Analogue 3D review: Modern processing can't fix vintage flaws<p>While there are countless ways to play old video games, endless emulators that eat up ROMs and spew out memories, the hardware offerings from <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/analogue-pocket-review-150056011-150056369.html" data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1">Analogue[/url] have <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/analogues-limited-edition-pockets-are-delightful-and-frustrating-140012471.html" data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1">elevated the act of retro gaming to an art form[/url]. With an obsessive dedication to pixel-perfect reproductions of classic platforms, Analogue's various devices generally set the benchmark for <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/analogue-duo-review-a-second-chance-for-an-underappreciated-console-130056763.html" data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1">consuming old games on new displays[/url].</p>
<p>The company's latest entry is <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/the-analogue-3d-is-a-nintendo-64-for-modern-times-150020872.html" data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1">an ode to the Nintendo 64[/url], and that poses a bit of a problem. While Analogue's other systems honored the golden age of 2D gaming, the pinnacle of pixel art in many ways, the N64 ushered gamers into the early, ugly days of 3D gaming. Nearly three decades after its initial release, most N64 games look pretty catastrophic by modern standards. Can the <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://store.analogue.co/products/analogue-3d-black" data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1">Analogue 3D ($250)[/url] treatment save them?</p>
<p>
<core-commerce data-type="product-list" id="a1faac0c-49e3-44f8-8fff-ed617aa04f4e" data-original-url="
https://store.analogue.co/products/analogue-3d-black"></core-commerce></p>
<h2 id="29eb67a5-9346-4c46-8608-7c0caf936efa">Origin Story</h2>
<p>The early to mid-'90s were a heady time for console gaming. Sega and Nintendo had printed so much money in the 16-bit era that both were throwing everything they could at the wall to capture the fluorescent pink, velcro wallets of the gamers of the day. Wild controllers, endless system add-ons and even <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_VR" data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1">virtual reality[/url] were in the cards.</p>
<p>But it would be the humble CD-ROM that really pushed things forward. Sega did its own multimedia add-on in-house, with the Sega CD. Nintendo decided to team up with Sony for the development of its own disc drive. When that project fell apart, Sony famously decided to continue on, releasing the original PlayStation in 1995.</p>
<p>Almost overnight, the gaming world was all about three-dimensional gaming, a landscape that Sega's Saturn was ill-prepared for. Nintendo, though, went all-in for its next system, the Nintendo 64. It not only packed more polygons and colors than Sony's system, but Nintendo finally cracked the code of how to make a truly good three-dimensional platformer with
Mario 64. </p>
<p>
Mario 64 is not only a great game, it became the template for how player and camera controls worked, defining rules that still exist today. </p>
<p>The N64 was also the first mainstream console to feature an analog controller out of the box, the first console since the Atari 5200 in the early '80s to have four controller ports and the first American console to offer haptic feedback in the form of 1997's Rumble Pak. Today it all sounds quaint, but it was a truly revolutionary machine back in the day.</p>
<h2 id="a4b96bdd-b9dc-4b64-ae2a-b3090762becf">N64 redux</h2>
<figure>
<img src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/Analogue_3D_014.jpg" data-crop-orig-src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/Analogue_3D_014.jpg" style="height:1707px;width:2560px;" alt="The Analogue 3D has the look of a N64 console, right down to the four controller ports up front." data-uuid="24ae6ec2-6512-4abe-a797-c10628446824">
<figcaption>
The Analogue 3D has the look of a N64 console, right down to the four controller ports up front.
</figcaption>
<div class="photo-credit">
Tim Stevens for Engadget
</div>
</figure>
<p>The Analogue 3D is somewhat revolutionary as well, but for different reasons. At its core, it relies on a field programmable gate array, or FPGA, much like Analogue's previous devices (the Super Nt, Mega Sg, Pocket and Duo). An FPGA is effectively a processor full of virtual building blocks, called logic elements, which enable it to replicate any other system. It takes a massive amount of configuration, but the result is pure hardware emulation. </p>
<p>Again, it’s the same concept as Analogue's previous devices, just on a massively larger scale. Where the Pocket used an Altera Cyclone V FPGA with 49,000 logic elements, this one uses an Intel Cyclone 10 GX FPGA clocking in at 220,000 logic elements. While Analogue never gave much in the way of explanation, it's likely that the extreme complexity that resulted in <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/analogue-delays-its-n64-remake-console-yet-again-205343467.html" data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1">delay[/url] after <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/analogues-4k-remake-of-the-n64-will-at-long-last-ship-on-november-18-151854397.html" data-i13n="cpos:8;pos:1">annoying delay[/url] — well, that and the complexities of running an international business in the <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/trump-threatens-a-25-percent-tariff-on-all-smartphones-not-made-in-the-us-195122531.html" data-i13n="cpos:9;pos:1">tariff-laden minefield[/url] that is today's global trading landscape. </p>
<p>Beyond that, the Analogue 3D very much follows the same aesthetic seen in the company's previous units: a minimalist take on the original hardware. It looks like a smaller and thinner N64 — one that requires active cooling, by the way, so make sure you don't crowd this thing in among your other, lesser game consoles.</p>
<p>It (virtually) supports all the N64's key accessories, like the Transfer Pak, the Expansion Pak and the Rumble Pak. It's USB-C powered and output comes via HDMI, and you'll find the requisite cables included in the box. There's also an SD card around the back for firmware updates and a pair of USB-A ports for good measure. Up front, you'll find four controller ports, with the distinctive circular style used by the N64. But you can connect controllers via USB or wirelessly too, if you prefer.</p>
<figure>
<img src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/Analogue_3D_012.jpg" data-crop-orig-src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/Analogue_3D_012.jpg" style="height:1707px;width:2560px;" alt="Analogue opted for a another 8BitDo controller." data-uuid="9e13fb8f-a821-4bfd-a885-e1ff7e747c4a">
<figcaption>
Analogue opted for a another 8BitDo controller.
