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[justiceiro]

So, after Nintendo started the mini console craze in the last decade, they suddenly stopped after the very successful runs of the Nes and SNES.

We all speculate the reason why, but of the problems are solved by now:

1. "They only created the consoles as stop gap till the switch": well, guess what? Seems like we won't be getting any new consoles till next year, at best. This means they could very well use a new mini console this holiday season. Will sell like hotcakes.

2. "Nintendo doesn't really own the best games of 64 to make a worthy mini console": Hey, guess what? Rare is now putting all their games on Virtual console. With rare strong n64 catalogue, Nintendo could do a new console with more than enough games to sway our interest.

Hell, they even started making n64 game controllers again, how the hell this isn't a thing yet?

C'mon Nintendo, just do it.

 

[Soodanim]

Maybe it is a thing but isn't announced yet.

If you take away Nintendo and Rare games, what's left that could/should be on it? By sales or rating I'm sure they make up the top 20.

 

[Beer Baelly]

I'll buy it for sure but I want a Dreamcast mini.

 

[kurisu_1974]

Probably one of my least favourite consoles but yeah I'd get one.

 

[Ozzie666]

Analogue 3D will have to do instead!

 

[Tarin02543]

my mister fpga is quite small so i have it already

 

[Dazrael]

They’ve already got a stop gap until the new console, it’s called a Switch and it’s still selling like hotcakes.

 

[CuteFaceJay]

why would they cannibalize their Switch Online Service that includes N64?

 

[UltimaKilo]

why would they cannibalize their Switch Online Service that includes N64?

Yeah, makes zero sense. The Switch sales are still incredibly strong. They’re not desperate.

 

[cireza]

People should use the Nintendo Switch Online more. Sure, it is a subscription service, but the emulation is perfect and games selection really good across many consoles.

 

[Hudo]

they suddenly stopped after the very successful runs of the Nes and SNES.

I think they stopped because they were busy laughing at Sony and their PS1 Classic. I think I can still hear laughter out of Kyoto.

That being said, I think they will rather aim to push retro games via their Switch Online service, especially with Switch 2 on the horizon.

 

[Doom85]

I just want fucking GameCube games on the Switch Online already. GameCube has consistently been given the middle finger when it comes to the Virtual Console and such. For the Wii gen, it made sense, that system was backwards compatible for GC games and you could still easily get most GC games, but now? Absolutely nothing, oh and if you try to get an online Smash Bros Melee thing going, Nintendo will tell you to go fuck yourself.

 

[Shifty1897]

I just want fucking GameCube games on the Switch Online already. GameCube has consistently been given the middle finger when it comes to the Virtual Console and such. For the Wii gen, it made sense, that system was backwards compatible for GC games and you could still easily get most GC games, but now? Absolutely nothing, oh and if you try to get an online Smash Bros Melee thing going, Nintendo will tell you to go fuck yourself.

Nintendo has sent a pretty clear signal that GameCube games are not coming to Switch Online, as they have remastered a huge number of them for sale on Switch (Pikmin 1+2, Paper Mario TTYD, Metroid Prime, etc).

 

[calistan]

If you take away Nintendo and Rare games, what's left that could/should be on it? By sales or rating I'm sure they make up the top 20.

Slim pickings, but there were definitely a few notable games from other studios.

I'd say Sin & Punishment, Ogre Battle 64, The New Tetris, Mischief Makers, Mystical Ninja, Rocket: Robot on Wheels, Turok, Doom 64, Ridge Racer 64, Harvest Moon, Silicon Valley, Resident Evil 2, Snowboard Kids...

Those and maybe a few more would be great in a retro N64 collection. I think some of them were co-published by Nintendo, back when they were desperate to get third-parties on the console, but securing the rights today would probably be tricky.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

People should use the Nintendo Switch Online more. Sure, it is a subscription service, but the emulation is perfect and games selection really good across many consoles.

