JJtheTexan

"Company That Blew Millions of Dollars in Investor Funds, Fired CEO, Missed All Delivery Dates, and With No Proof of an Actual Product Insists Through Third Party That it is Definitely Not Defunct" isn't a message that exactly inspires confidence.

Great list. It's a real pity that so many of these games sell for hundreds of dollars nowadays, especially Power Stone 1 & 2 and the Capcom and SNK fighting titles.

As a gamer born in 1980, I feel like this site was created with folks like me in mind. Thank you!

I ordered mine from Limited Run, so I expect to receive it sometime in the next 3-5 years

@Deanster101 great points for sure. I actually like the convenience of downloading your own ROMs and storing them locally on the base, though it's not a whole lot different than using something like an Everdrive.

Polymega is a good product for people looking for that sort of thing. If you just want to play Nintendo 64 games on a modern TV, I encourage you to compare these options:

Polymega Ultra
Base unit - $450 U.S.
Ultra (N64) Module + controller - $80
TOTAL - $530
Compatibility: ~90% of games; no Everdrive support

Original hardware
Used Nintendo 64 in good shape - $80
N64 HDMI upscaler - $150
N64 controller (OEM, Brawler64, Commander) ~ $50
TOTAL - $280
Compatibility: 100% of games, works with Everdrive

Original hardware is a better choice for many, and is much less expensive. I have the setup described above, with an EON HDMI adapter + upscaler and a Brawler64 controller. The picture is excellent - almost as good as an HDMI mod to the console (which is the best possible image but VERY expensive).

If picture quality is less important to you, you can save even more money with a simple N64 to HDMI adapter cable, available for around $30 U.S.

Final note: if it's not clear from the article, Polymega is software emulation, not hardware emulation. It downloads the game ROM from the cart and runs it through an emulator, similar to a RetroN console. True FPGA hardware emulation for N64 (similar to Analogue products) is probably still a few years off.

Evercade VS:

• Affordably priced
• Hundreds of classic games
• Partnerships with major publishers
• All games compatible with a handheld counterpart
• Easy to use

Intellivision Amico:

• Costs 3x more than Evercade
• Nearly all games are mobile ports
• Does not actually exist in any tangible form
• Is literally a re-branded Ouya
• Marketed by a brilliant composer who is also a lunatic

Tough call if you're looking for a new console option this Christmas.

It's literally a low-spec PC. It even offers a "PC mode" and supports Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS. I won't fault anyone for buying what they like, but this is a bafflingly bad value proposition if I've ever seen one. Remember the Ouya?

I imported one from Playasia a little while ago, and it's great. All the menus are available in English, and the Japanese ROMs don't really pose any significant barriers. The overall build quality is excellent, and a few of the games are hard to find elsewhere by legal means (looking at you, Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder).

If you do decide to grab one from Limited Run, I highly recommend picking up the six-button controller as well, since the built-in joystick and buttons are a bit cramped.

I'm in. Eating is overrated anyway. Sigh

Thank you @Damo for another great article. I really enjoy these features and they're a big reason why I've visited NintendoLife every day for the past 10 years or so.

Patiently waiting for my delayed pre-order of the TG-16 version. If you're on the fence, consider picking this up if only for the inclusion of Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. The original PC Engine version and the SNES port are both very expensive and hard to find these days, and sadly it's too late to download it on the shuttered Wii Virtual Console.

@impurekind you make some great points. Nintendo has been quite litigious of late, so I wouldn't put it past them. However, it's worth noting that Nintendo has left all of the clone console makers alone so far, even though some of their controller designs likely infringe on Nintendo's trademarks.

In the SEGA case you mention, I suspect Nintendo left it alone because any kind of a lawsuit would have led to some very bad p.r. and made them look like sore losers. They took the high road and ultimately won that battle anyway.

Conversely, while SEGA was giving Nintendo the business, Nintendo was furiously suing Atari / Tengen and Blockbuster Video for totally unrelated reasons. I guess that's where their legal energy was focused

@impurekind my understanding is the "fair use" doctrine (not a law per se) does not apply for commercial use. When I worked for a broadcast network, my job duties included ensuring compliance with media usage rights, and while fair use applied to academic and news reporting purposes, it was not considered valid for promotions or advertisements. Either way, we'll see what happens!

The other problem I see here is Polymega / Playmaji's brazen use of game footage in their trailer. Nintendo's lawyers have been on the warpath lately. I will be surprised if they don't run into legal trouble.

I would be delighted if Polymega delivers on its promises, but I am very skeptical. I will wait until actual units are in reviewers' hands before I decide to spend any money on one.

It seems like I have read / heard (can't remember or find where, maybe I'm imagining things) that Nintendo still held some sort of patent over N64 tech that has thus far prevented any clone consoles from emerging. If @DarthNocturnal is correct, that would mean Polymega is either unaware of this, or ignoring it, or I'm completely wrong.

It does seem very strange to me that there are something like a dozen NES and SNES clone consoles, but Hyperkin, Retro-Bit, Analogue, etc. have never attempted a Nintendo 64 HD clone. I'd buy one!

I was cautiously optimistic about the original concept, but I avoided the original crowdfunding campaign over my personal reservations. I'm now convinced this will never happen. Too bad.

True story: This console looks very much like one I "designed" on notebook paper when I was in middle school. It had slots for NES, Super NES, Game Boy, Master System, Genesis, and Atari cartridges. I never thought I'd see a real one, and now there are like a dozen such "consoles".

@ikki5 the Retro VGS would have absolutely no internet connectivity, at all. So, no updates, no patches, no DLC. It's physically impossible. If a game ships with a bug, it's broken forever. If you want DLC... well, you need to buy another cartridge.