ModRetro M64 Hands-On Review: This FPGA Beast Is Not Playing Around
I've been sitting on this excitement since October. That's when I first got my hands on a ModRetro M64 at an event, and I walked away already knowing I was going to need one of my own. Well, it's here. It's released. It's in people's hands. And I'm here to tell you if it's worth your time and worth the hype.
Spoiler: it is. But let's break down why.
ModRetro M64 Console Unboxing and Review
Why FPGA Changes Everything
If you've followed my ModRetro Chromatic review, you already know why I'm such a big fan of what this company is doing. It comes down to one word: FPGA.
This isn't emulation. This isn't software running ROMs and hoping for the best. FPGA hardware is hardware-coded — if you could ask the M64 "hey, what are you?" it would tell you, flat out, "I'm a Nintendo 64." Not pretending to be one. Not simulating one in software. It thinks it's a Nintendo 64 because at the hardware level, it is one. That's the whole retro renaissance in a nutshell, and I am fully, unapologetically here for it.
Unboxing: This Thing Is Built Like a Tank
First impression pulling the M64 out of the box: this thing is sturdy. I grabbed it, bent it, tried to mess with it a little and I'm not exactly known for being gentle with hardware. It didn't budge. Turns out that's by design. ModRetro avoided electrolytic capacitors and skipped the battery on the motherboard entirely, so there's nothing in there that degrades, leaks, or bursts over time. The circuit board traces are gold-plated and fully visible, nothing hidden, because this is completely open-source hardware.
A few details that stood out right away:
HDMI out at full 4K, with downscaling built in (I've Frankenstein-rigged my own downconverters for other consoles before, having it native here is a win)
A diagnostic LED that reads your cartridges. Pop in a bad cart and it flashes red instead of leaving you staring at a black screen wondering what went wrong
Gold-plated connectors throughout, meaning corrosion is basically off the table for the life of the console
One-tool teardown. Nothing is glued. If you've got the Chromatic mod kit tool already, it works here too
That last point matters more than people realize. I take a lot of hardware apart, and glued components are one of my biggest pet peeves, I end up cracking things I didn't mean to crack. ModRetro clearly built this with the modding community in mind, and there's a parts store reportedly coming so you can fully customize the thing down the road.
ModRetro M64 Pro Controller Unboxing and Review
The Pro Controller: You Don't Get It Until You Hold It
ModRetro also built their own Pro Controller for the M64, and you really don't appreciate what they did here until you put it side by side with an original N64 controller. They 3D-scanned an actual N64 controller to nail the geometry, then rebuilt it in aluminum with a ceramic coating on the back. It feels outstanding in hand.
A few things I noticed immediately:
The Z button is redesigned to ride on linear rails instead of the original pivot design, which means no more of that rocking, inconsistent-pressure feeling the OG Z button had. It's a small fix that makes a big difference.
PBT crystalline polymer buttons instead of the original ABS plastic, sitting over a smooth silicone membrane underneath — noticeably better feel.
Recessed L and R buttons give your fingers a resting spot instead of making you actively hold position.
Four swappable spring tension levels on the joystick, plus multiple joystick gates — the original squashed octagon gate, a smoother equidistant octagon, and a fully circular gate. Depending on what you're playing, you might genuinely want a different gate. Something like Pilot Wings might call for that smooth, rounded feel, while a fighting game benefits from more defined stops.
The rumble. This is the one I was most curious about, and it did not disappoint. ModRetro built in an eccentric rotating motor at the base of the controller to replicate that classic Rumble Pak feeling — the kind that used to hang off the bottom of your OG N64 controller — and it's genuinely beefy. There's a specific feeling to N64 haptics that's hard to replicate, and they got it.
And yes, I did the very scientific test: this controller's included cable is roughly twice the length of the original N64 controller cable. I know because I laid them end to end and got tangled up doing it. Worth it for science.
ModRetro M64 System Interface Review
Firing It Up: The Interface and the Games
Once you're past the unboxing, the actual system interface is refreshingly simple. There are a ton of screen filter options if you want to get deep into CRT overlays and experimental settings, I'm saving that rabbit hole for another day, but out of the box, it's clean and straightforward. You can connect via Wi-Fi to update the system, which is a genuinely unique feature for a device like this.