Yep.
- Switch is available everywhere, instead of a novelty limited edition item that would be scalped to death like the previous two Mini systems
- you can use a variety of controllers on Switch, including a replica of the N64 controller
- the majority of games you’d want to play on it are already available via NSO. OK, there’s no Mischief Makers, but it’s unlikely it would be on a hypothetical N64 Mini anyway

But no, apparently NSO is highway robbery for some people.

 

[Doom85]

Nintendo has sent a pretty clear signal that GameCube games are not coming to Switch Online, as they have remastered a huge number of them for sale on Switch (Pikmin 1+2, Paper Mario TTYD, Metroid Prime, etc).

 

[nkarafo]

1. "They only created the consoles as stop gap till the switch": well, guess what? Seems like we won't be getting any new consoles till next year, at best. This means they could very well use a new mini console this holiday season. Will sell like hotcakes.

2. "Nintendo doesn't really own the best games of 64 to make a worthy mini console": Hey, guess what? Rare is now putting all their games on Virtual console. With rare strong n64 catalogue, Nintendo could do a new console with more than enough games to sway our interest.

3. "The N64 is more complex and expensive to emulate than the NES/SNES"

These mini consoles have the cheapest SOC these companies can find. Cost comes before quality of emulation for them. And sure, some games like Mario 64, Waverace, etc, are easy enough to emulate even on an older Pi device. It won't be accurate mind you, just enough for these games to look like they are perfect for most casuals. But not all games are like that. If you are going to emulate games from RARE, you are going to have a bad time with a cheap SOC. That, or these games will have noticeable bugs and timing issues. Even the Switch itself looks like the bare minimum for N64 software emulation and even that can't handle something as accurate as Ares and Parallel RDP.

Now you might get away emulating these games on the cheapest soc, if you have good programmers who know how to make a good HLE emulator that can hide most of the accuracy and timing issues (though nobody has managed that yet). But Nintendo doesn't have them. Their emulator devs can't even compete with old, hacky emulators like PJ64 or Mupen as they were 15 years ago. They have good game programmers but their emulation department sucks.

my mister fpga is quite small so i have it already

Unfortunately, the Mister N64 core is unfinished and it will stay that way until the project moves on a better FPGA chip. This one reached it's limits as the dev said recently. And the end result is a very good and accurate N64 emulator but it's still behind Ares, which still isn't perfect either. Pretty sure the Mister core can't play Jet Force Gemini.

 

[BlackTron]

The unfortunate reality is that the real issue in playing most N64 games that aren't Mario 64 is that you need the real controller and Nintendo doesn't exactly make it easy to get one, nevermind the several you are likely to need if you are serious about 64 games.

The giant weird controller is another reason we were always unlikely to ever see a mini version. I think packing in two SNES pads raised the cost of the box by 15-20 bucks. Two wired 64 controllers would raise it by 45-60. On top of needing better hardware than the SNES mini, and more storage. Looking at $150 for something that is not necessary while Switch exists.

 

[ClanOfNone]

Probably one of my least favourite consoles but yeah I'd get one.

I agree. Why notable for a few things, the library was pretty slim and I was never a fan of the “innovative” controller design.
I’ll always view the N64 as the swansong of split screen multiplayer gaming. Goldeneye, Mario Kart 64 and the Mario Parties were always in heavy rotation.
I doubt I’d pick up a miniature rendition, most of the must play titles, for me at least, are already on the online service.

 

[nkarafo]

most of the must play titles, for me at least, are already on the online service.

just curious, are you happy with these games being a service, basically, and you can only keep them for a limited time?

Wouldn't you prefer something more permanent that you can keep for as long as you like and won't have to re-pay every time and only as long as Nintendo has them available?

Also, NSO is using a pretty bad emulator AFAIK, how good are the games really, compared to the real thing? I remember their WiiU emulation being especially bad with muted colors and high input lag on top of that.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

Maybe it is a thing but isn't announced yet.

