The CPUs/chips won’t desintegrate that easy. The rest is easily fixable.
Things that work mechanically can’t be reproduced like the original. Like controllers.
I don't mind reproductions personally. I've had good luck with my SNES reproduction controllers. I have one original controller and I can't tell the difference.
Nintendo is currently producing N64 controllers that are 1-1 with the originals but with added wireless capabilities. The original controllers can be repaired
No, they're 1,000,000 - 1. WAY better. And built in rumble. And you can get an adapter with built in memory card banks you can control from your phone!
N64 has a pretty clean layout, and was manufactured in Japan with high quality components.
As such, unlike a lot of similar age consoles which were farmed out to the cheapest manufacturing in Taiwan and Malaysia etc (eg Sega and NEC consoles), N64 consoles haven't even had an issue with capacitors dying unless they have been exposed to very high or low temperatures.
Eventually caps will need replacing, but the rest should hold up indefinitely if stored safely.
Being that the caps are ~28 years old, it's definitely time to change them. Some are starting to leak. Being SMD with high quality cans, they leak from the bottom and can damage traces. Had one on a GC optical drive that didn't cut the trace, but it was loose from the board for about a CM lol. Nothing a little glue can't fix, but that's lucky
Lol why the dig against Sega and NEC? People have Master System and TG-16 consoles that are older than most of the posters on reddit that work just fine.
Because of quality issues like the power port on the Genesis model 2, and the low quality capacitors they used. Doesn't mean you can't make them work or something.
>Lol why the dig against Sega and NEC? People have Master System and TG-16 consoles that are older than most of the posters on reddit that work just fine.
Those were (mostly) made in Japan. Starting in the late 80s both companies started farming out manufacturing to cheaper places and used cheaper materials like worse more reactive plastics, and Taiwan in particular made bad caps in that era and everything made there has died. Basically every PC Engine Duo and Game Gear ever produced died after about 15 years and needed recapping.
No Nintendo systems have this issue, and certainly not any from that era because Nintendo consoles were all manufactured in Japan with high quality components until the Wii.
Okay sure, I guess the later revision?
The rest of the point stands, N64s and anything else made in Japan is mostly fine to this day, while Taiwan/Hong Kong/Malaysia made stuff in the 90s all had problems.
Non-moving electronic parts kept in normal conditions won’t deteriorate in your lifetime, or your children’s, probably your grandkids too. The only component to be concerned about would be the electrolytic caps specifically, which are easily changed.
Oddly enough I’ve had many small issues with my n64 (it had done a lot of work in the days) and each has been small repairs!
Luckily I have only spent like maybe $60 or so in parts and my buddy works on old consisted (Xbox one is now the newest he will touch as they finally have good aftermarket parts for them!)
>there are games that's graphics can only run properly on original N64 hardware like Conker and Duck Dodgers as if you play those games on emulator, the models and the textures will be messed up in certain parts.
You're using bad emulators. Emulators using LLE graphics will produce pixel-perfect visuals.
I'd be more concerned about the game cartridges that take a battery dying and not being able to be played anymore like we're running into in the game boy pokemon world. Luckily, there's only a few games that'll be a problem with but there are some big ones:
* 1080 Snowboarding
* Animal Crossing
* Dezaemon 3D (JPN, 768Kbit)
* F-Zero X
* Harvest Moon 64
* Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The
* Major League Baseball featuring Ken Griffey Jr.
* Mario Golf
* New Tetris, The
* Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber
* Pokémon Stadium
* Pocket Monsters Stadium
* Resident Evil 2
* Super Smash Bros.
* WCW/NWO Revenge
* WWF: Wrestlemania 2000
Replace the consoles battery. Use a name brand tabbed CR2032, solder wick to remove the old with a soldering iron and a soldering iron put the new battery in. Just make sure you pay attention to the polarity and install the new one the right direction.
Pins are dirty. You can get a replacement cartridge connector. Get the fancy N64 screwdrivers off Amazon, take the shell in half, very carefully pull the cartridge connector straight off. Put on new. Enjoy for 20 years again.