</figcaption>
<div class="photo-credit">
Tim Stevens for Engadget
</div>
</figure>
<p>The system's default controller is again <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/8bitdos-40-analogue-3d-controller-arrives-on-march-19-200752420.html" data-i13n="cpos:10;pos:1">provided by 8BitDo[/url], which has created special designs for Analogue's other recent releases. For better or worse, the $39.99 8BitDo 64 controller doesn't imitate the three-pronged N64 style, but does offer all that system's buttons in a more traditional layout. It's perhaps too traditional, difficult to tell apart from Nintendo's own <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://www.engadget.com/2017-01-13-nintendo-switch-pro-controller.html" data-i13n="cpos:11;pos:1">Switch Pro controller[/url] from a distance.</p>
<p>I haven’t been a fan of 8BitDo controllers in the past. Given the premium Analogue charges for its systems, the 8BitDo controllers haven't risen to that level of polish. This new generation, though, is definitely a step up. The controller's buttons don't rattle when you shake it, the inputs have a good feel to them, the vibration isn't harsh and pairing is quick and easy. </p>
<p>That said, I did run into latency issues if I was more than about 10 feet away from the system, or if I closed the door on the cabinet that held the Analogue 3D. That's a far cry from the connectivity of a Switch Pro controller, which I can readily use from another room if I'm ever so inclined.</p>
<h2 id="af8f7804-2794-4e77-91b8-a1fe522887c6">CRT vibes in an OLED era</h2>
<figure>
<img src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/Analogue_3D_022.jpg" data-crop-orig-src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/Analogue_3D_022.jpg" style="height:2000px;width:3000px;" alt="The Analogue 3D and the Nintendo 64. " data-uuid="012081b9-fa43-44ed-b45a-1292e8573515">
<figcaption>
The Analogue 3D and the Nintendo 64.
</figcaption>
<div class="photo-credit">
Tim Stevens for Engadget
</div>
</figure>
<p>Analogue has made a name for itself by obsessing over striking the perfect blend of honoring original systems while making them great in a modern world. If I may insert one automotive reference, they are doing to game systems what Singer Vehicle Design does to Porsches. </p>
<p>But where cars both old and reimagined look great on the same road, vintage consoles struggle with modern TVs. Plug an original N64 into your 4K HDTV via a tangle of adapters, and you'll get a blurry, blocky mess that will make you question everything your childhood self held dear. Even if you go the hardcore route with something like an Open Source Scan Converter or an HDMI mod kit to take vintage analog signals and turn them into modern digital ones, you're still probably not going to like the results. That's because it isn't all about getting crisp signals from console to display. These systems were designed for cathode rays, where one colored pixel bled into the next to create a seamless view to hide many of the N64's 320 x 240 flaws. </p>
<p>The Analogue 3D goes to great lengths to replicate that look through a series of filters meant to replicate everything from a consumer-grade CRT to the sort of professional-grade monitor that cost as much as a new car did back in the '90s. Analogue has experimented with these filters in the past, but they're taken to a new level here, with options for specifying monitor type, quality and size. The results are quite impressive, still a bit grittier than a giant-sized CRT would be in real life, but looking miles better than the unfiltered view of the games. You can even tune and tweak those display settings on a per-game basis, if you're especially finicky.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, you'll have to take my word for that. The 4K CRT effects don't really show up through a capture card, and as of now the Analogue 3D has no integrated screen capture functionality. That, I was told, is coming later. </p>
<h2 id="30202a68-db8f-4c17-94e4-179548a0a87d">Back to the future of gaming</h2>
<figure>
<img src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/Perfect_Dark_CRT.png" data-crop-orig-src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/Perfect_Dark_CRT.png" style="height:1440px;width:2560px;" alt="Perfect Dark on the Analogue 3D." data-uuid="c84feb07-7de2-483e-af49-bd08ed36fee8">
<figcaption>
Perfect Dark on the Analogue 3D.
