Palmer Luckey’s M64 Controller Will Let You Swap Shells Like It Is 1996
ModRetro's upcoming M64 system will feature controllers with tool-free replaceable shells, allowing users to swap colours and replace damaged casings instantly.
The defense contractor turned retro enthusiast is bringing the "Funtastic" aesthetic to modern hardware, one snap-on faceplate at a time.
If there is one thing Palmer Luckey seems to value as much as high-tech surveillance systems, it is the tactile joy of 90s consumer electronics. Following the release of the FPGA-based Chromatic handheld, his company ModRetro has begun teasing its next major hardware project: the M64.
Details on the console itself remain scarce, but the team has shed light on the accompanying controller. In a move that will likely frustrate third-party skin manufacturers, the M64 controller will feature fully replaceable exterior shells.
This is a clever, if slightly cynical, piece of industrial design. The Nintendo 64 era was defined by its "Funtastic" colourways (translucent plastics in shades like Jungle Green and Atomic Purple). By making the shell a user-serviceable part, ModRetro effectively allows players to change the colour of their pad without buying an entirely new unit. It also solves a perennial issue with retro hardware: grime. Being able to pop the shell off for a deep clean or a replacement after a heavy Mario Party session is a genuine quality-of-life improvement.
According to the demonstration, the mechanism appears to be tool-free, suggesting a magnetic or clip-based system rather than the fiddly screws of the original trident controller.
It remains to be seen if the internal stick mechanism has been improved over the N64's notorious "grinding" analogue stick, but for now, the focus is clearly on aesthetics. We can likely expect ModRetro to sell a variety of coloured shells at launch, turning the controller itself into a recurring revenue stream.
You can follow the development of the M64 project directly on the ModRetro website.
