Although Hack A Day is no stranger to console conversions, this portable N64 build is worthy of note. The article itself is in Spanish, but for those that don’t speak the language, the steps and components necessary are well documented in pictures. There’s even a video of the finished product after the break.
What is especially interesting about this project is the professional looking build quality of the finished product. One might think it’s a custom injection molding job or possibly 3D printed, but everything is done with only glue, filler, and paint. A controller and console is hacked up to provide the raw materials for this build. An expansion pack is even attached to this console for good measure.
Power is provided by a 6800mA battery, and the console features a generous 7 inch display. A good wiring schematic is also provided in this article, so maybe it will inspire other quality console hacking in the future.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhNVcomBsog&w=470&h=349%5D
Additionally, here’s another N64 portable console hack if one isn’t enough.
This is one of the coolest hacks I have seen. Does it have rumble though? And is it just me or does the sound seem really jumpy in the beginning of the first game?
Really nice hack. I wonder what are the weight and battery life of this portable N64 though..
If i saw that in a shop. i would buy it. So fast.
^^never mind I see one his page that it has two built in 2 vibration motors.
While that is sweet, why did he go with a wide screen? Way to ruin the aspect ratio of every game you play.
This is a fantastic build! It’s so clean and professional looking. I would love to be able to do something of this caliber.
One of the best portable builds ive seen.
I’m very impressed with the way he created the enclosure.
+1 for having golden eye on it.
that enclosure is a BEAST!
definitely one of, if not, the best portable N64’s I’ve ever seen
Golden eye on n64 is of course one of the best gaming experiences, EVER.
It’s been done a thousand times before but its always nice to see something come out looking so professional. It’s actually reasonably slim compared to others.
“Power is provided by a battery” – Oh yeah? :x
This is definitely the sexiest enclosure I’ve seen on a portable N64. Nice.
Its a Game boy Super Advanced!
I bet Nintendo could fab up a portable n64 very cheaply (given how cheaply its rumoured the 3ds fab costs are) – with rereleased games at a price point of £3-£5 they could make a fortune out of an “old” platform…
@Chris
But there is so much more money in the “updates” of those classic games. Update the graphics a bit and you have “Goldeneye HD” or “Zelda: OoT HD”. Then you sell it for 5 times what your talking (£15 – £25 [$25 – $40]) and make a BUNCH more. Oh and its all games-via-download so no secondary used market either.
Does anybody besides me feel that thing is REALLY wide? I think it would be a bit of a change from controllers were used to.
Side note: Jeremy, please move the video to after the break :)
I use a flash blocker and just enable those flash components I want to see. For those that don’t, too many flash videos on the homepage could rape them. So I’ve always appreciated the videos being placed after the break.
I want 30. Seriously, I love stuff like this, keep it up.
The case is really stunning… I am thoroughly impressed!
Pretty neat, but there weren’t any widescreen N64 games. This will just make everything look stretched out.
What’s crazy about all these portable gaming mods is how much of the original hardware they always use. I mean, what, they add a modern screen and battery, and that’s about it. Surely Nintendo could have been making these themselves not _too_ long after the original N64 was released?
What a shame, Why didn’t he Re-Use the Original Console’s Power Slide Button.? That may be the ONLY thing that doesn’t “fit” on this Magical Bondo N64 Nomad Hybrid, What an amazing job otherwise.!
This is exactly what I have been planning on doing for over a Year now. I have a similar 7″ widescreen and the aspect ratio change really doesn’t affect the final image AT ALL! These screens have a common* resolution of 480×234 you can get higher res. but the price is way up there. (I got mine for $20 on sale)
This is a real inspiration, I’ve been holding back on tackling my own project for far too long. His technique, and photo journal deserve much Kudos.
It blows my mind how cutting and glueing pieces of plastic together looks absolutely rubbish, filling in gaps with glue still looks crap, but once it’s sanded and painted it looks amazing!
Proper hack he’s got here. I’m not enough of a N64 fan to want one, but I do recognise it’s a fantastic piece of work, so thumbs and toes up.
@Stevie – thanks, missed that one!
@All, thx for the good comments!
Really clean and super cool!
Just remember to use mask and a well ventilated area when grinding and using epoxy putty.
@Cricri
I was thinking the same thing, but when you look at the finished thing I was like, “HOLY SHIT! NO WAY!”
My guess of the wide screen is because there’s more widescreen tft-lcds then 4:3 ones out there, so probably a cost thing.
These hacks are always so cool. It saddens me that no one ever commercializes the process, at least in the small time. Send $ + console and they’ll do the hacking.
Probably too much work I suppose.
Great project. Great build. Best game EVAR.
A really nice case. I’m impressed with the skills to make such a neat case
Very nice. The only issues I see are the aspect ratio and the controls…half the challenge of n64 games was working the controller…this ruins the feel by offering better controls, just like an emulator.
I wish I had the patience to make one of these, I’d love to have one heh.
Cool, ++, awesome, great.
Nice looking portable n64. On the video he used the best game on the n64 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time so i aprove
Clearly this video was shot in a massage parlor. Seriously, he should have cut off the cheesy music while showing us the games — I bet the thing has fine audio quality, but you can’t tell at all from this video.
+1 for a great hack, wish I could put out cases of this quality — then I wouldn’t be hankering for a 3D printer so badly!
It is so beautiful… Amazingly brilliant. Far better than a DSi XL, Wii U controller, PSP, all of them. How is the battery life? Well done!
were can we get one as i want to get one for someone :)