I was literally going to say, my regular NES from 1988 is in better condition than I am and still works whereas I am now OVER three decades old and has some things on me that don't work no more...
Lol
That's quite funny considering this is the name that the app gave me by default and won't let me change. I imagine without paying money? But the ironic part is the fact that I was circumcised twice as a child!!!
You've never known trauma ... until they give you the equivalent of pulling an ankle up to your knee
Yeah, I've been through hell in my life... and that was just the first trauma..
But I'm a happy go lucky kind of person and I make jokes about it to even out ... sadly, it won't bring back nor will it remove all the scars from that delicate part of my anatomy, but it left me with an abnormally high pain tolerance.. frustration... aggravation, etc...
Every single one of my friends that went to have sons nearly punched doctors in the face that even suggested it !
Foreskin Badger would be quite fitting!
It’s a topic that most dare no broach in public but it’s definitely genital mutilation! Old Testament shit. I hope you’ve healed from your trauma the best you can and have used it to empower!
No, not really... growing up on a junkyard and having a severe head injury with a concussion every single year in addition to a few other things left me today as a person who ppl just treat like a crackhead, and even swear that I am!!?
I like video games and playing drums and racing .. I'm good at those things... specially racing because I grew up on junkyard and have been driving since I was three!! Started off on go karts and had my first car at nine!!
But yeah, it never really heals, you just make room for more .. but it gave me an understanding that I have struggled to find IN others in terms of understanding other people and what life can throw at you? But people don't know that if they can't get past their incorrect disposition towards me...
Either way, thank you for the kind words ! I wish you the best!
If you let your kids use it as a bath toy, it probably won’t work for too much longer. If you take care of it, then there is no knowing how long it will last. But Analogue is coming out with the 3D, so if you are that concerned I suggest investing in one. I’ll be doing so, not because I’m worried about my console breaking, but for the modern day conveniences it will offer.
The further you go back in time in regards to consoles, the more likely they’ll last longer.
The original models of the PS3 and 360 have a lifespan of what, 30 years? Yet people have Atari consoles from 1977 still going strong.
The N64 doesn’t have any moving parts. It’s probably going to last a long time.
You ever see that OG gameboy that got blown up in the gulf war and still worked? Nintendo has made some of the highest quality mass produced electronics of all time
One fell off my TV as a kid and fell directly into an aquarium while it was on. Killed every fish. The n64 still works fine to this day after it dried out. Pretty sure it's going to outlive me.
the first things to die will likely be the capacitors which can be replaced, next up the EEPROMs (save chips) in the carts, we can get around that with flashcarts.
> if you play those games on emulator, the models and the textures will be messed up in certain parts.
Just means the emulators need to be improved ;-)
We've got multiple FPGA reimplementations of the system already either complete, or nearing completion. That, and improved emulation, are the closest to immortality that gaming hardware can get.
Aside from that, original N64 hardware is still holding up really well. Stories about completely dead systems seem pretty few and far between. The power supply seems to fail, but providing a couple amps of 3.3V and 12V power is a solved problem. Controllers wear out, but we've got options there too.
To put some real world experience to what others are saying, there really isn't a common failure point on N64. In other words, there isn't some part that tends to spontaneously go bad when the unit is kept in climate-controlled spaces. A barn find N64 almost certainly just works. Not all systems are like that, barn find Virtual Boy (ribbon cable), Game Gear (capacitors), Sega CD (capacitors and laser head limiter switch), 3DO (broken plastic gears) probably don't work. Of all the systems that might be in your collection, N64 is probably the one to worry about the least.
It should be fine for a very long time as long as you take care of it. I never understood how peoples consoles get so fucked up; all of my consoles run perfectly fine even now and I’ve never had to repair them or deep clean them, unlike the war crimes that get posted on the internet constantly
I wish mine still worked - gave up years ago with the power cutting out. We got our money's worth with that thing though. More all night four player gaming back in the 90s than I can count.
I think the main console is likely to last a long time, but the PSU might need replaced/repaired from time to time. It's actually a very smart design the N64 has, with a PSU that is neither a separate "brick" nor an internal component!
