With the Analogue 3D console, the Nintendo 64 returns to our living rooms

In 1997, France was still not world champion, President Jacques Chirac dissolved the National Assembly in a political poker game that no one, even today, has very well understood and the Dorothée Club draws its reverence. History will obviously prefer to remember that the Nintendo 64 finally arrived in France, more than a year after its marketing in Japan. French players will finally be able to get their hands on titles as legendary as Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Lylat Wars, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or even Golden Eye 007 and its unofficial sequel Perfect Dark. Unfortunately, despite high quality and totally innovative games at the time, it did not meet with the expected success in Japan and Europe, largely (but not only) because of the choice of cartridge support at the time or the main competitors (Sega of course, but especially Sony with the PlayStation) were moving towards the CD-Rom, much less expensive and much quicker to produce (and to copy, but that is another story).

The N64 still has its nostalgic fans, fans of sloppy textures and omnipresent fog, whom the Analogue 3D home console tries to seduce. Indeed, the manufacturer promises an experience similar to that of 1997, without having to configure an emulator, a task which can prove difficult. To do this, the Analogue 3D basically takes over the physical characteristics of the original N64, including the four controller ports on the front; yes, the good old N64 controllers that are so special work without problem. Let us point out that this is also the case for accessories such as the Rumble Pack.

Nostalgia and modernity

Obviously, the cartridge reader is functional and, according to the manufacturer, compatible with all titles, regardless of their region of purchase. At a time of globalization and dematerialization, younger people may not be aware that there was a time when consoles from a geographical area (generally Japan, Europe, North America) could not launch games. games that were not purchased in the same region. In short, the retro gamers who have kept their old cartridges collector can definitely use them.

But the Analogue 3D is not just a pale copy of its glorious ancestor since it incorporates some current technologies. It therefore benefits from a Bluetooth connection to pair the controllers (including the new model, developed in collaboration with 8bitdois sold separately), a WiFi connection and an SD port, to enjoy some game ROMs possessed in physical version, of course.

For the moment, we do not yet know if Analogue 3D will arrive in our region. Still, pre-orders will be launched on October 21 on the manufacturer's website, at a price of $250. For comparison, when it arrived in France, the N64 only cost €150.