Description
Info on HW2 features and installation will be added as the maker or I get official write ups completed.
Want to play your Nintendo 64 with bit-perfect video and audio, on your modern flatscreen? This is for you!
The kit goes inside your N64 and connects directly to the RCP, capturing video as digital RGB, optionally adding processing like scanlines and crop/fill, producing up to 1080p HDMI output.
The quality blows away the older composite and RF connections. It really makes a huge difference on LCD and OLED TVs!
The Features:
UltraHDMI is designed to connect to modern TVs and monitors. It generates several different resolutions, and like all the other options, can be configured with the on-screen menu.
- 480p60, 576p50
- 720p60, 50
- 1080p60, 50
- Audio: 48KHz, 16bit digital PCM
All the settings are configurable with an on-screen menu overlay that can be accessed during a game with a button combo.
Every aspect of operation is fully configurable. Just want to play games? It works fine from the get go. Power users can tweak every setting to their liking.
Optionally, it can apply a set of retro filters to make it “feel” more like a tube TV: scanline bleed, nonlinear brightness curve, HV anode sag…
You can turn off all the processing for a zero-delay signal with less than 100 nanoseconds of lag. Otherwise, latency averages 1 frame (16ms).
Works with ALL retail versions of the N64!
Marshall’s main website info page.
Marshall’s quick start guide, link.
Final Details:
UltraHDMI cannot add more detail or resolution than the N64 already generates. It can’t fix blurry textures, or add polygon detail.
What you will get is a pixel perfect image of what the game produces, before it got smeared into analog TV goo.
Installation not included, but here is a list of kit installers I trust to do a great job for you!
It’s a difficult install, watch this video and judge for yourself:
If you do want to try the install on your own here is the ultrahdmi n64 installation guide.
Warranty:
Each kit is fully tested, so we can guarantee it worked fine when shipped.
Unfortunately we are only hobbyist, not wal-mart, so we cannot warranty the kit unless it has been installed by one of the approved installers listed above.
We can’t control things like ESD and bad soldering skills.
We can do repair work, just not for free.
Richard –
With the UltraHDMI, it’s all about clarity. I am dumbfounded by how clear it can make the edges of the pixels! It’s a thing of beauty! Now, sadly, there’s no HiDef NES like upscaller, so you don’t get interpolated NEW pixel data, but what you do get is the cleanest, most crisp, grease cleaned off the TV screen version of the N64 you ever saw! Instead of detail upscaling, what you instead get with he Ultra HDMI mod is the option to go ultra crisp, or to emulate the CRT look on an LCD. It does a surprising job at that. Everything from scanlines to screen bloom are simulated. For me, my preference is crisp and clean, so I shut those features off, but for those who prefer it, they are some of the best done to date!
I’m honestly amazed this is even possible!
Other things to note: Make sure you have a Mini-HDMI to HDMI cable for this. I find the choice of Mini-HDMI to be odd, as so few devices actually use that standard. I personally could not see why there was not room for a full size HDMI socket on the board, and it’s the only thing I didn’t care for. I think the choice might possibly have been made so that only one half of the plastic shell would need to be cut, but it’s possible it might have interfered with the multi-out…I don’t know. The thing to remember, is you’ll want to order a MINI-HDMI cable separately (I got mine from Amazon). I don’t recommend a Mini-HDMI to HDMI adapter, simply because having the mass of an adapter sticking out behind the N64, plus a full side HDMI cable hanging off the end of that is probably going to be a lot of stress on the mini-HDMI socket… Just get a proper Mini-HDMI to HDMI cable. That way, you won’t have so much mass hanging off the end of the socket.I had no problem with fit either. I was able to trim the case to perfectly hug the connector. That’s important to help keep it snug and stable with a cable plugged into it. I just used an x-acto knife to carefully trim out the opening. A file can be used for fine finishing.