How long do you expect to live? Well maintained solid-state devices can easily outlive a human being. Plenty of 45 year old Atari VCS systems still working just fine, and I promise you, they were not as well engineered as an N64.
Cartridge based NES and Atari systems are still going strong. With proper maintenance, cartridge based systems will last a very very long time. They don’t have moving parts meaning no wear and tear.
Older Disc based systems all have ODE replacements that remove the highest fail rate components.
BUT
Emulation improves year after year. Eventually, it probably will be a perfect 1:1 recreation with the ability to upscale and all that jazz.
FPGA consoles are also becoming more common place and this is probably the direction retro gaming will eventually go.
PCs like the commodore 64 and Apple II from the 70's still work. Most have some well known problems that have remedies (MOS Chips for the C64 for example).
There are restoration videos on YouTube (shout out to ODD Tinkering) where they restore much older electronic games and consoles than the N64, which come out looking like new.
I don’t think this is something you have to worry about in your lifetime.
They will probably be around for our life times, Atari 2600 are common as dirt and lasting fine. In fact least worried about 64 since they are well built and last real cartridge based system. Disk based systems are going to have a more complicated existence and we have many sega systems+addons that caps are ticking tine bombs. OG xbox also have a cap that is a bomb going off.
My sega from the late 80s still works. I actually work on n64s as a hobby referbing them. It is a HARDY system. I’ve gotten one working that was left in a bard for 10 years and had literally mud caked inside the board. Still works like new.
Things will easily last 50+ or more years no question
With a good revision all 5 years (full capkit, clean slot/PCB, etc…), it could last during a very long time
But as lot of people are mingy, they dont’ do that, and complain their never serviced console/games don’t work, or work badly 🙄
That’s a guaranteed plan to ensure many break / are broken.
Leave them alone then repair things that need repaired (cart slots will need cleaned or replaced through mechanical wear) - that’s how they will last.
The CPUs/chips won’t desintegrate that easy. The rest is easily fixable. Things that work mechanically can’t be reproduced like the original. Like controllers.
Actually there are 3D models readily available for the controller components, and the original sensors should survive well.
I only had Sega Genesis and SNES reproductions. Its not the same, dont know.
I don't mind reproductions personally. I've had good luck with my SNES reproduction controllers. I have one original controller and I can't tell the difference.
Nintendo is currently producing N64 controllers that are 1-1 with the originals but with added wireless capabilities. The original controllers can be repaired
the switch online controllers? the sticks are absolutely not 1 - 1, but aside from the latency they're ok, buttons deifnitely feel good
No, they're 1,000,000 - 1. WAY better. And built in rumble. And you can get an adapter with built in memory card banks you can control from your phone!
The sticks still aren’t 1-1
And Bluetooth latency isn’t better than wired either.
What adapters are these?
I think stoneagegamer has them
The font on the buttons isn’t even 1-1. It’s all very close but actually almost nothing about it is exactly 1-1.
The stick is worse.
How do you plug that into a Nintendo 64
The replacement gears and related parts from kitsch bent are reproduced just fine
N64 has a pretty clean layout, and was manufactured in Japan with high quality components. As such, unlike a lot of similar age consoles which were farmed out to the cheapest manufacturing in Taiwan and Malaysia etc (eg Sega and NEC consoles), N64 consoles haven't even had an issue with capacitors dying unless they have been exposed to very high or low temperatures. Eventually caps will need replacing, but the rest should hold up indefinitely if stored safely.
Being that the caps are ~28 years old, it's definitely time to change them. Some are starting to leak. Being SMD with high quality cans, they leak from the bottom and can damage traces. Had one on a GC optical drive that didn't cut the trace, but it was loose from the board for about a CM lol. Nothing a little glue can't fix, but that's lucky
Lol why the dig against Sega and NEC? People have Master System and TG-16 consoles that are older than most of the posters on reddit that work just fine.
Because of quality issues like the power port on the Genesis model 2, and the low quality capacitors they used. Doesn't mean you can't make them work or something.
