Like I said on the 15 N64 Essentials page; the Nintendo 64 was my game console. Everyone has their own game console that defined their childhood, and the N64 was mine. So, for that reason, I feel more strongly in favour of N64 emulation than any other console. I believe that things were released on N64 only that were never even attempted on other systems of the time, or even all the intervening hardware generations. Everyone always looks at NFL Quarterback Club and the terrible, boxy, pointy graphics; or Superman 64 with its impenetrable drawing fog; or reads that interview with Yoshiaki Koizumi who referred to the development of the N64 hardware as a time of hansei; and thinks, "Oh, what a terrible piece of hardware." It's like the adage goes: you can't judge a book by its cover. Right? You can't judge a game console by its worst software. I firmly believe that there's something that can appeal to everyone on that system, and I've made it my personal mission to bring the Nintendo 64 to everyone, regardless of Nintendo Switch Online subscription status.
That having been said, I'm lucky to have a gaming computer. It's from 2013, but it was sold as a gaming computer. Red light on the chassis, window in the side so I can see the impressive video card, 16 GB RAM, and all that, and all that. The company demonstrated this computer playing Skyrim, The Sims 3, and Minecraft. Right? It's a gaming computer. So, of course I'm going to be able to play N64 games on it. And I can. It runs Project64 v.2.1.0 with no errors whatsoever. Unfortunately, as I'm coming to discover with my other computers (2 refurbs, 1 new), this is a very rare thing indeed. "Unintentional pun?" No, intentional pun—Banjo-Tooie is the game I'm having trouble with. None of my other computers are able to run this game without atrocious graphical problems. Well, one, anyway—path textures disappear from the ground as I approach them. While this is sort of ignorable (not for me, but for others, I'm sure), it tends to be a symptom of a larger problem. It also prevents surface decals appearing in GoldenEye 007 and causes all shadows to clip into the ground in Super Mario 64. So, I tried Mupen64 Plus on those computers and, apart from being dreadfully complex to even start a ROM running, it has its own set of graphical problems.
Understand, the Windows XP laptop I used back in the day could run all these games at the same level as my 2013 Windows 7 gaming computer. And, since I can't find anywhere that I can get Project64 1.6 from anymore, I'm stuck.
I imagine this is going to be a problem for anyone else who attempts to run N64 games on a low-end computer now. I won't even think about Windows 11 (I can't imagine the CPU footprint of all those SaaS processes, all clamouring for network priority), and I don't know enough about Linux distributions to change my recommendations. I know that Mupen64 Plus and its frontend, M64Py, is Linux-compatible, but Linux has its own set of challenges in other places that completely undermines parts of the How to Use a Computer guide. To be perfectly candid, I don't even know if N64 games will run without errors on expensive gaming video cards. You'd think so, but newer ain't always better, spud. The fact is, I might be making these recommendations from a cave full of old, better technology without knowing that nothing is going to run properly on the new, worse technology of today. I figured, if it can run on Windows XP, it can bloody well run on Windows 8+, right? I forgot about the culture of waste we live in now, where companies intentionally cut corners and take shortcuts to put out a bad product that breaks down so you have to buy another one in 6 months.
The point is, until I can say with confidence that I know what is causing the emulator to behave the way they do on this low-end computer and I know how to work around it without spending any money, I have to stop recommending Nintendo 64 emulation. I just hope I'm making a big deal over nothing and it's just a skill issue at my end, rather than a failing of today's expendable, here-today/gone-tomorrow computers.
--16 October 2023--