ModRetro M64 vs Analogue 3D: Which FPGA N64 Should You Buy?

For almost a year the Analogue 3D was the only FPGA Nintendo 64 you could buy. That ended on 28 July 2026, when the ModRetro M64 shipped at $229.99.

Both consoles do the same core job. They take your original N64 cartridges, run them on a reconfigured FPGA rather than a software emulator, and send the result to a modern television over HDMI. Both are region free. Neither supports openFPGA. The differences are about polish, price, and philosophy.

For background on why FPGA beats emulation on this particular console, read our FPGA vs emulation explainer.

Quick Verdict

Display Quality

This is the clearest gap between them, and it is the reason a lot of people will stop reading here.

The Analogue 3D's Original Display Modes are careful recreations of specific CRT and PVM screens. They model how a tube actually treated an N64 signal, not just a scanline pattern laid over a sharp image. N64 games were designed around that softening, so this is not nostalgia for its own sake. It genuinely makes a lot of games look the way their artists intended.

The M64 offers CRT filters and scanline effects in software. They are fine. They are not in the same class.

The M64 does have one thing the 3D lacks. A separate CRT adapter accessory gives you real composite, component, S-Video, and RGB output, so you can drive an actual tube. That is a niche need, but if you own a CRT, only one of these consoles can feed it.

Winner: Analogue 3D, decisively, for anyone playing on a modern panel.

Video Output

Both hit 4K over HDMI. The Analogue 3D goes further with HDMI 2.1, HDR, and variable refresh rate. The M64 covers 720p, 1080p, 1440p, and 4K at 60fps without the HDR and VRR extras.

In practice, HDR on N64 content is close to meaningless, and VRR matters less when the source material targets a fixed frame rate. This is a spec sheet win more than a real one.

Winner: Analogue 3D on paper. Call it a tie in use.

Openness and Updates

Now the M64 pulls ahead.

ModRetro publishes the M64's firmware and calls the hardware mod friendly. Updates arrive wirelessly, and the pace has been fast. Firmware 1.24.3 and 0.12.0 both landed by 14 August, roughly two weeks after launch. ModRetro's roadmap names HDMI passthrough and a Transfer Pak for Chromatic owners as things still coming.

Read that honestly and it cuts both ways. Rapid updates mean the company is actively improving compatibility. They also mean the M64 shipped with rough edges that the 3D, nine months into its life, has already worked through.

The Analogue 3D is a closed product. You take it as Analogue built it. It is very good as built, but you do not get to study it, extend it, or fix it.

Winner: ModRetro M64 on openness. Buyers who want a finished product may prefer the 3D's stability.

The openFPGA Question

Neither console supports it. The Analogue Pocket does, and that community core scene turned the Pocket into a platform rather than a Game Boy. Analogue said openFPGA support on the 3D would have pushed the price well past $249.99.

If you were hoping either of these would grow into a multi system machine, neither will.

Winner: Tie, and a disappointing one.

Cartridges and Accessories

Both are region free across NTSC and PAL, so imports work in either. Both build in Expansion Pak support, so Donkey Kong 64 and Perfect Dark run without hunting down a thirty year old add on. Both have four controller ports that accept original N64 pads.

The M64 is a little more explicit about modern controller compatibility, listing Hyperkin Captain pads, Retro Fighters controllers, 8BitDo 64 controllers, and Switch NSO pads with an accessory.

Winner: Tie.

Price, Honestly

The sticker gap is $20. The real gap is smaller than that, and it might run the other way.

Neither console includes a controller. The M64 also ships without an HDMI cable, and its own M64 Pro Controller is $89.99. A buyer starting from nothing pays roughly $320 for an M64 setup. The 3D needs a controller too, so it is not exactly $249.99 either.

If you already own N64 controllers, the M64 saves you $20 and the early bird price saved $50. If you are buying everything fresh, the two land close enough that price should not decide it.

Winner: ModRetro M64, but only if you already have controllers.

The Final Call

Choose the ModRetro M64 if:

• You want the lower price and already own compatible controllers
• Open source firmware and a repairable, moddable design matter to you
• You like that the maker is still actively shipping improvements
• You own a CRT and want real analog output through the adapter accessory

Choose the Analogue 3D if:

• You want the best possible picture, and the CRT and PVM modes are worth $20 to you
• You want a proven product with nine months of shipping history behind it
• You prefer a finished console over one still filling in its roadmap
• HDMI 2.1 with HDR and VRR matters for your setup

For most buyers we would still point at the Analogue 3D. The Original Display Modes are not a marketing bullet, they are the single best feature in this category, and $20 is not much to pay for them.

The M64 is the better buy for a specific person. If you already have controllers, you value open source hardware, and you like the idea of a console that keeps improving, it is genuinely the more interesting machine. Just price it with the controller included before you decide it is the cheap one.

Both consoles are sold direct, the M64 through ModRetro and the 3D through Analogue. Neither of those is an affiliate link.

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