Portable N64 Mods

[Catalyst]

Hailrazer's N64Boy Advance



If you head on over to the Modded By Bacteria message boards you'll find that forum member Hailrazer has put together a little somethin' that he likes to call the N64Boy Advance. And like all successful mods, not only does the thing look good, it also boasts tweaks suited to the builder's tastes: he uses a Gamecube joystick instead of one from a Nintendo 64 controller, he's decreased the smaller trigger buttons (which our man hardly ever uses), and done away with the d-pad altogether (ditto). The case itself is an old Game Boy Advance carrying case (with the N64 board cut down to fit) and speakers, a 4.3-inch display, and a couple camcorder batteries thrown in for good measure.



Link - www.engadget.com/2011/03/07/n64boy-advance-is-one-fine-lookin-nintendo-64-handheld/

Hailrazer's Kamikaze 64



Money talks, and, in the world of custom hardware, occasionally yields some amazing results. Such is the case with Hailrazer's latest handheld console mod, the Kamikaze 64. It's a portable version of Nintendo's decidedly wired Nintendo 64 that someone commissioned him to build, probably after seeing his impressive NCube portable GameCube. This one is equally comprehensive, and while it doesn't compete against either of the supposed world's smallest portable N64s, it does offer the full suite of controls, plus input for a second controller, video output, and even includes the controller's I/O port on the back. (That means it's Controller Pak compatible, and its future owner can take his or her all-time greatest Mario Kart 64 ghost replays on the road.) No word on how much the mystery commissioner paid for this one, but we're thinking they got a good deal.



Link - www.engadget.com/2010/01/25/hailrazers-kamikaze-64-is-the-most-polished-portable-n64-yet-v/

Edit: Tons More N64 Mods Down this Link - www.engadget.com/tag/n64

[kitten]

I've seriously got to ask, "Why?" I mean, seriously. The N64? Make a handheld of that?

[retr0gamer]

Well the people that do these aren't doing them for practicality or because they want to make money out of it but just because they can and find making them fun.

[Ike]

I dunno that second one looks pretty...

Pretty bad. I mean the buttons are tiny and are located waaaay up on the thing.

I mean I'm impressed with it because it's a portable N64 but... yeah. If that's what the system has to offer in terms of potential portability I really don't see the point.

[Shellshock]

Cool. Now we can play Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Smash Bros. and both Zeldas for entire month worth of playtime before we go back to Playstation eboots on our PSPs.

[kitten]

Mar 18, 2011 14:19:53 GMT -5 retr0gamer said:

Well the people that do these aren't doing them for practicality or because they want to make money out of it but just because they can and find making them fun.

I'd argue that, to some degree, they are doing it for practicality. I mean, they're not just going to go off on some project with the only means being to get the thing to work, they're going to want to be able to have it played on.

So my question is still pretty legitimate. Why? I can't see why they'd make a portable N64, especially since half of the "good" games in its library are multiplayer games that have aged terribly that people tend to only still play for the sake of nostalgia.

[Feynman]

Mar 18, 2011 14:19:53 GMT -5 retr0gamer said:

Well the people that do these aren't doing them for practicality or because they want to make money out of it but just because they can and find making them fun.

I dunno, that second one was built on commission, and I imagine anybody who would pay someone to build that for them probably intends it for practical use.

While I find it vaguely amusing to see consoles get stuffed into portable frames, I can't think of any reason I would ever actually want one.

[kitten]

Mar 18, 2011 14:52:54 GMT -5 Feynman said:

While I find it vaguely amusing to see consoles get stuffed into portable frames, I can't think of any reason I would ever actually want one.

*clutches her nomad* ;_;

[Catalyst]

I wouldn't mind having one of these really. They seem like really novel ideas. On the other hand, I don't like how they seem to be built to play only a few games. I mean that top one is kinda for games that don't use the d-pad, though it does look nicer than the bottom one's button placement.

[megatronbison]

Agreed with Catalyst - nice to look at but really- a lot of games aren't going to work with the controller set up- try changing camera angles in a game on the fly!
Still though- I find them interesting all the same- the fact someone managed to shink it down and have it still working is impressive. Tbh I just think of them as thinks like the NES toaster- great to look at but ultimately pointless.

[TheChosen]

Hmmm...this makes me wonder how difficult could it be to replace N64's controller stick to Gamecube one

[Ike]

Very. The Gamecube's stick uses a rollerball kind of deal while the N64's is more like a cross. They're completely different.

[aganar]

A little unimpressive after the portable Gamecube, I must say. Especially with...you know...the DS, and all...

[Shellshock]

Mar 18, 2011 14:33:21 GMT -5 kitten said:

I can't see why they'd make a portable N64, especially since half of the "good" games in its library are multiplayer games that have aged terribly that people tend to only still play for the sake of nostalgia.

They might look like shit, I'll give you that, but Mario Kart and Smash Bros., at least, still play great and are a lot of fun. Right?

[Mr. Faptastic]

Mar 18, 2011 20:00:29 GMT -5 Shellshock said:

They might look like shit, I'll give you that, but Mario Kart and Smash Bros., at least, still play great and are a lot of fun. Right?

Sure, in multiplayer. Which is kind of defeated by stuffing the thing into a handheld with a tiny screen. Yeah, you can plug a second controller into one of them, but then what? The second player gets to look over the first player's shoulder? I can't see that being very comfortable.