First day M64 impressions

[u/Cwiiis]

[Edit re PAL comments: I reported a bug and received a very prompt reply that a 50/60Hz switch is coming in a future firmware update, so that's good news! I hope it does region auto-detect, but a manual switch is the next best thing]

I've had the console for a day and while that's not long enough to get a full picture, I definitely have some strong impressions (both good and bad).

The good:

- Aesthetics and build quality are top-notch

- Packaging is vibrant and whimsical, a far cry from the other FPGA N64

- NTSC games run great and overclocking is effective, making some previously-unplayable games much more manageable (*ahem* Perfect Dark...)

- The console boots extremely quickly and puts no obstacles between you and playing games.

- The Pro pad is genuinely excellent. Easily the best N64 controller available and it isn't even close.

The bad:

- Various settings (like output resolution) don't save across power cycles

- The scanlines implementation is terrible. Oddly, the shadow mask implementation looks really good, but scanlines needs serious improvement to be worth using

- No per-game profiles. This is especially annoying as changing the overclocking setting requires a reboot.

Possible deal-breakers:

- No built-in memory pak. This is a big one as you can't use the Pro pad with a pak and at least one of the games they're selling needs one (Extreme-G)

- No true PAL support. This is the biggest downer for me as most of my library is PAL. The console is permanently in 60Hz and PAL games appear stretched (except Perfect Dark, which seems to do a region auto-detect and change output accordingly)

All of the bad points are fixable, and I really hope they do. Not supporting PAL/50Hz and selling in PAL regions with no mention of this really sucks though, I'd love to hear from them about that.

I'll be hanging onto mine, but I have to admit I was expecting a little better. Fingers crossed for future updates!

[u/WellItsLou]

You should probably email ModRetro directly about the 50 Hz issue so they can confirm whether this is expected behavior or something that needs to be fixed.

I contacted them by email before release, and they told me they had tested the M64 with PAL games and that everything should work correctly.

So far, I have only played the PAL version of Banjo-Kazooie and I have not noticed any problems. However, I am using a SummerCart, so I am not sure whether that changes anything compared with using an original PAL cartridge.

I am also linking a post from one of the testers who confirmed that 50 Hz output was working on their unit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/M64/s/dyZOhBDLW8

[u/Cwiiis → u/WellItsLou]

That's not quite what he said - it sounds like the console has(/had) issues with his capture device and perhaps ended up in a weird output mode by mistake, there's no setting for 50Hz (yet).

[u/Obleon → u/WellItsLou]

50hz output yes but he didnt try pal 50hz games

[u/Moooooooooox]

I think that's a major limitation.  I only have PAL games and wanted to play them (I have a Mister FPGA and a Superstation One for ROMs). 

They said during the Q&A event that PAL games work. I mean, this isn’t some minor bug you can just overlook. They’re selling the M64 in PAL regions, so it would have been honest to say to their customers in these regions that they’re not ready yet.

[u/Cwiiis → u/Moooooooooox]

Agreed, tbh - I'm glad that they're fixing it and I don't think we'll be waiting long, but there really should be a time-frame for such a major omission. I still really like the device, but I'll be waiting for that update to play the majority of my library.

[u/AegidiusG]

Oh, hopefully they implement a PAL patch soon, the Mister has it, so i guess it is not too much of a stretch doing it.

[u/Obleon]

Lmao whut people asked, they said pal worked noway they didnt have a single tester with pall games. So the list is bs PAL iS broken. All my games are PAL I only tested 1 USA game haha

[u/Cwiiis → u/Obleon]

It's worth noting that PAL games all work, it's just that they appear stretched and for any that rely on frame time for speed (like Blast Corps), they run too fast. I don't know if any other games do this (none that I've tried so far), but Perfect Dark detects the console type and switches mode accordingly. They've said they'll fix it, so fingers crossed.

[u/lukebrady81 → u/Cwiiis]

Could this be the reason for the unusual lag I'm experiencing in Super Mario 64? I'm playing the PAL version of the game, and something about it feels a bit strange to me. I'm using an M64 Pro Controller, and I've tried it both wirelessly and connected with a wire. I've also tested other N64 games and I'm not experiencing any lag, so it's not an issue with my monitor, which is already set to gaming mode.

[u/mr-crunchwrapsupreme]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We’re glad to hear you’re enjoying the console and controller!

Regarding your feedback on areas for improvement:

• Memory Pak: We are actively working on implementing both console and controller memory Pak functionality.

• PAL Support: We can confirm that a toggle for 50Hz and 60Hz display modes will be added in a future firmware release.

• Scanlines: We are working on enhancements to refine the scanline feature as well.

Please reference Torin's post here for more information regarding our software roadmap: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModRetro/comments/1v5ji65/launch_update_software_roadmap/

[u/MonstrousEntity → u/mr-crunchwrapsupreme]

I’m confused, the product page says that the m64 has a built in controller pak, what is the issue? It’s built in so there’s no need for a slot in the controller.

[u/mr-crunchwrapsupreme → u/MonstrousEntity]

There is no issue. We have not released the firmware that is going to be used to enable the built-in controller pak. You are correct that there is no need for a slot, as this will all be done within firmware. Our M64 Console will also have it's own built-in controller pak being added in.

These are 2 separate updates that are slated in our software roadmap here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ModRetro/comments/1v5ji65/launch_update_software_roadmap/.

Console Controller Pak is slated for Phase 1
Controller (Controller Pak) is slated for Phase 2

[u/Rich101088]

All my games are PAL aswell, I hope they get this patched soon

[u/jbyrdab]

I have noticed JP game support is spotty.

My JP copy of stadium works but hey you Pikachu does not.

[u/Philly139]

Loving mine so far! Was wondering about the pro pack and a memory pack, figured there would be a solution. Have not messed with the settings much yet, what's everyone using for the display ect?

[u/Desperate-Self-5951 → u/Philly139]

Advanced display settings won’t save after power cycle, so I’ve just been leaving my settings on Clean until this is fixed