The N64’s AV Out port is the same as the one found on the SNES and the GameCube. We’ll definitely keep this in mind for future products. At the time of development, we did not initially consider the addition of scanlines, but we’ve heard some users asking for such a feature. We’re glad you like the simplicity of the Super 64’s design! When developing this device we wanted to make it as seamless and simple for users as possible, which influenced the design and features. Was there ever any idea of adding to its functionality with scanline options, etc? Well you hit the nail on the head! One of the biggest challenges when testing PAL consoles was first sourcing games and consoles in the US (these are very hard to come by) and then when comparing games back to back, to ensure that brightness and color settings matched up, the 50hz gameplay of PAL was a bit of a struggle.Īs a plug-and-play solution, the Super 64 is user-friendly and simple to use. This is why if you use an NTSC Super 64 on a PAL system it will either not carry a video signal at all, or it will look very off.ĭid you run into any particular tech challenges while developing the PAL variant? We imagine testing it with unoptimized PAL games was a little tortuous if you’re used to full-speed NTSC! Put simply, there are different specifications for a PAL system’s use of S-video that requires a different way of handling power, brightness, and color. The differences between NTSC and PAL N64’s are pretty deep, but mainly the way they handle S-video is what we needed to focus on. Looking at the NTSC and PAL versions of the Super 64, can you explain a little about the differences? Why were two variants necessary and how do the onscreen results compare? We began developing the Super 64 shortly after production began for the GCHD MK-II, and after completing the NTSC Super 64 we immediately began R&D on the PAL Super 64. When did you begin developing the Super 64? Additionally, that converted image will end up looking smudgy, as there are important details and color lost in the analog to digital conversion that the TV is doing. This process takes time and results in pretty obvious and annoying input lag, meaning your button presses will not match up with what you see on screen.
Typically if you plug your console into an HDTV using composite cables, the TV has to convert the analog image into digital and then redraw every pixel back onto the screen to display the image. This literally doubles the inherent resolution of the console and does so totally laglessly to ensure that your games feel perfect when playing on a modern TV. Justin Scerbo, Co-founder of EON Gaming: Absolutely! The Super 64 is taking the S-Video signal from the N64 and then line-doubling the image up from 240p to 480p. Nintendo Life: First up, can you give us a basic insight into what exactly EON Super 64 is doing with the S-video signal coming out of our N64? Why does it look so much better than running a bog-standard composite signal into your TV (assuming you’ve got a TV that still has that legacy connection, of course!)?
Shots using a composite cable were captured using a generic Scart-to-HDMI upscaler (720p). All images below are unaltered 16:9 screen captures: remember, your television will display this 'stretched' image at the correct 4:3 aspect ratio. Note: You'll find a bunch of comparison images throughout the article, plus a gallery at the end.
We caught up with Justin Scerbo, co-founder of EON Gaming, to find out what this little box of tricks is actually doing. We're pleased to report that the PAL Super 64 is every bit as successful as its NTSC brethren in offering a simple and effective solution for getting the best image from a stock N64 over HDMI. For many people, ignorance is still bliss - it's certainly a lot cheaper than importing.
And you know what? The slow, borked PAL version of Wave Race 64 was still amazing to play back in 1997 if you didn't know any better.