</figcaption>
<div class="photo-credit">
Tim Stevens for Engadget
</div>
</figure>
<p>I started my testing with the game that, in the eyes of many, represents the high-water mark of the N64 experience:
Perfect Dark. Rare's classic first-person shooter shares a lot of its concepts (and surely its code) with that other N64 icon,
Goldeneye. But, in the three years between those games, developers learned plenty of tricks, resulting in a game that really pushed the hardware to its limits.</p>
<p>Or past its limits, really.
Perfect Dark was equally famous for its uneven frame rates. Expecting a one-to-one recreation of the original hardware, I was surprised to find the game running buttery smooth on the Analogue 3D. How?</p>
<p>The system includes a series of tweaking and tuning options, including something of a baked-in overclocking function. By default, it's on Auto, which, at least in the case of
Perfect Dark, dialed up the Analogue 3D's power to make up for the original system's polygon processing shortcomings. But the Analogue 3D is nothing if not tweakable, and with a few taps into the system's menu, I was able to turn that off.</p>
<p>Now locked into "Force Original Hardware" mode,
Perfect Dark played just like it did back in the day, a shaky and jittery testament to the overachieving aspirations of Rare's developers. And, thanks to more settings adjustments, I could enable the 16:9 mode in
Perfect Dark and stretch the video output on the Analogue 3D, getting a proper widescreen effect — even though the game doesn't output a full 16:9 grid of pixels. </p>
<figure>
<img src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/Super_Robot_Spirits_%283%29.png" data-crop-orig-src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/Super_Robot_Spirits_%283%29.png" style="height:1440px;width:2560px;" alt="Super Robot Spirits on the Analogue 3D." data-uuid="8284a574-6aed-4a1c-b82a-ef2110a7eaa3">
<figcaption>
Super Robot Spirits on the Analogue 3D.
</figcaption>
<div class="photo-credit">
Tim Stevens for Engadget
</div>
</figure>
<p>Beyond Auto, you can set the game to run in Enhanced, Enhanced+ and Unleashed speeds. I switched over to another game notorious for its poor performance:
Superman: The New Superman Adventures. I initially reviewed this game way back in 1999, and it has since become notorious as one of the worst of all time. </p>
<p>It's no better today, but thanks to the Analogue 3D, it is at least more fluid. The game's choppiness is gone, replaced by a too-rapid pace to the uninspired ring-chasing gameplay. Sadly, the faster frame rate doesn't make up for the omnipresent green fog that makes
Superman 64 feel so claustrophobic. Neither does it fix the crunchy, murky textures that surround you in
Perfect Dark.</p>
<p>It's not all bad, though. 1997's
Super Robot Spirits, a giant robot fighting game released only in Japan, features untextured 3D models that use Gouraud shading to look a little less blocky. The result looks genuinely crisp and clean on the Analogue <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
http://3D.So" data-i13n="cpos:12;pos:1">[/url]<a target="_blank" class="link">3D.So[/url] too do games like
Mario Kart 64 and
Yoshi's Story, 3D games that rely heavily on 2D elements, which scale very nicely up to a modern, 65-inch 4K OLED, like the LG B7 I used for testing. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, there were few games that really popped for me. Much of the time, I was stuck looking at blurry, blocky textures poking out of foggy landscapes that were far less breathtaking than I remembered them 25-plus years ago.</p>
<h2 id="139378f5-cc85-41f2-a600-6fd24f47b5d4">Wrap-up</h2>
<figure>
<img src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/Analogue_3D_026.jpg" data-crop-orig-src="
https://d29szjachogqwa.cloudfront.net/images/user-uploaded/Analogue_3D_026.jpg" style="height:2000px;width:3000px;" alt="The Analogue 3D and the Nintendo 64." data-uuid="c3cac6cd-25d4-449f-a67b-b5b7be32ffa1">
<figcaption>
The Analogue 3D and the Nintendo 64.
</figcaption>
<div class="photo-credit">
Tim Stevens for Engadget
</div>
</figure>
<p>Analogue's earlier systems take some of the greatest 2D games ever made and elevate them to crisply defined, high-resolution pixel art. They are gorgeous and charming to behold, which just makes them all the more engaging to play. Sadly, few of the games on the N64 stand up so well. Making these games look truly good would require pushing back the omnipresent fog and upscaling the ugly textures that plague many N64 games. That, it's safe to say, would go well past the point of faithful recreation that Analogue strives for. </p>
<p>It's hard to fault the <a target="_blank" class="link" href="
https://store.analogue.co/products/analogue-3d-black" data-i13n="cpos:13;pos:1">Analogue 3D[/url] itself for this. The hardware does a remarkable job of recreating that original experience. My N64 library has never looked better, and I am definitely enjoying digging into games I haven't played in decades, plus a few newly acquired gems that I missed back in the day. But, more often than not, I'm left shaking my head at just how bad these games looked, and no amount of 4K upscaling and CRT emulation can fix that.</p>This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/analogue-3d-review-modern-processing-cant-fix-vintage-flaws-160000410.html?src=rssSource:
Analogue 3D review: Modern processing can't fix vintage flaws