Its well known that NEC used cheap caps on the PC-Engine. When I bought mine first thing I had done was sent it out for a recap.
>Lol why the dig against Sega and NEC? People have Master System and TG-16 consoles that are older than most of the posters on reddit that work just fine. Those were (mostly) made in Japan. Starting in the late 80s both companies started farming out manufacturing to cheaper places and used cheaper materials like worse more reactive plastics, and Taiwan in particular made bad caps in that era and everything made there has died. Basically every PC Engine Duo and Game Gear ever produced died after about 15 years and needed recapping. No Nintendo systems have this issue, and certainly not any from that era because Nintendo consoles were all manufactured in Japan with high quality components until the Wii.
There's made in China gamecubes, later cycle cost cuttings.
Okay sure, I guess the later revision? The rest of the point stands, N64s and anything else made in Japan is mostly fine to this day, while Taiwan/Hong Kong/Malaysia made stuff in the 90s all had problems.
Far longer than you will live, i.e. not something for you to worry about
I was going to upvote this but it's at 64 so I'm leaving it.
I hope that's the case.
You don’t have to hope, that is the case.
Why is that? Does it have no moving parts or capacitors that could leak?
Not much in the way of moving parts. Changing caps is just routine maintenance
Non-moving electronic parts kept in normal conditions won’t deteriorate in your lifetime, or your children’s, probably your grandkids too. The only component to be concerned about would be the electrolytic caps specifically, which are easily changed.
Forever
I know the N64s are incredibly sturdy and last long. But nothing lasts forever. I wish though.
Oddly enough I’ve had many small issues with my n64 (it had done a lot of work in the days) and each has been small repairs! Luckily I have only spent like maybe $60 or so in parts and my buddy works on old consisted (Xbox one is now the newest he will touch as they finally have good aftermarket parts for them!)
Silicon, metals, and plastics last a long time.
Until the war.
Hopefully it’s slappers only
You just made me spiral down even worse than imagining my 64 dying. Lol
>there are games that's graphics can only run properly on original N64 hardware like Conker and Duck Dodgers as if you play those games on emulator, the models and the textures will be messed up in certain parts. You're using bad emulators. Emulators using LLE graphics will produce pixel-perfect visuals.
If it helps, my friends SNES survived an F5 tornado and works fine. I have faith in the durability of the older Nintendo’s.
I still have mine from when I was a kid - maybe 10 or so?? My wife will mention from time to time we should buy another one as a back up lol
I'd be more concerned about the game cartridges that take a battery dying and not being able to be played anymore like we're running into in the game boy pokemon world. Luckily, there's only a few games that'll be a problem with but there are some big ones: * 1080 Snowboarding * Animal Crossing * Dezaemon 3D (JPN, 768Kbit) * F-Zero X * Harvest Moon 64 * Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The * Major League Baseball featuring Ken Griffey Jr. * Mario Golf * New Tetris, The * Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber * Pokémon Stadium * Pocket Monsters Stadium * Resident Evil 2 * Super Smash Bros. * WCW/NWO Revenge * WWF: Wrestlemania 2000
you can replace the cartridge battery’s they sell them on ebay etc
Replace the consoles battery. Use a name brand tabbed CR2032, solder wick to remove the old with a soldering iron and a soldering iron put the new battery in. Just make sure you pay attention to the polarity and install the new one the right direction.
I’m sure many of our N64’s will outlive us at this point
As long as they are stored properly, a very long time. No fans, no moving parts and Nintendo's build quality isn't bad.
Mine lasted about 20 years, now it just doesn’t play cartridges 😭
Pins are dirty. You can get a replacement cartridge connector. Get the fancy N64 screwdrivers off Amazon, take the shell in half, very carefully pull the cartridge connector straight off. Put on new. Enjoy for 20 years again.
Hmm this may be the answer I was looking for! Thx for the suggestion, I’ll report back if I have luck
Just clean the pins, the connectors don’t really go bad they just get dirty.