I loaded up a rotation of the games my crew used to play growing up:
WWF No Mercy — booted fast, audio and everything working perfectly right out the gate
Mario Kart 64 — an absolute must, and it played flawlessly
Majora's Mask — because you can't skip a Zelda test
GoldenEye — because it's legally required when you own an N64 device
Everything loaded fast, played smooth, and had zero hiccups. ModRetro also keeps a live compatibility list on their site for the full N64 library, Perfect Dark, for example, is currently marked yellow while they continue optimizing frame rate, which is honestly the kind of transparency I appreciate. They're not hiding the rough edges; they're telling you exactly where things stand and actively working on it.
One quick, personal note: some of these games still had save states loaded from my friend Jordan, who I lost a few weeks ago. I'm not touching those. Getting to boot this console up and see that little piece of him still there meant more than I expected it to. My next step is to find the best way to offload save data from cartridges to another location so I can save them before bit rot sets in or the cartridge goes bad.
ModRetro M64 Review
What Palmer Luckey says about the Engineering
ModRetro founder Palmer Luckey put out a deep-dive walking through the M64's engineering, and it fills in exactly why this thing feels the way it does. A few standout details worth knowing before you buy:
Bluetooth 6.2 with SCI (Shorter Connection Interval). The M64 controller is reportedly the first device in the world to support it, bringing wireless latency down to roughly 0.375 milliseconds, about 20 times faster than older Bluetooth standards. And critically, that latency stays low even with four controllers connected at once, which matters a lot for a console where most of the best games are built around multiplayer.
Three ways to power the controller: AA batteries, a rechargeable pack, or fully wired. Luckey made a real case for AA power specifically because it doesn't turn into e-waste, pop fresh batteries in decades from now and it still works.
The cartridge eject button isn't just a nice-to-have. The original N64 cartridge connector took a beating from uneven pressure over years of use, sometimes ripping pins or cracking solder joints. The M64's eject mechanism raises two geared levers that pull the cartridge straight off the connector evenly, protecting the board long-term.
New cartridges built to actually last. Same philosophy as the console itself, no electrolytic capacitors, no batteries, gold-plated connectors, aimed at cartridges that survive decades instead of the cheap flash carts a lot of indie N64 releases have been shipping on.
The joystick gates aren't just cosmetic. Luckey explained that the original N64's "squashed octagon" gate wasn't actually a deliberate design choice, but a side effect of the rack-and-pinion optical encoder system. The equidistant octagon gate included with the M64 is closer to what he says Nintendo actually wanted, and the circular gate maximizes travel in every direction for games where a biased stick isn't ideal.
If you're the type of person who wants to know why hardware feels good and not just that it feels good, his full breakdown is worth watching.
Final Verdict
I've said it before with the Chromatic and I'll say it again here: ModRetro is doing something different in the retro hardware space. This isn't a company slapping a Nintendo 64 emulator into a plastic shell and calling it a day. This is heirloom-grade hardware — built to be taken apart, modded, repaired, and handed down, with an engineering team that clearly obsesses over details most people will never notice.
The M64 nails the feel of the original console and controller while quietly fixing basically every long-term durability complaint N64 owners have had for almost 30 years. If you grew up on this console the way I did, this is the version of it you actually want in your hands.
Big fan. Full stop. Too strong to be wrong on this one.
FAQ
Is the ModRetro M64 an emulator? No. The M64 uses FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) hardware emulation, which means the hardware itself is configured to function as a Nintendo 64 rather than running software that interprets N64 code. It's a meaningful difference in both accuracy and feel compared to traditional software emulation.
Does the ModRetro M64 play original N64 cartridges? Yes, and it has original-style N64 controller ports as well, so it works with original N64 controllers, third-party controllers, or ModRetro's own wired/wireless controller.
What resolution does the ModRetro M64 output? It outputs at full 4K over HDMI with downscaling support, and can also be connected to older CRT displays using ModRetro's AV adapter.
How long is the ModRetro M64 Pro Controller cable? The included cable is roughly twice the length of an original Nintendo 64 controller cable.
How does the ModRetro M64 Pro Controller charge? The controller can run on a removable rechargeable battery pack, standard AA batteries, or wired via the included cable — your choice depending on whether you prioritize convenience or long-term reliability. The ModRetro M64 Pro Controller can be charged via the ModRetro M64 rear USB-C Port.
Does the ModRetro M64 have rumble support? Yes. It uses an eccentric rotating mass motor built into the controller to replicate the "big rumble" feel of the original N64 Rumble Pak, rather than a modern linear resonant actuator.
Is the ModRetro M64 fully compatible with every N64 game? ModRetro maintains a live compatibility list on their website. Most titles run at full compatibility, with a small number of games (like Perfect Dark) marked as in-progress for ongoing optimization.