Honestly I think he makes them look easy enough to attempt but saying this I'm self taught at soldering and I bought a Nixie tube clock to learn on with a cheap soldering kit....the only reason I haven't digitalised my OG Xbox or picked up a GameCube/Wii is that I'm unemployed at the moment and Microsoft love backwards compatibility to a point
It definitely takes a lot of skill, but if you're careful to double check every joint after soldering, you'll find that soldering is very forgiving with mistakes AS LONG AS you catch them before putting power to the circuit. I have to fix many "human mistakes" daily at my job and it's rare that one is so bad it ruins a part. As with anything the more practice you get, the better you become.
We're at a point where FPGAs are relatively cheap and the retro gaming market is larger than ever. Some of the chips these modders are using to somewhat improve the image quality are more powerful/advanced than the actual consoles themselves!
My N64 is one of the revisions that wasn't compatible with previous RGB options so this new mod is incredible news for me, especially the fact that it is no cut means I'm definitely getting it! Shame it's sold out at the moment, I hope they restock soon. Thanks for always bringing us the latest and greatest Tito ❤
This is awesome - the mod (of course), the instruction (obviously).. but also this guys presentation. It's extremely informative, very polished, but not over the top flashy and he definitely doesn't come off as one of those people that are all bouncy, and attention seeking once the camera starts rolling. And because of that it's very refreshing. Great job!
This guy is such a perfectionist, I love how near and organize & clean the work was done video quality and explained. 10/10 💯 would have love to see few more video comparisons of the composite vs. mod.
I am always struck by how simple your instructions are to follow... This channel deserves to reach millions of subscribers as soon as possible. Good job tito.
After I saw your video it convinced me to pick one up. I was very lucky to be one of the lucky ones who got the pre-order it today. Great video , thanks!
@@GuessWho-uc5uqYou didn’t see the sharper image, the lack of composite artefacts, and the deeper colour range? 2D art looks a lot sharper and less smudgey. There’s definitely an improvement over composite. If it’s worth $175 though is another story, while it is reasonable for what’s on offer, and competitive with alternatives, the composite picture really isn’t that bad and it’s a lot cheaper.
Awesome video. Some things I would add, that major reviewers tend to ignore and I don't know why (not referring to this content creator in particular, but MLiG, MJ and RetroRGB as well when discussing ultrahdmi). N64Digital currently matches the ultrahdmi in outputting a deblur-ed "pixel perfect" image. However, the key differentiating feature this is advertised to have over the ultrahdmi is advanced smoothing filters, which IS NOT included in the current firmware for some reason despite it saying available at launch on PixelFX roadmap. For those who prefer a smoothed image that looks like a natively higher resolution on original n64 hardware, Super64+mclassic is still tops. However, n64digital is the closest competitor so far, as outputting 480p, deblur off, and interpolation set to "softer" running into the mclassic looks really good (I prefer it to the default 1080p settings). I reached out to Dan, and he said they are currently working on an advanced XBR smoothing filter but the size of the FPGA is the holdup, if it cannot fit they will use HQ2X. Either is a HUGE deal and would arguably be the most important feature on the mod. I can't wait to try this with full 1080p and deblur on, getting a cleaner, smoothed image than the current alternatives. So far, Adam Koralik is the only one who seems to acknowledge the SUper64 + mClassic superiority over ultrahdmi for 3D imagery (sure some may prefer pixel perfect, but others prefer smoothed for this particular console due to the graphical flaws on n64 on modern TVs, it just wasn't designed for anything other than CRTs).
@@ruggie.74 Thanks for acknowledging my comment, Brandon! However, the XBR smoothing has since been added via firmware, and it is fantastic. Their implementation isn't QUITE as smooth as the other two methods I mentioned when it comes to color blending, but edges are more defined, so it is a trade off that will be worthwhile for most. There is no doubt that this mod is now worth it over the ultrahdmi, even if you currently own the hdmi
@@madk51385 really great info man. I run the n64 using s-video into a RT2X mini which I think has a nicer smoothing filter than the RT5X (ironically), and I feel like this may be the definitive way to play N64 on a modern display. Maximum quality and clarity while preserving smoothness and the colors seem more vibrant. Do you have any thoughts on this approach?