If you take away Nintendo and Rare games, what's left that could/should be on it? By sales or rating I'm sure they make up the top 20.

I recently re-acquired an N64 after having sold mine in 1999. This is the sad truth. There just aren’t that many good games. I now own five cartridges and could conceivably play another two or three.

It’s just not worthwhile.

 

[ClanOfNone]

just curious, are you happy with these games being a service, basically, and you can only keep them for a limited time?

Wouldn't you prefer something more permanent that you can keep for as long as you like and won't have to re-pay every time and only as long as Nintendo has them available?

Also, NSO is using a pretty bad emulator AFAIK, how good are the games really, compared to the real thing? I remember their WiiU emulation being especially bad with muted colors and high input lag on top of that.

I don’t mind the games as a service at all. The service is cheap, convenient, and offers a decent selection for a plethora of older Nintendo consoles. I usually play “retro” games for a quick nostalgia fix, I rarely play them to completion.
The emulation itself seems fine to me, but I don’t really have an eye for stuff like that. Most N64 games ran pretty crappy anyways.
I can appreciate that aficionados want the original hardware experience or perfect emulation, but I want ease of use and convenience.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

They won’t do it. N64 is far more valuable as the primary reason to spend $50 extra a year on an NSO subscription. They’ll never do it now.

The mini consoles were purely a means to hit revenue targets and bring in easy money during the last couple years of the Wii U, before Switch was ready.

 

[Dr. Wilkinson]

Yep.

Many/ most GameCube games that are any good are far more valuable as $40 standalone remasters or $60 remakes. NSO GameCube may happen eventually on new hardware, but not before they’ve made all the money they want on standalone ports/ upgrades first.

 

[dragonyeuw]

At this point they'd rather just have people use Switch online and access N64 games that way. If the Switch 2 is in fact not coming out till 2025, they will still move current Switches this holiday season, even if they *finally* drop MSRP officially. Wii U was effectively a dead retail presence holiday 2016 and they wanted a 2nd anchor other than 3Ds to carry that season.

Plus we have a culture now where remakes/remasters are a thing so Nintendo would probably sooner remake OOT and sell it to you for $70 on Switch 2, rather than dump the OG rom on an emulation box with 20 other titles and sell a few million units.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Analogue's FPGA N64 will be the next best thing. Let's hope it will come with turbo cores to play games with more stable/higher fps.

 

[Cert.in.Death]

Meh.

Only mini I bought was the PS1 so I could use it as an ornament. I’ve still never turned it on.

You’re better off pursuing your own DIY emulator, IMO.

 

[yankee666]

A Game Boy Classic for the 35th anniversary would be a dream
same form factor but slimmer
same screen size with backlight/ color
rechargeable battery
15/20 games

But ill buy anything Nintendo this year, im hungry for new nintendo hardware

 

[nush]

I just want fucking GameCube games on the Switch Online already. GameCube has consistently been given the middle finger when it comes to the Virtual Console and such. For the Wii gen, it made sense, that system was backwards compatible for GC games and you could still easily get most GC games, but now? Absolutely nothing, oh and if you try to get an online Smash Bros Melee thing going, Nintendo will tell you to go fuck yourself.

 

[cireza]

Yep.
- Switch is available everywhere, instead of a novelty limited edition item that would be scalped to death like the previous two Mini systems
- you can use a variety of controllers on Switch, including a replica of the N64 controller
- the majority of games you’d want to play on it are already available via NSO. OK, there’s no Mischief Makers, but it’s unlikely it would be on a hypothetical N64 Mini anyway

But no, apparently NSO is highway robbery for some people.

I am the first one being genuinely surprised at how good emulation is on the NSO. I am strongly against subscription services as I find they are not worth the money, but in this case, I have to say that Nintendo delivered the goods. Emulation is top notch. Integer scaling, rewind, save states, a good interface, and all of this is perfectly consistent between all platforms.

