Palmer Luckey’s ModRetro M64: A £160/$199 N64 Rival Built to Settle Scores
Palmer Luckey’s ModRetro M64 is poised to undercut the Analogue 3D with a $199 price tag and open FPGA architecture. Here is what we know ahead of the Black Friday reveal.
If there is one thing Palmer Luckey enjoys more than virtual reality or defence contracts, it is proving people wrong. The ModRetro founder has spent the last year quietly preparing a salvo against the high-end retro console market, specifically targeting the Analogue 3D. His weapon of choice is the M64, an FPGA-based reimagining of the Nintendo 64 that promises to do everything its competitors can do, but for fifty dollars less.
Credit: Mod Retro
The device, which is set for a full unveil this Black Friday, has been teased with the sort of cryptic bravado Luckey is known for. While Analogue has been courting the purist market with its 4K resolution and sophisticated filters, ModRetro is taking a slightly more aggressive approach. The M64 is not just an N64 clone; it is an open platform. Luckey has confirmed the machine will support cores from the MiSTer project, effectively turning it into a multi-system powerhouse right out of the box.
For the uninitiated, the appeal of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology is accuracy. unlike software emulation, which can introduce lag and glitches, an FPGA chip mimics the original hardware’s logic gates. The result is a console that behaves exactly like a Nintendo 64, compatibility warts and all, but with modern conveniences like HDMI output.
The M64’s price point of $199 (roughly £158) is its sharpest feature. It undercuts the Analogue 3D by a significant margin, a move likely calculated to disrupt the latter’s holiday sales. Luckey has hinted that inflation and component shortages made this price difficult to maintain, yet he seems determined to hold the line.
Perhaps most interesting is the controller situation. The N64’s original three-pronged pad is often derided by modern gamers, but ModRetro appears to be leaning into the layout rather than away from it. Reports suggest the console will ship with a high-quality revision of that polarizing design, rather than forcing users to buy a separate pad or adapt to a modern twin-stick layout.
The M64 will also play host to new software. ModRetro has been courting developers to create new titles for the hardware, including resurrected projects that were cancelled during the console’s original lifespan. It is a niche within a niche, certainly, but one that speaks to the specific obsessiveness of the retro community.
With the full reveal imminent, the question remains whether the manufacturing quality can match the ambition. Luckey’s previous handheld, the Chromatic, was praised for its build but criticized for its battery life. If the M64 can deliver 4K output and accurate simulation without overheating or breaking the bank, it might just be the definitive way to replay GoldenEye.