Hot on the heels of the incredible ModRetro Chromatic, the Game Boy to end all Game Boys, ModRetro look to be turning their thoughts to another influential Nintendo icon and going toe-to-toe with Analogue at the same time. Still, with a name like the 'M64', I feel like ModRetro could win this battle hands down.
It's no secret that Palmer Luckey loves Nintendo consoles. When we spoke to him back on the Retro Dodo Podcast back in September 2024, he mentioned his love of the N64 and how back in the early 2000s, he and some of his friends worked on a Portable N64 handheld. So, I put it to you, readers - is the 'red pill, blue pill' picture above for two different logos for a modern N64 console, or are we about to see an Evercade-style console & handheld release with a modern 4K ModRetro version of the N64 AND an accompanying handheld too?
As many of you know, the Analogue 3D is set to begin shipping this month. They announced their N64 project back in October 2023 and made it available for pre-order exactly a year later. As with most of Analogue's products, however, the 3D has already sold out in both colours, so ModRetro timing their announcement for people who couldn't get hold of an Analogue 3D is very clever in my opinion. You could also say that the timing means that they're competing with Analogue even more now, but if the quality of the Chromatic is anything to go by, I think we're going to have a very good fight on our hands.
Did you ever think that you would be living in a world where two companies would be going toe-to-toe to bring a console that was discontinued in 2002 back into the public eye? The N64 might have only sold 32+ million units (I say only compared to consoles like the PS1 at a 102+ million units), but its legacy is one that lives on and is still as important and influential today as it was back when it launched in 1996.
"This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back.
— Palmer Luckey (@PalmerLuckey) March 18, 2025
You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes."@modretro pic.twitter.com/fktoC96HvB
Other than the image from X poster by Palmer, we have no other information as of yet. Still, when the time comes, we'll have all of the specs for you to match up with the speculation! For now though, it's already safe to say that 2025 is going to be a great year for Retro, especially since a GameCube controller design has leaked for the Nintendo Switch 2 - Sonic Adventure 2 Battle on the Switch 2, anyone?
