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Nintendo 64

Nintendo 64 icon Nintendo 64 logo

Overview

The Nintendo 64 debuted in 1996 as Nintendo’s fifth-generation cartridge platform, pairing the NEC VR4300 CPU with the SGI Reality Coprocessor for 3D graphics.

Quick reference

  • ROM folder: /userdata/roms/n64
  • Accepted formats: .z64, .n64, .v64, .ndd, .zip, .7z
  • Emulators: libretro: mupen64plus-next, libretro: parallel_n64, mupen64plus standalone
  • System group: n64
Emulator/Core Notes
libretro: mupen64plus-next Feature-rich core that also handles disk drive titles
libretro: parallel_n64 Vulkan renderer geared toward accuracy
mupen64plus (standalone) Standalone GLide-based kernels with texture pack support

Technical specifications

  • CPU: NEC VR4300 64-bit RISC processor at 93.75 MHz.
  • Memory: 4 MB Rambus RDRAM on-board (expandable to 8 MB with the Expansion Pak).
  • Display: SGI Reality Coprocessor delivering 64-bit texture-mapped polygons at 640×480 with 16.7 million color pipeline.
  • Sound: 16-bit, 44.1 kHz stereo audio with hardware mixing.

Supported ROM extensions

z64, n64, v64, ndd, zip, 7z

ROMs

Store cartridge dumps in /userdata/roms/n64. The available cores generally figure out byte order automatically, but if a title refuses to run, unzip it and target the bare .z64 or .n64 file.

N64DD releases (.ndd or .z64.ndd) should remain zipped alongside their .pak0.pak data so the core can mount the disk seamlessly.

Emulators

libretro: mupen64plus-next

The most feature-rich core, it also boots N64DD content when global.mupen64-dd is enabled. Use the Quick Menu ([HOTKEY] + south face button) to adjust internal resolution, widescreen hacks, anti-aliasing and texture filtering before saving overrides.

libretro: parallel_n64

Parallel N64 focuses on accuracy with Vulkan rendering (Angrylion-like) rather than graphical enhancements. It lacks preset widescreen or filtering options but stays closer to per-pixel emulation.

mupen64plus (standalone)

Standalone Mupen64Plus builds expose GLideN64/GLide64mk2/Rice options through their own GUI and support hi-res textures when the required packs are placed in the textures/ folder alongside the core.

Controls

Use the default N64 controller overlay located at ../images/controller-overlays/n64.png.

Troubleshooting

If a game refuses to boot, try another core, double-check the ROM’s byte-order, and confirm your .z64/.n64 files are accessible from /userdata/roms/n64. For persistent problems consult the generic support pages.