N64 support is coming to Polymega

Playmaji seeks to bring your retro gaming fantasies to life. Sure, relying on emulators is one way to go but catalogues are often lacking, consistent playability is up in the air, and the whole process of getting one up and running can be tedious. The larger names in the space have recently tried their hand at facilitating the retro gaming experience, like Nintendo with its Online Expansion Pack, but Nintendo 64 games simply do not run well on Switch. That’s where Playmaji’s Polymega console come into play, which has just recently announced it will be adding N64 support.

The Polymega is a modular gaming console that caters to cartridge and CD games from systems like the NES, SNES, Sega Saturn, and original PlaySation, among others. The base unit of the console has a disc drive, while cartridge games are accessed by purchasing individual modules for a given retro system.

As first reported by Nintendolife, users will soon be able to get their hands on the ultra module — This module offers the most robust N64 gaming experience on the market, and will be paired with a controller designed by Retro-Bit that pays homage to the original silhouette.

Authentic retro gaming— In an exclusive interview with Nintendolife, Bryan Bernel, the CEO of Playmaji expanded on the new module as well as the future of Polymega. When asked about how the Polymega experience will stack up against the relatively lackluster N64 emulation on Switch he had the following to say:

“Nintendo has the tools and resources to improve their emulation significantly over time, so I imagine any issues that are currently present at the launch of their service will improve with future updates ... But more directly to your question, I think Polymega will provide a more authentic experience for players because you simply can't have an authentic experience with just a handful of games on offer. N64 had nearly 400 games released for the platform across all regions. Even if Nintendo wanted to try to support every game on their service, it would be a very difficult undertaking and they probably wouldn't be able to secure the rights to every N64 game for the platform to release digitally.”

A lot more was covered in the chat, like the fact that the N64 module will be compatible with a minimum of 90% of the classic console’s games (a number that will improve over time), the potential of a digital storefront for Polymega, and the aforementioned third-party controller meant to ship out with the ultra module. I’d highly recommend giving it a read.