ModRetro M64 console and Pro Controller review

Remember when you were in school and just couldn't wait to get home to your Nintendo 64? I didn't have that. I grew up without a TV in my home, which was honestly the best thing that ever happened to me as I learned other great skills. Later in life, I picked one up along with staples like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It's not that easy to play an N64 now though, given TVs have moved past the AV stage. ModRetro recently delivered an answer to that problem with the M64, and I'm pleased to say it's as awesome as they've advertised.

It’s going to sound weird to gush about the packaging, but hear me out. For what you’re paying, you deserve a fantastic experience. The brightly-colored pink and yellow stands out, as does the playful banter written around the flaps as you open your M64 or controller. Making an experience out of simply opening your box is brilliant, and mimics how I felt opening the Chromatic. This is how opening a $230 product should be.

Your M64 is joined in the box by a USB-C cable and an AC adapter with universal adapter plugs join your M64 in the box. With these universal plugs, you’ll be able to use it no matter where you are in the world. A 16GB SD card comes pre-installed in the console (I assume for firmware or modding purposes). The M64 Pro Controller includes an original style connector cable for charging or wired use, along with both a rechargeable battery pack, and a AA battery pack. I’ll get into the controller a lot more as we go, but for the higher price of $89.99, it’s good to see plenty of amenities come with it.

No N64 console out there looks better than the M64, and the same goes for the controller. Everyone loves translucent tech, and ModRetro has nailed the amazing aesthetic that comes with the territory. Seeing the inside of your unit is sweet, as is the different indicator lighting they've added to the outside. 

The Pro Controller is in a league of its own with a cloudy translucent aesthetic backed by a sturdy aluminum plate. You could really hurt someone throwing this controller, and it isn’t going to break by accident. It feels like quality as soon as you pick it up, especially with all the triggers also being made of the same metal. The TMR thumbstick provides anti-drift protection along with incredible precision. Seriously, the accuracy of movement is crazy on an M64 with the Pro Controller. All of the buttons feel great, and the best part is that it works wired or wirelessly. Plus, it only takes a one-time sync to have it connected to your M64. The only bummer for this controller is the lack of Controller Pak compatibility. There are games that require it for saving, and that forces you to find or pick up a different N64 controller. ModRetro is working on updates to hopefully counteract these issues, but for now, we have to play the waiting game.

Moving to the M64 console, it has a lot of good features onboard. There are four original style controller ports on the front (for the 4-player local gameplay we all know and love), which support a bevy of different controllers. This includes the original N64 controllers and even the recent Switch Online versions. On the back are three USB-C ports; one for power, two more for charging controllers. An HDMI port allows you to connect the M64 to TV or monitor. ModRetro still wants to support your being able to connect to an older TV for the culture, so an A/V adapter will be coming soon.

Rounding out all of these ports is an SD card slot, which has one pre-installed with the firmware, although it can also hold any updates downloaded over wi-fi. Given ModRetro loves open source projects, there are even people who have utilized the SD card for modding out their M64 to play a lot of different retro games, including the likes of PS1 and SNES titles. It’s really cool seeing the flavor that can be added to the console.

ModRetro’s tweaking of the M64 compared to the N64 is appreciated. The console is compact, which makes it good for fitting in tighter spaces. The power button is an actual button as opposed to a switch, which really doesn’t change much, although it also doubles as a reset with a double press. I’d prefer a dedicated reset button. The button on the right is an OS button/dial, which allows you to access the software features menu through the M64 itself (you can also access it through a button combination on the Pro Controller). I do really like the addition of a game cart ejector, as it makes it easier to remove your cartridge. Just make sure you have your hand over the top of your cartridge; it launches them off of the connector pins if you aren’t careful.

Turning on the M64, it operates just like you remember when powering up your Nintendo 64. There aren’t menus to navigate or games to choose on a dashboard: just whatever game you inserted starting up. I did notice that it took a moment for the older games I used for testing to load up, probably the dust on them along with the brand new pins trying to read them. You might have to re-seat the game a few times, but eventually, I got it all working.

The M64 is as smooth as butter in motion. It’s almost too good at what it does. It reveals the rough edges of the N64 games due to running them on upwards of a 4K display along with up to 60FPS. I'm impressed to no end by the performance and quality the M64 accomplishes; everything I've played has run flawlessly. The colors really pop, which is terrific to see considering how vibrant so many N64 games were. The 16nm AMD Artix UltraScale+ FPGA puts in some hard work, enabling outstanding performance capabilities. Even better is the fact that it will last you a very long time: the circuit boards inside are laced with gold traces to prevent corrosion.

I have heard of certain issues with games that always had problems previously, so the original experience is certainly here (MMORPG mentioned Star Fox 64’s Corneria stage as having frame rate issues, along with Donkey Kong 64 not running when overclocking in their stellar review). Overclocking the console can also bolster your performance, but also brings its own complications. Whether or not the hardware or a game might handle the boost correctly, you'll have to mess around to see if it helps or hurts. At any rate, you can't discount the commitment to authenticity, good and bad.

Testing the likes of Super Mario 64, Super Smash Bros., NBA Hangtime, and more, it's like I'm back in the late 90s. Recreating gaming nostalgia can often end in disappointment – when you've seen today's newer graphics, the limitations of the past can sometimes sour those memories. That doesn't happen with the M64, which is a genuine reproduction of what you remember. It's one of the reasons I love ModRetro (and their Chromatic), it does a great job of replicating the Nintendo 64 experience. Playing N64 games is fun again for me, thanks to the improvements available via the M64.

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M64 is the best way to play your favorite original Nintendo 64® games, forever.Every detail of the console exists to produce the most accurate N64® experience ever made: full compatibility with ori…

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If you want to get a truer experience, the operating system offers several different filters. Those rough edges I mentioned earlier are a tad better when you turn on CRT settings or scanlines. There aren't a ton of settings to mess with, but it's nice to have what's here. With the online connectivity, it's possible to see more come through as the team makes updates.

My favorite quality ModRetro brings to the table is their publishing arm. Buying new but retro hardware doesn't bring with it the expectations of new games – a sad but true notion. You know what you're getting into. Except with ModRetro. They're investing in and discovering new developers who are making original titles for the M64! There have been four so far to start, and I've been playing Xibalba 64 (of which we'll have a review for soon). It's just dope to be able to pick up a console like this and play a new game on it. Even if you didn't buy an M64, these games will even work on your old Nintendo 64!