Nintendo 64 Classic Nintendo 26504355 1680 1050

As we all know, the N64 was — and still is — a fantastic machine. For many Nintendo fans, it was their first real taste of 3D gaming and some of the console's best offerings stand the test of time very well indeed. The main issue with playing the console today is that it was never designed to run on the high definition, large-format televisions we're now accustomed to.

Running an N64 via a composite AV connection results in soupy, fuzzy visuals, and even if you get your system RGB-modded (a process which is expensive and isn't possible on all versions of the machine) then it still doesn't look as sharp as it possibly could on a massive flat screen TV.

Thank goodness then for RetroActive founder Marshall, who is currently working on a special board which can be installed to your N64 console (NTSC or PAL) and allows it to output a HDMI, DVI or VGA signal.

Marshall is keen to point out that the board itself doesn't handle audio and doesn't plug effortlessly into the console — you'll need to crack out that soldiering iron and make sure you've got a steady hand before installing. He's also keen to stress that when the boards eventually become available (Q1 2014 is the tentative launch date), he won't be able to offer any fitting services himself. That's understandable when you consider how busy this guy is — he's also built some amazing custom Nintendo consoles, which you can check out here.

If you're interested in retrofitting your N64 for the HD era, then you can sign up to the mailing list on the RetroActive site to receive news on availability and ordering.

[source retroactive.be]