In terms of the installation, I recommend this primarily for people who are experienced with soldering, have good quality soldering equipment, or have an installer in mind to do the installation for you. I installed it myself, and had no problems doing so. I have 38 year old eyes, and I was able to do the install *almost* without a microscope. I did the entire soldering job by hand, with no magnification. I only examined it under a microscope once I was finished. I found a single solder bridge that I did not catch with my naked eye. I honestly think a magnifying glass would have worked just as well… Heck, my phone’s camera was able to catch the single solder bridge (I took some photos of the process). Honestly though, I have an electronics workbench with a stereoscopic microscope, just for part examination, so of course that’s what I used. (Gotta justify the cost of buying it! LOL
My opinion is if you have solid experience hand soldering surface mount components, and feel confidently proficient in doing so, then you likely have the necessary skills to install this. If you are unsure of your skill level, but do solder frequently, I’d consider buying cheap ebay “SMD learn to solder kit” or two to practice with and/or gauge your skill level. If you are still uncertain (or maybe you’re absolutely uncertain đŸ™‚ then definitely look into hiring an installer. There are a few installers that can perform the installation for you.
Jose Arzaga (verified owner) –
The quality of this mod is great. It’s a difficult mod but Jason made a video, and it made it easier. I got my working! I would recommend using as little solder as possible. Game-tech.us is the best.
danielharrison14580 (verified owner) –
This is by far the best hdmi mod on the market for the n64 it gives the n64 a new life being able to play it on modern televisions. I love the added feature of the in game reset which is achieved with a simple button combo it works wonders with my n64 everdrive. This mod is definitaly worth the wait and it’s certainly worth having it installed by good console modder a massive thank to David at old skool consoles here in the UK for the fitting of mine and a massive thank you to game tech .us for making this mod available to us all I know I will be having hours of fun on my n64 all over again.
julianlb (verified owner) –
This is a first rate addition to the N64 console, the quality of the output from it to modern HD TV’s is superb, I can now play all my old N64 games on my modern TV without issue. The output is clear, bright and not at all smeary and its compatible with every Cart I have thrown at it so far. David at Old School consoles did a really tidy job of fitting this for me at a very fair price in the UK. I can’t recommend this product and David for fitting in the UK highly enough.
Manuel Charisius (verified owner) –
The kit shipped in a sturdy cardboard box and was very well packed. Installation back in November went smooth, feel free to watch my install video here: https://youtu.be/QOKtQZWUunY (Warning: German audio track ^^)
The mod itself is definitely not recommended for beginners, but it’s not super-hard either – especially because the installation guide provides you with every little detail you may not have even thought of. I did all of the soldering with my naked eye, and used a strong magnifying glass to check for possible solder bridges. Cutting and filing down the case for the mini HDMI connector was/is actually the hardest part IMHO, because if you go even half a millimeter too far on one side (as I did), then you’re out of luck. There’s no Undo button to save the day, in this case. đŸ˜‰
Picture quality of the kit is absolutely mind-blowing. In fact, it wasn’t until I played Super Mario 64 in HD for the first time that I noticed flickering pixels in the game’s logo on the background of the very first screen (Mario’s head), which can also be observed on unmodified consoles but are more or less obscured by the blurry composite video output. Fascinating stuff! đŸ˜€
Also, with both analog video and HDMI output, there is no perceivable input lag, and (even better) absolutely zero delay between power-on and the actual start of the game (unlike the HiDef-NES, with its annoying grey screen even when using analog video, and random blackouts during gameplay).
The only minor complaint I have with the UltraHDMI kit is that its on-screen menu isn’t really intuitive, nor self-explanatory. Yes, there are one-sentence hints on what (at least) some features do, but in order to really understand what’s going on (and why), you definitely have to RTFM. đŸ˜‰
Conclusion: Excellent product, perfect in almost every way (except for the on-screen menu), and worth every penny you spend on it. Five stars! Shame though that it seems to be rather elusive, as it’s not available at the very time of this review … Work on it, Marshal(l)! ^^