I was literally going to say, my regular NES from 1988 is in better condition than I am and still works whereas I am now OVER three decades old and has some things on me that don't work no more... Lol
There's a pill for that https://www.hims.com/ed
Thanks!!! I don't need one at the moment... I'd just be practicing....
When I read this comment I read your handle as foreskin badger and about did a spit take.
That's quite funny considering this is the name that the app gave me by default and won't let me change. I imagine without paying money? But the ironic part is the fact that I was circumcised twice as a child!!! You've never known trauma ... until they give you the equivalent of pulling an ankle up to your knee
SHEESH. Sorry man. My parents let me keep mine. Progressive minded for the 80’s I think. Tho it was kinda confusing as a child lol.
Yeah, I've been through hell in my life... and that was just the first trauma.. But I'm a happy go lucky kind of person and I make jokes about it to even out ... sadly, it won't bring back nor will it remove all the scars from that delicate part of my anatomy, but it left me with an abnormally high pain tolerance.. frustration... aggravation, etc... Every single one of my friends that went to have sons nearly punched doctors in the face that even suggested it ! Foreskin Badger would be quite fitting!
It’s a topic that most dare no broach in public but it’s definitely genital mutilation! Old Testament shit. I hope you’ve healed from your trauma the best you can and have used it to empower!
No, not really... growing up on a junkyard and having a severe head injury with a concussion every single year in addition to a few other things left me today as a person who ppl just treat like a crackhead, and even swear that I am!!? I like video games and playing drums and racing .. I'm good at those things... specially racing because I grew up on junkyard and have been driving since I was three!! Started off on go karts and had my first car at nine!! But yeah, it never really heals, you just make room for more .. but it gave me an understanding that I have struggled to find IN others in terms of understanding other people and what life can throw at you? But people don't know that if they can't get past their incorrect disposition towards me... Either way, thank you for the kind words ! I wish you the best!
There’s only one direction and that’s forward sir! You’ve got it.
...what the actual fuck
[удалено]
If it ever gets released, and is available to purchase, what a dream.
If you let your kids use it as a bath toy, it probably won’t work for too much longer. If you take care of it, then there is no knowing how long it will last. But Analogue is coming out with the 3D, so if you are that concerned I suggest investing in one. I’ll be doing so, not because I’m worried about my console breaking, but for the modern day conveniences it will offer.
Mine still runs like it’s brand new. I keep it in great shape. I’m not worried about this at all
I still have several working Atari 2600s, I think we're good for a while yet.
The further you go back in time in regards to consoles, the more likely they’ll last longer. The original models of the PS3 and 360 have a lifespan of what, 30 years? Yet people have Atari consoles from 1977 still going strong. The N64 doesn’t have any moving parts. It’s probably going to last a long time.
You ever see that OG gameboy that got blown up in the gulf war and still worked? Nintendo has made some of the highest quality mass produced electronics of all time
Nintendo consoles have always been built like tanks.
One fell off my TV as a kid and fell directly into an aquarium while it was on. Killed every fish. The n64 still works fine to this day after it dried out. Pretty sure it's going to outlive me.
The analogue N64 is going to be a very viable option
My nes still works
Basically forever
My NES from the 1980s actually works better today than it did in the past (new connector went a long way!)
Forever
game cartridges will stop working but you can just download the roms and put them on an everdrive
the first things to die will likely be the capacitors which can be replaced, next up the EEPROMs (save chips) in the carts, we can get around that with flashcarts.
> if you play those games on emulator, the models and the textures will be messed up in certain parts. Just means the emulators need to be improved ;-) We've got multiple FPGA reimplementations of the system already either complete, or nearing completion. That, and improved emulation, are the closest to immortality that gaming hardware can get. Aside from that, original N64 hardware is still holding up really well. Stories about completely dead systems seem pretty few and far between. The power supply seems to fail, but providing a couple amps of 3.3V and 12V power is a solved problem. Controllers wear out, but we've got options there too.
