The Analogue Pocket maker's new retro console lets you play N64 carts in glorious 4K

Analogue 3D console in black surrounded by the 8BitDo 64 Bluetooth controller and a variety of N64 cartridges — (Image credit: Analogue)

In an age where console generations are separated by frame rates and iterative rendering advancements, it's hard to overstate how dramatic the leap from Super Nintendo to Nintendo 64 felt back in 1996 — going from 2D side-scrollers to 3D open worlds was truly mind-blowing, to say the least.

Well, you'll soon get a chance to relive gaming's 64-bit glory days (or experience them for the first time) thanks to the highly anticipated Analogue 3D retro console, which was fully revealed today after being announced at the start of the year.

Analogue 3D console in white with white 8BitDo 64 Controller — (Image credit: Analogue)

Described as a "reimagining of the N64", the Analogue 3D can upscale Nintendo 64 games to 4K resolution via HDMI — or "10x the resolution of the original N64", as explained on the Analogue website.

And because it's been engineered completely on an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) integrated circuit, the Analogue 3D will play your N64 cartridges natively without any emulation. As explained by Analogue, that means "no more incompatibilities found in software emulation like input lag, graphic/audio inaccuracies, timing/frame rate issues and more."

Of course, the original N64's polygon rendering relied on CRT television technology to make its textures and shading more convincing. To recreate this feeling, the Analogue 3D offers 'Original Display Modes' which are said to be "virtually indistinguishable recreations of CRT displays," only output at 4K.

The Analogue 3D offers four original-style controller ports, along with Bluetooth LE support for wireless controllers, and dual-band Wi-Fi capability.

8BitDo 64 Controller product shot in Black color variant — (Image credit: Analogue / 8BitDo)

Speaking of controllers, Analogue has collaborated with renowned third-party peripheral manufacturer 8BitDo on a new 8BitDo 64 Controller — a Bluetooth gamepad which recreates the classic D-Pad, C-buttons, A/B buttons and joystick in the exact same size and layout as the original N64 controller.

The 8BitDo 64 Controller has been modernised in two ways, though: it offers a Hall-effect joystick, meaning no possibility of stick drift, and the controller's grips are two-pronged instead of three, with the joystick now situated on the upper left side of the controller, similar to the official Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.

Priced at $249.99 (around £192 / AU$374), the Analogue 3D will be up for pre-order exclusively from the Analogue store from 8AM on Monday, October 21 (PDT) with a release window of Q1 2025. The console will be available in Black and White color variants.

Judging by the popularity of its Analogue Pocket handheld, which was very hard to get for years after release, you'll have to act fast if you want to secure the Analogue 3D console for yourself.

*Blowing into cartridges is not recommended, as the moisture can cause the cartridge's contact pins to corrode.

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Stephen Lambrechts is the Managing Editor of Tom's Guide AU and has written professionally across the categories of tech, film, television and gaming for the last 15 years. Before Tom's Guide, he spent several years as a Senior Journalist at TechRadar, had a brief stint as Editor in Chief at Official Xbox Magazine Australia, and has written for such publications as APC, TechLife Australia, T3, FilmInk, AskMen, Daily Telegraph and IGN. He's an expert when it comes to smartphones, TVs, gaming and streaming. In his spare time, he enjoys watching obscure horror movies on physical media, keeping an eye on the latest retro sneaker releases and listening to vinyl. Occasionally, he also indulges in other non-hipster stuff, like hiking.