Eh, countless Nintendo Switch ports are evidence that an image being blurred over is really not a substitute for higher resolution (though in that case it's a side effect from scaling up an image well below native resolution to native resolution) - There's a huge difference between a crisp high resolution image provided by an emulator and some post-process anti-aliasing/blurring etc. added after everything has already been drawn.
I like the ability to be able to use both HDMI and Composite. You can save space with your modern TV setup for everyday gaming, and still be able to break out the composite cable and CRT TV for when you go to retro gatherings. But I ESPECIALLY like being able to perform mods without destroying the chassis.
Thank you for this! The youtube community is not heavily saturated with these videos yet. I had posted some very terrible recordings, so I'm glad finally some better equipped individuals are finally bringing out the high quality reviews.
Great video. I'm fortunate enough to have owned the ultraHDMI v2 and the N64 Digital. For me, the N64 Digital takes the cake. Image quality is comparable between the 2 but the N64D shines with how many options you have to dial in your experience. Also, the firmware updates over the air are a huge plus.
@187bronco187 Do you tinker with scanlines and scaling? If not, then yeah, to you it would be exactly the same. Both devices offer a completely different experience, though. The options to customize the picture on the N64D is leaps and bounds better than the UltraHDMI (I have both too). The scanlines on the UltraHDMI would shift too much and make me nauseous.
Great video! I’ve done several of these now as well as several hundred UltraHDMI installs so I can share a couple shortcuts. :) First, you don’t need to explicitly remove the Jumper/Expansion Pak. It will come off with the top shell and stay contained with the lid on top. Second, you don’t have to remove nearly all those screws! You only have to remove the ones that thread into plastic (including the two that go through the board at the memory slot) and then the two that have washers on them which thread to brackets on the N64 board. It will feel like the heat sink is stuck because you have to break the surface tension with the thermal pads. Try to lift from the rear because the RDRAM chips can actually pull off the board on the front side (only four ground legs on that side). Similarly, reinstall it by first aligning the tabs on either side of the memory slot and dropping it down. They should be in little notches BELOW the top of the slot, not flush or above. Those NUS-CPU-04 RGB component footprints are seemingly always unpopulated. Never seen one that was. The foam isn’t specifically for covering the pins... it’s for pressing the N64Digital down into the bottom of the console so that it doesn’t contact the console. Obviously, those pins are the closest but it doesn’t have to cover the whole set. The RF/EMI shield can be reinstalled for the regular “cut” version of this install. Dan’s guide says to leave the brackets on the bottom out when using No-Cut but he is mistaken. They only contact ground, same as when the RF/EMI shield is installed. They can’t fall out either because the motherboard screws hold them down.
@@jmg5281986 just happened on the latest upload as well. the video should just be titled "a random gadget that someone gave me for promotion, but you can't get your hands on - here's how to put it together". it's just not as useful of a video when we can't join in the fun.
If you don't mind the lack of features then Tim Worthington's mod is ~$40USD and works on a lot of models. His mod just sends RGB to the multi-out and has an optional deblur filter. (Voultar's is even cheaper; only works on, like, one model tho? lol) With the money you save you can easily buy a RAD2x cable (~$70USD), which will output RGB to HDMI via the multi-out (this cable will work on all pre-'95 SNES models as well; all 1CHIPs have to be modded to output RGB though). You'll still have money to spare, so you could buy a capacitor kit for the PSU and mobo (~$15USD combined). You could also splurge on some thermal paste and apply it to voltage regulators.
