Analogue 3D review roundup: 'The perfect console for N64 collectors'

It's time to dig out those N64 cartridges

(Credit: Analogue)

• 😍 Reviewers universally praised the Analogue 3D for its high-quality FPGA emulation, 4K upscaling, and vast compatibility with the N64 library

• 👏 The console offers extensive customization and display options, including CRT filters, making it the most optimal way to play N64 games on modern TVs

• 🤷 While the hardware and emulation are excellent, some reviewers noted that the inherent visual and performance flaws of certain original N64 games are still present

• 🤩 Overall, the Analogue 3D is considered Analogue’s best home console yet, highly recommended for hardcore N64 enthusiasts and game preservationists

The long-awaited Analogue 3D N64 emulation console has finally been released, and it’s been a worthwhile wait in the eyes of reviewers

The $249 console from the folks behind the Analogue Pocket has garnered rave reviews from all corners of the tech press for a number of reasons, which we’ll round up for you below.

Eurogamer‘s review praised Analogue’s high-quality emulation using FPGA plus the fact it takes the brand’s previous high-quality emulation offerings and applies them to the N64:

“I love it. But I probably should love it, at $250 for a machine that plays games from thirty years ago - plus the inevitable costs of carts and controllers. I expect the release of the 3D will quite literally drive up the already-spenny prices of N64 games on the second-hand market, too. But then again, the people that this is for will be happier to bear that cost - and people happy to deal with the inherent flaws that come with N64 games. This machine is about accuracy, and though it makes minor changes it doesn’t shave those built-in rough edges off entirely.

“Analogue has had great success with this business model in the past. If you wanted a plug-and-play, minimal-fiddling, high-end way to play your NES, SNES, Mega Drive, Game Boy, Game Gear, Master System, and TurboGrafx-16 games on modern hardware at the highest level of accuracy, while cost isn’t really an object… Well, it was Analogue then. And with the release of the Analogue 3D, the same is now true for the N64.”

In an 8/10 review, IGN praises the console’s ability to play N64 games at 4K, and argued it’s perhaps the most optimal method of playing N64 games in the modern age.

“The Analogue 3D is the best possible way to play your N64 library outside of the original hardware hooked up to a CRT. Its refined industrial design makes it an attractive modern addition to your gaming set-up, and the massive flexibility afforded by its bountiful filters and display options lets you fine tune the visuals to fit your exacting, personal specifications. This is an FPGA machine built with the hardcore enthusiast in mind, and gives new life to a system that’s notoriously difficult to accurately emulate.

“That being said, the combing in some of the games is a bummer, especially for something aimed at such a specific audience of old-head video game nerds. But if you long for the days of the N64 and want to bring them back without having to sacrifice the modern amenities of your giant-screen 4K television, there is no better option out there.”

(Credit: Analogue)

PCMag was very complimentary of the system, praising its seamless ability to play N64 games at 4K plus its vast compatibility with basically every single game. It also provided excellent display options:

“The Analogue 3D console is a game preservationist’s dream, perfectly preserving original Nintendo 64 titles while expertly scaling them for modern displays.”

Engadget liked the Analogue 3D’s hardware, controllers and the virtually endless configuration that the console provided, although had reservations on how well N64 games held up in general:

“It’s hard to fault the Analogue 3D itself for this. The hardware does a remarkable job of recreating that original experience. My N64 library has never looked better, and I am definitely enjoying digging into games I haven’t played in decades, plus a few newly acquired gems that I missed back in the day. But, more often than not, I’m left shaking my head at just how bad these games looked, and no amount of 4K upscaling and CRT emulation can fix that.”

The newly independent Digital Foundry called it “the most impressive Analogue ‘FPGA’ console yet” in its writeup, praising the general increases in visual fidelity with in-depth technical analysis, and how fun it has been to revisit N64 games, quirks and all:

“And that’s been my biggest takeaway from my Analogue 3D reviewing experience. As testers, we’ve stretched ourselves a bit thin across a hundreds-of-games selection of titles to boot no less than three times each and look for issues big and small in the system’s overclocking sales pitch. But as N64 fans, we’ve loved how many games run the way we remember them - sometimes at crisp frame-rates, and often at improved-but-wonky cadences.

“Its performance impact is indeed noticeable if not universal; the gains you notice in fare like Conker’s Bad Fur Day eclipse the limited boosts available to already-maxed-out games like Ms Pac-Man’s Maze Madness or Mario Tennis. And stinkers like Superman 64 may see noticeably improved frame-rates, but those games’ deeper rendering issues, particularly oppressive levels of fog, aren’t reduced or patched out.

“Even with that in mind, A3D ultimately puts the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia on the performance-constrained N64 library. Filters, performance, interface, design and convenience all add up to Analogue’s best home console yet.”

(Credit: Analogue)

The Verge enjoyed the console’s 4K powers, plus the fact that it ‘just works’ with virtually any N64 game you chuck in. The outlet also found the Analogue 3D’s different visual modes to be genuinely beneficial in certain titles, including its CRT modes.

“After playing with the Analogue 3D over the last week, I’ve found a new appreciation for Nintendo’s oft-neglected console. I’ve played through games for the first time and revisited old favorites, all with the benefit of modern conveniences like wireless controllers and 4K visuals.”

It seems the general trend is that folks love what Analogue has brought to the table with the 3D, with its ability to play virtually any N64 game at up to 4K, plus the addition of modern conveniences of Bluetooth controllers and lots of customisation. It’s some of the actual N64 software that isn’t holding up as well as we’d like to remember.

Up next: M64 price: ModRetro’s Nintendo 64 console emulator is cheaper than Analogue 3D

Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.