Analogue’s bold claims about its 3D console just hit a wall. Veteran Nintendo 64 developer Kaze Emanuar has put the FPGA-based device to the test and says it’s nowhere near cycle accurate, despite what the marketing says. The system runs slower, fails hardware checks, and misses some of the finer details that hardcore modders, speedrunners, and devs care about.
Analogue 3D performance lags original N64, says Kaze
In a video titled Analogue Lied, Emanuar presents side-by-side tests comparing the Analogue 3D to an actual Nintendo 64. His findings are hard to ignore:
- The CPU on the Analogue 3D runs about 6% slower
- The RSP (geometry processor) is 30% slower
- Games like Diddy Kong Racing run up to 4% slower
- System checks fail in areas where the original N64 passes
- Hidden hardware quirks like the 9th MB of RAM used in homebrew are missing
Emanuar summed it up bluntly: “This thing is nowhere near cycle accurate.”
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Analogue 3D remains usable for most gamers
Despite the headline, Emanuar isn’t calling for a boycott. In fact, he says the Analogue 3D is still the second-best way to play Nintendo 64 games without major technical headaches the first being a modded N64 with HDMI output. For average players, most cartridges will run without noticeable problems.
Still, for speedrunners or anyone developing homebrew, that extra CPU lag and missing RAM can break tools, mess with input timing, or render certain hacks unusable.
Analogue 3D faces pressure to fix issues via firmware
There’s some good news buried in the critique. Emanuar spoke directly with the FPGA engineer behind the core and was told that firmware updates could resolve many of the current issues. Timing fixes, RSP improvements, and deeper hardware emulation are all on the table.
But as of now, Analogue hasn’t said a word. The company has remained silent since the video dropped on December 14, leaving questions hanging.
Analogue 3D still beats Nintendo’s own emulator
Even with all the current flaws, there’s one thing most retro fans agree on: the Analogue 3D is still a better N64 experience than what’s offered on the Nintendo Switch Online emulator. That says a lot.
And for anyone tired of laggy Bluetooth controllers and low-res filters, the Analogue 3D’s clean video output and physical cartridge support still offer real value just not quite the cycle-perfect recreation some were promised.
The hardware’s strong. But the trust? That needs a firmware update too.