Make sure to plug the jumper pak in the correct orientation when testing it without the shell. I blew a fuse in the power brick thanks to messing this up.
I did similar once and thought I needed a new power brick. Went out and got a new one a couple weeks later and to my surprise the old one worked again.
Nice work! This looks like an incredible mod, I have been considering these kinds of mods for a while, but it does look pretty challenging. Keep up the great work!
@@MachoNachoProductions I loved it. I may do this one. I have 2 N64s that I haven’t tested yet. Also. I would rather remove 20 screws than replace 200 capacitors on a laser disk player. 😉
Love your videos man, been following you for a good while, doing some of these mods to my own collection. Such as the Boxy Pixel CNC aluminum shell for the GBSP. Absolutely love how close you get and the quality of your videos.
Wonder if would be possible to have a full size HDMI jack in there? Move the HD board closer to the controller ports and put in a mini to full size HDMI adapter. Remove the multi out (who cares about that thing now?) and put the full size jack where the multi out used to be.
I definitely will. I bought a N64 from a theft store for about 20 bucks and works perfect. I dug out some of my old games games that I had when I was a kid and starting enjoying again with a cheap rca to hdmi box from amazon. Then heard about this kit and I actually managed to buy one from the Pixel website they had on sale today. Can't wait to get everything installed!
Just discovered your channel, Im not really much of a modder and when looking at other sources I sometimes feel overwhelmed, but this vids do a great job at keeping it simple
Love your videos man! Very professional and pleasant to watch, I've even give maintenance to one of my consoles with one of your vids, forgot which one tho, lol. Btw, luckily I got one of these but unfortunately I'll have to send it back all the way up to USA so one installer does it for me and send it back to my country (🇨🇱) again. Probs I'm the only dude from here that will be able to have one of these jewels in my hand so I feel lucky and like a boss too, hahaha 😎
It just hit me that it must be a work of art in itself the way you record the spinning consoles, especially those 3 axis rotations. I hope you can show how it's done in a video sometime.
Great video as always. But, I wanted to mention to you that you do not need to take all the screws out of the head spreader. You only need to remove two of the ones that look different from the rest and then you can just pop off the heat spreader.
This is amazing mod, and very relaxing to watch a pro complete it. But damn it’s expensive, checked a reseller in the U.K. and it’s £175 just for the board. When did retro modding become so expensive.
I've done a fair amount of electronics work myself, and have moderate soldering skills, but the bump in image quality doesn't really justify the headaches for me. Maybe worth it for streamers, and I'm glad there are people dedicated to this work, but that's a long walk for a short drink in my book.
Being this is a small company, with very specialized custom PCBs and ribbons, the price is really fair from my experience. Usually you need to buy millions of something, to get the price low, and even if they did that, I doubt there is enough of a market to move the product in the millions. For those that really love the N64, this is a hell of a nice option. I've done really complicated mods in the past, and this one is really not beginner friendly, but the fact the company seems to have sourced a few professional modders to help people is a really nice touch.
Lol except you can't get it anywhere.....no where to be seen. I am in the UK and there one on ebay for £500, not inculding shipping and import duty. That's insane!!
It doesn't have the deblur filter that the N64 sorely needs, so you're never going to get a crisp image from the N64 with it, unless you are playing ROMs using a flashcart rather than original carts (which not everybody wants to do) and you patch them to disable the blur filter completely. That's what makes the UltraHDMI and now this so special.
Incredible quality video, so smooth. Are you going for some kind of award? I hate composite, but the composite signal looked quite good oompared to hdmi. I'd like a comparison between RGB scart and hdmi. I expect very little difference.
I'm amazed how good some of you guys have become at these... experience moder ??? your install was perfection it could have been 100th time you have done it
this is sweet dude, my only gripe always with this stuff is (not your fault BTW) the availability of the kits! You can never easily get hold of one it really sucks. Keep up the good work :]
15:03 to see what it does. seems to just increase brightness, thought it kinda looks like the difference between classic games on a CRT and classic games on an HDTV. i think it makes it look worse.
Am I the only one who thought the composite image looked better. The HDMI had a ton more jaggies and other than being a bit brighter, the image overall looked worse for the most part. Based on the smoothness of the video output you would have thought the one on the left was the HDMI. There is some checkerboarding on some of the edges on the composite output but IMO that is much better than the jagged jumpiness of the HDMI output (which is very distracting). I almost suspect a TV's built-in upscaler would do a better job.
To each his own. Personally, I prefer to just use an old CRT, which is what this kind of graphics looked best on. But I like the option this presents of being able to just plug it into the HDMI on your main TV, rather than having a separate setup that takes more space. Not having to occupy one of your valuable composite inputs on the TV can also be a plus, but you can still break out the composite cable and CRT when you go to retro meetups.
No you're correct, the composite image is much better. I honestly have no idea why anyone on these comments are saying the hd mod looks buttery smooth. I've never seen something so over saturated, jaggy and out of proportion described as beautiful. I'm confused to say the least.
I honestly would prefer your way (a good sony triniton) over hdmi expensive modifications. Just make sure to use the best s video cables you can get. I am sure your setup looks awesome.
If you have multiple consoles, surely the best use of your money is a composite switch and a single upscaler such as retrotink. Rather than getting slight upgrades for alot of effort on each device. Obviously this gives more flexibility on where you can play it, but how often do most people remove their consoles from their setups. I'd happily take a hit in quality for a day or so over paying/doing this mod. Then just hook it back up to the common upscaler.
A friend of mine paid like £300 to a sketchy EU Spanish company back in the day to get his N64 modded with HDMI, less than 4 years later other mods have come out with boards in them with upscaling and many video effects to clear up tv lines etc and now there are even N64 Video port to HDMI adapters that do a better job. xD
After owning a PS1Digital I'm tempted to get this but I have an UltraHDMI so it's really not something I need. I'm just happy everyone else gets a chance at a good N64 HDMI mod now though since that mod was so hard to obtain.
despite fact i'm electronics assembler (former one, became truck driver few years ago), i still would be so nervous on doing this modification to my original N64, yet if i'll buy it, probably will hire someone who knows what to do, rather than risk it myself.
While these mods are cool, I can't sacrifice the CRT experience. I finally invested in premium true S video cables for SNES, N64, ps1 and Dreamcast, and I also have component for GameCube, PS2, Xbox and Wii. All connected to switcher boxes. It is THE best way to experience these older games imo. I also have everdrives/ODEs for them all, except for the Xbox, I plan to do it soon.
Great tutorial video as usual. But I don’t like messing with the hardware of an original console for a marginal improvement in game graphics. But if you don’t mind that I can certainly see this being a fun project.
glad to see a N64 HDMI vid that isn't about the HDMI external box things. from what i understand the only posable improvment thoes external boxes can do is upscale and they can actually downgrade the output because it needs to do science stuff to convert the output signals to useable HDMI output potentially losing signal quality in the process. one of the pros of useing N64s originaly intended highest quality output aka S-Video is it's simply taking the output and sending it to the display device. And that's the main reason i dispise people selling them being like this is the way to use N64 in modern times, a HDMI adapter!!! I can understand it if the seller themselves doesn't know it might not the best unmodifying video connection for even modern TVs but when their a big enough company to were they most likely do or should know it's awefull that they promote/sell them purposely implying, to non tech savvy retro gamers, it's the best quality output because HDMI is a superior output type(technicaly it is, but only if more than inferior output signals are present,as far as i'm aware.) . The second thing i want to comment on is about the comparisons you make about this HDMI MOD(ligit probably good). for future vidio output upgrade comparison vids i think it would be a better comparison if you use the original systems best originaly intended output as the comparison piece, in this case S-Vidio(please correct me if i'm wrong i'd love to know if their was a better vidio type avalable on the N64) Just to make sure this comment isn't misinterpreted negatively I think this mod is legit cuz it looks to me(a noob to Video output) like it takes all or at least most of the information HDMI is designed to use from the chips in the system itself instead of the posably limted number of signals the OEM port has. and PS i'm prety tired rn so sory for any typos, grammar isues, etc.
This is a very difficult mod. If anyone here has no experience soldering, please do not do this for your first mod. Get one of the practice kits, and make a Gameboy first. Even then, I would still be very careful. N64 HDMI mods are some of the most difficult mass produced mods there is.
@@ciho69 Soldering practice kits. They sell them on retro game repair shop. You solder wires to parts of a board and it makes certain lights turn on when power is supplied
Makes me wish I had held off on the UltraHDMI I installed years ago but I mean it accomplishes what I want it to do so buying a new N64 and installing this mod would be pretty money burning lol.
Thanks for the overview! I'm sold on it, but missed out on the first round of pre-orders. Hopefully I can get one on order later this month. I went ahead and ordered the laser bear piece though while I'm waiting. I have a spare jungle green N64 all ready to try this mod.
I finally got a kit in this week from last weekend's order opportunity. I was able to complete the install successfully but completely missed the part of the instructions that say to leave the bottom RF shielding off if you're doing the no-cut mod. It was grounding something out and was completely preventing the unit from powering on. Once I figured that out I had issues with player 1 controller port. Then I realized I have a newer board and needed to connect the CON pad on the flex cable to a via instead of pin 16 on the PIF. Now that I have all that worked out it works like a champ. Thanks again for this video! It was a huge help; I watched several times before I attempted this on my own.
I think these will be easier to acquire than the ultrahdmi. As soon as we get out of this chip shortage. I know pixelfx is working hard to get these out soon
@@MachoNachoProductions Agreed. Before the chip shortage, they had plenty of restocks of other products. No reason at all to assume it won't go back to that once the shortages end. It's pretty annoying to see people being rude to them on Twitter, constantly telling them "Don't be an Analogue" as if they ever announced "hey we're not making any more because screw you all lawl". It's not their fault the world is in this state, people need to stop giving them crap for it.
You do need to remove those screws. I saw a _LOT_ of comments saying this exact thing, and tried it, and you know what happened? It pulled one of the memory chips up on one side (the side that only has 4 legs - good grief, they should have added more pins, even if they go nowhere, for stability). Thankfully I got lucky and it was just the solder joints that broke and no pads/traces got ripped up, and thankfully soldering it back in place is easy if you already have the skill to install one of those flex cables. BUT! The advice that you don't have to remove all the screws on the heatsink and just take it all off in one piece is absolutely terrible. Take off all the screws. Remove the main heatsink by itself and leave the smaller metal blocks and thermal pads on the chips. Saving a little time undoing screws isn't worth the time wasted resoldering the memory to the motherboard, and certainly isn't worth destroying your N64 if those pads get ruined. So to anyone reading this - do it right, take out all the screws. Don't ruin your board because TH-cam comments told you that you could save time.
@@mjc0961 I've done this method to 10+ n64s. You just need to be gentle when you remove the heat sink. There are also 4 screws you need to remove on the heatsink at the bottom. I gently rock the heatsink back and forth. It pops right off. I've done 3 n64digital installs and 1 UltraHDMI. I'm not wasting my time with those screws
Man I got a first day launch console. I don’t think I should mess with it. Still have the original box etc.. put my name on the list two years in advance and was #4.
Have you tried using a wider tip, adding a bit more solder, and then dragging back like you did? Seen dave do that over on eevblog, worked really well and fast. Cool video tho buddy!
Sweet mod Tito! Really fine soldering work 💪I dont think ill get one but im not a big enough fan of the N64. I will keep a look out for future pixelFX projects hope that trio do another mod maybe another hdmi mod for the famicom? Blue tooth enabled is music to the ears.
I have both kits and as far as picture quality goes, I'd call them identical. They both do a flawless job of pulling the digital signal and scaling it. The only differences would come down to features and I'd say the N64 Digital wins in the regard. Also the fact that Dan and Chris have proven far more reliable when it comes to product support and firmware tweaks. Marshall, the creator of the UltraHDMI has pretty much gone radio silent for the last two years and doesn't seem very interested in making his product any better or tweaking much.
I just use a couple different un-named emulators and I have my roms from the original games and I can play on my computer, I do understand the retro, I remember when they were all brand new.. I never cared for the consoles cause they were all prone to have many issues that made some games not work or mess up, since now everything I use is 100% digital I have had zero problems and firmware updates regularly.. I am not downing this at all I still have all my original game systems, games, controllers, adaptors & accessories I bought my kids when they came out.. Also since I am a computer tech, all have been perfectly maintained and all still work very good.. I do love watching the mods people do to those old systems.. We have a very large, media game with pinball, pool table & 3 game stations that up to 4 people can play with thousands of games from Atari to Xbox, Xbox live and also online games... We have a 72 inch tv where up to 6 people can play almost every game from 8 bit up to all the newest games... No insult intended, maybe it is that I remember when every new game system came out, but I can play all those games from my computer or in my game room without having to plug or unplug anything or change a single cartage or disk.. Thank you very much for sharing, I found it all very fascinating..
Pretty good guide, however i modded the N64 for RGB output back in the day, that does a good clear image aswell. Using then an OSSC Lindoubler for Modern TVs. The Plus is the OSSC cost not much more but can be used for different Consoles too.
The best thing about these videos is confirming to me that I don't want to attempt them myself :).
I agree, this is not one I will be doing!
Honestly I think he makes them look easy enough to attempt but saying this I'm self taught at soldering and I bought a Nixie tube clock to learn on with a cheap soldering kit....the only reason I haven't digitalised my OG Xbox or picked up a GameCube/Wii is that I'm unemployed at the moment and Microsoft love backwards compatibility to a point
Exactly. My only problem is the dust not being blown out of the innards!!!!!!
It definitely takes a lot of skill, but if you're careful to double check every joint after soldering, you'll find that soldering is very forgiving with mistakes AS LONG AS you catch them before putting power to the circuit. I have to fix many "human mistakes" daily at my job and it's rare that one is so bad it ruins a part. As with anything the more practice you get, the better you become.
Absolutely. Leave classic consoles original
This is amazing, can't believe how talented some electrical engineers are.
Completely agree! The talent out there in the retro gaming community is incredible!
Woozle is a beast!
We're at a point where FPGAs are relatively cheap and the retro gaming market is larger than ever. Some of the chips these modders are using to somewhat improve the image quality are more powerful/advanced than the actual consoles themselves!
Yes I enjoyed this video, again, damn your editing skills is smoooth as butter.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
My N64 is one of the revisions that wasn't compatible with previous RGB options so this new mod is incredible news for me, especially the fact that it is no cut means I'm definitely getting it! Shame it's sold out at the moment, I hope they restock soon. Thanks for always bringing us the latest and greatest Tito ❤
This is awesome - the mod (of course), the instruction (obviously).. but also this guys presentation. It's extremely informative, very polished, but not over the top flashy and he definitely doesn't come off as one of those people that are all bouncy, and attention seeking once the camera starts rolling. And because of that it's very refreshing. Great job!
This guy is such a perfectionist, I love how near and organize & clean the work was done video quality and explained. 10/10 💯 would have love to see few more video comparisons of the composite vs. mod.
I am always struck by how simple your instructions are to follow... This channel deserves to reach millions of subscribers as soon as possible. Good job tito.
Thank you so much Luca! I’m happy you are enjoying the videos and finding them helpful!