Being in NSO you can get custom controllers (I got the MegaDrive one, it is really excellent, much better than the originals). Game selection is really good, so much to play. I have been putting my OLED Switch on the table and playing using the MegaDrive controller a ton of games. NES, SNES, GB, GBC, GBA and N64 are also excellent. The GBA version of SMB3 has all of the e-card reader stages ! This is so cool.

Currently playing Landstalker in French. This is the first time I see a proper effort at putting a translated game in 60Hz and not that dreadful, stuterring mess that 50Hz games are on modern displays. This emulator was done by M2, by the way. They are the kind of people that WILL tweek a PAL rom to make it play properly at 60Hz if required.

I hope that SEGA will bring Master System and Game Gear on the service.

 

[Sojiro]

I want Sega to do a Saturn mini first lol, but I don't think either are happening by this point.

 

[Sleepwalker]

People should use the Nintendo Switch Online more. Sure, it is a subscription service, but the emulation is perfect and games selection really good across many consoles.

I refuse until they add the pokemon gameboy games.




Jk im already subbed and its good. But add the goddamn pokemon games Nintendo

 

[cireza]

I refuse until they add the pokemon gameboy games.




Jk im already subbed and its good. But add the goddamn pokemon games Nintendo

Play Pulseman on MegaDrive, it was made by Game Freak

 

[EverydayBeast]

This is perfect time for a n64 mini!​

N64 delivers AAA gaming and spread more innovations than any other console in history it’s unbelievable how Nintendo treats the N64 and refuses a mini.

 

[justiceiro]

They’ve already got a stop gap until the new console, it’s called a Switch and it’s still selling like hotcakes.

Same energy.

Guys, I know what a switch is. I don't have it, I don't want it. I want a mini console. It's that hard to understand?

Also, when the first mini consoles where launched, most of the games were still available on the 3ds, and that sold pretty well. So this argument of "we already have them on switch" is BS.

Finally, one thing about subscription services is that they take it out titles soon or later, if not go entirely offline. How do you all know Nintendo will keep distributing old titles on the switch successor? What if they decide to scrap it in favor of making "pseudo" remasters of them? If you ever know how Nintendo operate, you would be wishing we got this mini as much as I do.

 

[phant0m]

I just want fucking GameCube games on the Switch Online already. GameCube has consistently been given the middle finger when it comes to the Virtual Console and such. For the Wii gen, it made sense, that system was backwards compatible for GC games and you could still easily get most GC games, but now? Absolutely nothing, oh and if you try to get an online Smash Bros Melee thing going, Nintendo will tell you to go fuck yourself.

Because they prefer to remake/remaster GC titles and sell them to you for $50/60 a pop.

 

[Puscifer]

I'll buy it for sure but I want a Dreamcast mini.

Considering what you can pull off on these mini handhelds for 60 bucks im surprised Saturn, N64 and whatnot haven't already been done

 

[simpatico]

The one console you could actually capture all the games. There’s like 15 playable games on N64 tops. But those 15 are mostly classics. Weird console. No middle ground in the library. Classic or junk with nothing in between

 

[Dr_Ifto]

Love to go back to Cruisin' USA! and WaveRace64

 

[Trogdor1123]

I’d love an n64 mini. Lots of awesome games. I just hope they can smooth out some of the dodgey frame rates. Not likely though

 

[cartman414]

Yep.
- Switch is available everywhere, instead of a novelty limited edition item that would be scalped to death like the previous two Mini systems
- you can use a variety of controllers on Switch, including a replica of the N64 controller
- the majority of games you’d want to play on it are already available via NSO. OK, there’s no Mischief Makers, but it’s unlikely it would be on a hypothetical N64 Mini anyway

But no, apparently NSO is highway robbery for some people.

The base plan is a great deal. The expansion pack more than doubling the price is a bit of a pill to swallow.

 

[Kokoloko85]

Yes and a Sega Saturn Mini