Analogue 3D | A Casual Gamer's Review

Twenty-odd years ago, me and my brother got caught playing a Christmas present early. Now the Analogue 3D has arrived on my doorstep — and it's everything we could have dreamt about back then.

An FPGA-Core Memory

My most vivid memory of the N64 is finding it a few weeks before Christmas, hidden in my parents’ bedroom. My brother and I couldn’t help ourselves — we loaded up Wrestlemania 2000 and played through a full game. Of course, we got caught. The cartridge was confiscated, and we were in a lot of trouble. Twenty-odd years later, the Analogue 3D has landed on my doorstep just a week before Christmas, and it feels like a kind of cosmic reckoning. This truly modern reconstruction of the N64 is the sort of thing me and my brother could only have dreamt about back then.

Earlier this year, while helping my mum clear out my brother’s old bedroom, I discovered that our original N64 had been completely destroyed by water damage. Nobody’s quite sure how it happened, but it does underline why companies like Analogue exist — and why technologies like FPGA matter for keeping these old systems alive.

The Analogue 3D is a Time Machine

The Analogue 3D is not simply a one-to-one rerendering of the original console. It’s 100% compatible with all original N64 cartridges regardless of region, works with your old controllers and accessories, and can output up to 4K 60fps. It also supports Bluetooth controllers and Wi-Fi. In person, it cuts a faithful but slightly sleeker figure than the N64 — which, looking at it now, has aged remarkably well in its own right.

The standard colourways are white and black, both of which look quietly elegant. I was lucky enough to pick up the gold version as part of a limited drop that came out in December. It’s a point of genuine contention among loyal Analogue fans, many of whom had been waiting nearly two years on pre-orders for the white or black versions, only to see a range of additional colourways announced days later. It does feel like a kick in the teeth to those who committed earliest. Analogue also places a fair amount of pressure on customers outside of the US — I paid £49 in customs duty to ship mine to the UK — so those tensions are understandable.

That said, I’m personally very happy with the gold. To my eyes it reads more as a rose gold than a traditional gold, and I think it looks absolutely stunning. My main concern is longevity — given how often you’ll be handling the console to swap cartridges, I do worry about it picking up scratches over time. Fingerprints seem to dissolve off the surface within a couple of seconds, which is at least a good sign.

Getting Set Up

Before you dive in, there is some initial tinkering to do. You’ll need to update the firmware via SD card and, if you’ve picked up the 8BitDo 64 controllers, update those too. The console also includes a couple of cartridge cleaners, which is a thoughtful touch — years of grime can build up on old cartridges, and you really do want to sort that before inserting anything into a shiny new system.

The Analogue 3D will automatically detect the output settings your display supports when you plug it in. If you’re on a monitor without 4K, the image may look quite small initially — that’s where the “integer plus” option comes in, using integer scaling to stretch the image without losing the original aspect ratio. You can play at 50 or 60Hz depending on your display.

One frustration worth flagging: every time you swap cartridges, the console reverts to default display settings, which means frequent trips into the menus if you’re cycling through games. Hopefully that’s something a firmware update addresses in time. I’d also love to see Bluetooth headphone support added down the line — the hardware has the chip for it, it’s just not enabled yet.

The Games Themselves

Nostalgia aside, the real appeal of these retro systems is that they hold genuinely great games — titles that were foundational to the future of game development. There’s something deeply satisfying about inserting a cartridge and simply being in the game, without online menus, force-fed multiplayer, or sprawling open worlds pulling your attention in a dozen directions.

Spending time with Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, it becomes obvious just how different the design philosophy was. Modern JRPGs and live-service games are built around dopamine loops that keep you grinding and engaged through systems rather than through the game itself. The N64 classics found their heart in creativity, problem solving, and sheer fun in a way that many modern titles could still learn from.

Analogue seem to have this spirit in mind when designing their operating systems. As with the Analogue Pocket, the 3DOS is deliberately minimal — it gets out of the way and puts you into the game as quickly as possible. At times it can be a touch confusing, but the overall intention is clear and welcome.

The 8BitDo 64 Controller

A big part of the playing experience comes down to the controller, and this is where the Analogue 3D makes its most significant departure from the original hardware. Working in partnership with 8BitDo, Analogue have produced the 64 controller — a far more comfortable and ergonomic redesign that retains everything important about the original layout.

The six face buttons are in exactly the right positions, and the C buttons especially feel remarkably faithful to the originals. The joystick has moved to the upper left of the controller, above the D-pad — the contemporary standard — which feels much more natural for anyone used to modern systems, though your thumb may occasionally search for a second joystick that isn’t there. The gate on the joystick is octagonal, which is important for certain games and a thoughtful detail. You also get Z1 and Z2 shoulder buttons, which means the controller translates well to other platforms — there’s even a dedicated Switch mode for playing the N64 library via Nintendo Online.

My favourite feature, though, is the rumble. Switching into rumble pack mode, the feedback feels genuinely tactile and weighty for such a light controller — I was very impressed.

Final Thoughts

All in all, the Analogue 3D brings back the N64 in faithful and stunning style. It moves the technology forward in exactly the ways you’d want — 4K output, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi — while remaining true to the original console’s design and spirit. If you already own controllers and a collection of cartridges, the outlay isn’t as steep as it might seem. I paid $299 for the gold limited edition and picked up a couple of extra controllers at around $40 each. The £49 customs duty stings if you’re in the UK, but compared to paying upwards of £150 for a secondhand N64 from somewhere like CEX, it starts to make a lot of sense.

Most of my old collection is still at my parents’ house, so I’m looking forward to reclaiming it over Christmas and having the rather delicate conversation with my brother about which games actually belong to whom. For now, Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time are keeping me more than happy. I’m looking forward to building the library out through 2026, and eventually introducing my son to these games when he’s old enough to be trusted with it in front of the TV downstairs.

My recommendation: If you grew up with the N64 and want the definitive modern way to play your cartridges, the Analogue 3D is an easy recommendation. Just budget for customs if you’re outside the US.