori pad:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1247448559/next-gen-n64-nintendo-64-controller/description

[ClodBuster]

It's not just the Hori's size. It's the shoulder button hinges, they are too close to the index finger tips. Often times you try to hit the buttons, they won't push in far enough to make contact. Pro-tip: Cut off one bone of each of your index finger tips, this makes the Hori playable again.
Also, having the Z-button as shoulder buttons with no good distinction to the L/R buttons is bad. So many times you'll find yourself accidentally mixing up shooting and aiming in GoldenEye 007.

The Hori pad is highly overrated, but few people have the guts to say that after paying big bucks. Luckily I got my pads years ago, so I'm still able to tell about my honest impressions.


After having modified my original N64 controller with a Chinesium pseudo-gamecube-style analog stick and micro's stick potentiometer+PCB kit (throw away the shitty Chinese PCB and potentiometer immediately, due to wrong sensitivity), I don't ever want to touch my Horis again, but rather hand them out for multiplayer.

[Black Tiger]

I think that it likely depends on the types of games someone is interested in/has the stomach for and whether you seriously played N64 games bitd. I honestly don't know how anyone managed to play Goldeneye through RF, because I can barely make anything out not only with the RGB mod, but even with the no-filter hack.

For me, the analog stick, like the d-pad on traditional controllers, is the most important and a deal breaker/maker. If I can't move properly, I don't care how convenient the main, secondary or rarely used buttons are. The Z button placement is no different than some modern console controllers. I think that the hori pad needs far less adjustment time than N64 fans forced themselves to give the stock pads.

The overall Nintendo 64 experience is all about major compromise, but hopefully this new pad will solve the interface issue.

[ClodBuster]

Are you sure you used RF? The N64 didn't had RF output, you had to buy the modulator separately. From it's Multi AV out, you could tap S-Video natively if you had the correct cable and the dark grey model.

With my modded original controllers, there's no compromise to be made. Also, a controller with worn stick + the mod parts are cheaper than buying a Hori or a low-production run new custom controller. Even more so if you've got some old original controllers from back in the day anyway.

I don't see why people need adjustment to use the N64 controller. If they're so dumb for trying to reach the stick from the left prong, well that's their own fault.

[crazydean]

The N64 was my second console BITD. So, the controller feels natural to me. However, some of the games make me nauseous today, but I don't ever remember this being a problem before. It's not really an issue since the games that are the worst are first-person perspective and all of those suck anyway: i.e. turok.

I played N64 on RF because that's all my TV accepted back then. I think I used an aftermarket RF multi-adapter.

A couple of years ago I modified it for RGB. It still looks blurry due to the filters or whatever. Even if you turn them off, the games still look weird. It's not necessarily better or worse, just different. RGB is a good option for me since I can run nearly all of my consoles through the same input via a switch. RGB is a cheap and easy mod, anyway.

[ClodBuster]

Turok 2 and 3 weren't my cup of tea, too. Turok 1 is quite decent (there's a remaster available for PC with some slight graphics enhancements to run on modern computers), to me it is still fun to play today.

How did you mod your N64 for RGB? Most chipset variants don't even output that natively from their chip pins.

Screen resolution wise, I prefer the 480p versions available on the Wii (not Wii U) Virtual Console. Sadly, that library is missing some titles like the usual suspects you guys know well,  as well as Beetle Adventure Racing (not kidding).

[crazydean]

Turok 2 and 3 weren't my cup of tea, too. Turok 1 is quite decent (there's a remaster available for PC with some slight graphics enhancements to run on modern computers), to me it is still fun to play today.

How did you mod your N64 for RGB? Most chipset variants don't even output that natively from their chip pins.

Screen resolution wise, I prefer the 480p versions available on the Wii (not Wii U) Virtual Console. Sadly, that library is missing some titles like the usual suspects you guys know well,  as well as Beetle Adventure Racing (not kidding).

http://retrorgb.com/n64rgbmod.html

There are three options shown here. The one I used isn't available anymore. They are only compatible with the original black console. At the time, I had a black and an ice blue console. So, I swapped the boards. Now I have an ice blue console with RGB.

I also used the same amp for my SNES Jr. That was money well spent! The RGB output of the Jr is leaps and bounds better than the original.

[Johnpv]

It's a bit more expensive (well depends on which RGB mod you need to do) but the UltraHDMI is pretty awesome.  I had that done to my N64 and I'm really happy with it. 

[Black Tiger]

I bought a plain N64 with RGB mod off ofc eBay and swapped tghe shell for my smoke/clear black shell. I also bought a SNES Mini with RGB and the extra clarity is really worth it.

I just use a framemeister to capture HD footage and always play on a crt.

[ClodBuster]

Dean, BT and John, thanks for your advice!

[Black Tiger]

Everyone should at least try the no-filter hacks for N64 games. The AA that Nintendo insisted everyone use only had a negatiive effect on visuals. You still get the other filtering and straight edges, but the actual detail that the AA smears across the screen is nice and you get to see what the N64 was actually pulling off... and in some games you get a framerate improvement on top of better graphics. It's similar to the jump from composite to RGB or normal mode to ram pak mode or both, depending on the game.

If you don't have an Everdrive 64 you can use Game Shark codes.

[seieienbu]

Everyone should at least try the no-filter hacks for N64 games. The AA that Nintendo insisted everyone use only had a negatiive effect on visuals. You still get the other filtering and straight edges, but the actual detail that the AA smears across the screen is nice and you get to see what the N64 was actually pulling off... and in some games you get a framerate improvement on top of better graphics. It's similar to the jump from composite to RGB or normal mode to ram pak mode or both, depending on the game.

If you don't have an Everdrive 64 you can use Game Shark codes.

I keep meaning to try some Game Shark blur reduction stuff just to see the difference.  It sounds really interesting to me and may make me give a second look to some N64 stuff that I haven't messed with in a long time.

[crazydean]

Everyone should at least try the no-filter hacks for N64 games. The AA that Nintendo insisted everyone use only had a negatiive effect on visuals. You still get the other filtering and straight edges, but the actual detail that the AA smears across the screen is nice and you get to see what the N64 was actually pulling off... and in some games you get a framerate improvement on top of better graphics. It's similar to the jump from composite to RGB or normal mode to ram pak mode or both, depending on the game.

If you don't have an Everdrive 64 you can use Game Shark codes.

Which games do you recommend? I tried Goldeneye and didn't like it.

[Black Tiger]

Everyone should at least try the no-filter hacks for N64 games. The AA that Nintendo insisted everyone use only had a negatiive effect on visuals. You still get the other filtering and straight edges, but the actual detail that the AA smears across the screen is nice and you get to see what the N64 was actually pulling off... and in some games you get a framerate improvement on top of better graphics. It's similar to the jump from composite to RGB or normal mode to ram pak mode or both, depending on the game.

If you don't have an Everdrive 64 you can use Game Shark codes.

Which games do you recommend? I tried Goldeneye and didn't like it.

I typed you out a long detailed response and my phone died before I could post it. :/

So here's a list:

Shadowman
Shadowgate
Turok 2(?)
SSB
World Driving Champ.
Zeldas
Banjo Kazooie
Getforce Geminai

I didn't try Mario Kart 64, but saw screenshot comparisons where entire details/textures were revealed.

I can't say what it might look like on an hdtv, but it's a dream come true on crt.


I put together some videos back when I first patched some roms. The footage captured in HD from RGB upscaled by a framemeister already lost some of the crucial clarity and the compression from the final edited video lost some more, so you can't appreciate what can only be seen in person on a decent crt.


Stock:

Filter Off:

Splitscreen Comparison: