If you grew up playing games in the 1990s, the Analogue 3D may be the retro console of your dreams.
This is a home console follow-up to the Analogue Pocket, which is almost certainly the greatest retro handheld ever made.
Stick an Analogue 3D in front of your TV and you can pretend it’s 1997 all over again, playing the Nintendo 64’s Mario 64 with not a care in the world. Just the thought of it is enough to make us go a bit misty-eyed.
Analogue’s kit sells out in seconds, so while you consider whether to pre-order or not on October 21, here’s what you need to know about the Analogue 3D.
1. It can play every N64 game
Most retro consoles rely on a memory card filled to the brim with ROMs, game files. The Analogue 3D is made to play actual N64 cartridges.
That classic satisfying thunk when you put a cartridge into a console slot? The Analogue 3D is all about that.
And despite using modern hardware, it will play N64 games just like an original console because it uses an FPGA. This means its hardware can act just like an old N64, without the need for software emulation.
Can it play ROMs too? Not officially. Previous Analogue devices have been hacked to allow the use of ROMs loaded on a memory card, though. And this thing does have an SD slot.
2. You can plug in your old N64 pads
Not only will an Analogue 3D take original cartridges, you can plug up to four old-school Nintendo 64 gamepads into the front ports.
Couch co-op could be returning to a home near yours very soon.
You don’t have to use classic pads, though. Analogue has teamed-up with retro accessory royalty 8BitDo to design a pad to match the Analogue 3D, the 8BitDo 64 Controller.
This is a classic Bluetooth wireless pad that looks a bit like the Nintendo Switch Pro controller. And that means it’s undoubtedly an ergonomic upgrade on the old three pronged N64 design.
The bad news: no pads are included. 8BitDo’s one costs $40 a pop.
3. It will bring back your 1990s CRT memories
Here’s the bit we want to try out most. Analogue claims its CRT screen filters will make playing on a modern OLED or LCD TV feel just like being hooked up to one of those 90s TVs that weighed about 700kg.
“The soft glow of phosphor and vibrant colors unite with immersive scanlines and shadow masks. This isn't just upscaling — it's an unprecedented transformation,” it says.
Some of the visual charm of older 3D games is lost when you amp them up to 4K, revealing all the limitations of the textures and models. But hopefully the Analogue 3D’s mix of 4K rendering and Original Display Modes will bring a best of both worlds flavour to those classic N64 titles.
Those modes include “CRT & PVM” and the Analogue 3D also supports variable refresh rate, a feature of more advanced TVs.
We’re also kinda hoping there’s a turbo mode option here. Many N64 games run absolutely horribly on original hardware. 15fps? Many eyes are just too picky to put up with that sort of pace these days.
4. You can pre-order, but it’s not out until 2025
Pre-orders for both the white and black Analogue 3D consoles begin on October 21 at 8AM PDT, 4PM UK time.
Think fast about whether you want to pre-order as Analogue kit tends to sell out extremely quickly. After all, these are boutique items, not made at the sort of scale Sony flings out PlayStation 5 consoles.
There’s no exact availability date yet, but Analogue says they should ship out in “Q1 2025.”
We can see this being one of Analogue’s most popular products ever. Hang about and, well, you may end up hanging about an awful long time waiting for stock. Its previous home consoles, like the Snes-a-like Super Nt and Mega Drive/Genesis Mega Sg have also gone off sale entirely.
5. You may end up paying more than you’d guess
The Analogue 3D costs $249. Our first thought was “that’s a good deal.”
You could easily spend more on one of RetroTINK’s upscale boxes, which don’t play anything, just fiddle with the video signal to make it look amazing.
However, you will end up paying more than $249 in total. First up, remember there are no pads included. You’ll need a suitable Bluetooth controller, or one of those classic Nintendo 64 pads from the 1990s.
The price does not include postage, which is pretty expensive. For UK buyers we expect it to clock in at $80, which is what you’ll pay to get a Analogue Duo shipped there.
You also need to add sales taxes and any applicable customs fees. With one controller you’re probably looking at costs upwards of $450, to buy one of these boxes in the UK. Do we still want one? Absolutely.