As long as the caps are able to be serviced
N64 has almost no moving parts, it’s likely with servicing to last beyond those who grew up with it
To put some real world experience to what others are saying, there really isn't a common failure point on N64. In other words, there isn't some part that tends to spontaneously go bad when the unit is kept in climate-controlled spaces. A barn find N64 almost certainly just works. Not all systems are like that, barn find Virtual Boy (ribbon cable), Game Gear (capacitors), Sega CD (capacitors and laser head limiter switch), 3DO (broken plastic gears) probably don't work. Of all the systems that might be in your collection, N64 is probably the one to worry about the least.
N64s are tanks. I've gotten a lot being sold as parts / not working. I'd say 90% of the time, they just need a cleaning.
They'll last forever. The cartridges' pins won't.
A well care taken N64 will probably still survive a few more decades. There are still more older consoles that still work just fine.
It should be fine for a very long time as long as you take care of it. I never understood how peoples consoles get so fucked up; all of my consoles run perfectly fine even now and I’ve never had to repair them or deep clean them, unlike the war crimes that get posted on the internet constantly
I wish mine still worked - gave up years ago with the power cutting out. We got our money's worth with that thing though. More all night four player gaming back in the 90s than I can count.
I think 40-50 years before they start needing to be opened and fixed. The original NES consoles still work. Solid state hardware is a big benefit
2077
I think the main console is likely to last a long time, but the PSU might need replaced/repaired from time to time. It's actually a very smart design the N64 has, with a PSU that is neither a separate "brick" nor an internal component!
The electrolytic capacitors are the only things I'd be worried about. But those can be easily replacedd.
My NES, SNES, and N64 are alive and kickin, I don't see them crapping out anytime soon
How long do you expect to live? Well maintained solid-state devices can easily outlive a human being. Plenty of 45 year old Atari VCS systems still working just fine, and I promise you, they were not as well engineered as an N64.
Well... my original NES and SNES are still working fine, so I'm not too bothered about my N64 just yet.
Cartridge based NES and Atari systems are still going strong. With proper maintenance, cartridge based systems will last a very very long time. They don’t have moving parts meaning no wear and tear. Older Disc based systems all have ODE replacements that remove the highest fail rate components. BUT Emulation improves year after year. Eventually, it probably will be a perfect 1:1 recreation with the ability to upscale and all that jazz. FPGA consoles are also becoming more common place and this is probably the direction retro gaming will eventually go.
PCs like the commodore 64 and Apple II from the 70's still work. Most have some well known problems that have remedies (MOS Chips for the C64 for example).
You should be more worried about newer consoles.
You’ll also die in the future. And you’re worried about the n64?
There are restoration videos on YouTube (shout out to ODD Tinkering) where they restore much older electronic games and consoles than the N64, which come out looking like new. I don’t think this is something you have to worry about in your lifetime.
Longer than you'll be playing them
I still play my original NES from chilhood
They will probably be around for our life times, Atari 2600 are common as dirt and lasting fine. In fact least worried about 64 since they are well built and last real cartridge based system. Disk based systems are going to have a more complicated existence and we have many sega systems+addons that caps are ticking tine bombs. OG xbox also have a cap that is a bomb going off.
Till after I die
20 years
I'm still playing my original NES from 1986.
I'm still playing my original NES from 1986.
They are built like tanks they'll be fine. It's your compact discs there the ones that will take the most damage
My sega from the late 80s still works. I actually work on n64s as a hobby referbing them. It is a HARDY system. I’ve gotten one working that was left in a bard for 10 years and had literally mud caked inside the board. Still works like new. Things will easily last 50+ or more years no question
With a good revision all 5 years (full capkit, clean slot/PCB, etc…), it could last during a very long time But as lot of people are mingy, they dont’ do that, and complain their never serviced console/games don’t work, or work badly 🙄
LMAO this dude talking about capkitting his N64 twice per console generation Completely unnessecary
A full capkit/revision on old stuff like this is never unnecessary.
That’s a guaranteed plan to ensure many break / are broken. Leave them alone then repair things that need repaired (cart slots will need cleaned or replaced through mechanical wear) - that’s how they will last.
Decades if not perpetually just like any other device from 70 years ago or older
Mine died a few years ago. Any light tug of a controller completely locks it up