@@MachoNachoProductions does this work for the n64dd
I agree! Surprise he doesn’t already have over 1M subscribers and thousands of views one of the cleanest and explained videos I have ever seen.
I’m new to modding and this was my first “big” soldering challenge. If you have the right tools, you’ll be successful! Practise makes perfect!
After I saw your video it convinced me to pick one up. I was very lucky to be one of the lucky ones who got the pre-order it today. Great video , thanks!
it seems, for me, that just was a little brighter with the mod than the composite.
Often this is down to the composite-to-HDMI converter card used, not the N64's signal, though.
Just change the brightness on the tv. Boom fixed
I thought the same exact thing. Not sure if thats really worth it.
@@GuessWho-uc5uqYou didn’t see the sharper image, the lack of composite artefacts, and the deeper colour range? 2D art looks a lot sharper and less smudgey. There’s definitely an improvement over composite. If it’s worth $175 though is another story, while it is reasonable for what’s on offer, and competitive with alternatives, the composite picture really isn’t that bad and it’s a lot cheaper.
@@justanotheryoutubechannel voultar mod cost 36us only I think, but dont all bells and whistles as this one
Awesome video. Some things I would add, that major reviewers tend to ignore and I don't know why (not referring to this content creator in particular, but MLiG, MJ and RetroRGB as well when discussing ultrahdmi). N64Digital currently matches the ultrahdmi in outputting a deblur-ed "pixel perfect" image. However, the key differentiating feature this is advertised to have over the ultrahdmi is advanced smoothing filters, which IS NOT included in the current firmware for some reason despite it saying available at launch on PixelFX roadmap. For those who prefer a smoothed image that looks like a natively higher resolution on original n64 hardware, Super64+mclassic is still tops. However, n64digital is the closest competitor so far, as outputting 480p, deblur off, and interpolation set to "softer" running into the mclassic looks really good (I prefer it to the default 1080p settings). I reached out to Dan, and he said they are currently working on an advanced XBR smoothing filter but the size of the FPGA is the holdup, if it cannot fit they will use HQ2X. Either is a HUGE deal and would arguably be the most important feature on the mod. I can't wait to try this with full 1080p and deblur on, getting a cleaner, smoothed image than the current alternatives.
So far, Adam Koralik is the only one who seems to acknowledge the SUper64 + mClassic superiority over ultrahdmi for 3D imagery (sure some may prefer pixel perfect, but others prefer smoothed for this particular console due to the graphical flaws on n64 on modern TVs, it just wasn't designed for anything other than CRTs).
💯
the smoothed effect is this console’s trademark!
Pin this comment to the top of the comments section please, this is extremely important information.
@@ruggie.74 Thanks for acknowledging my comment, Brandon! However, the XBR smoothing has since been added via firmware, and it is fantastic. Their implementation isn't QUITE as smooth as the other two methods I mentioned when it comes to color blending, but edges are more defined, so it is a trade off that will be worthwhile for most. There is no doubt that this mod is now worth it over the ultrahdmi, even if you currently own the hdmi
@@madk51385 really great info man. I run the n64 using s-video into a RT2X mini which I think has a nicer smoothing filter than the RT5X (ironically), and I feel like this may be the definitive way to play N64 on a modern display. Maximum quality and clarity while preserving smoothness and the colors seem more vibrant. Do you have any thoughts on this approach?
Eh, countless Nintendo Switch ports are evidence that an image being blurred over is really not a substitute for higher resolution (though in that case it's a side effect from scaling up an image well below native resolution to native resolution) - There's a huge difference between a crisp high resolution image provided by an emulator and some post-process anti-aliasing/blurring etc. added after everything has already been drawn.
This mod is pretty damn crazy! Like I never thought we would see something like this actually happen. I'm just blown away! Thanks for the heads up.
I like the ability to be able to use both HDMI and Composite. You can save space with your modern TV setup for everyday gaming, and still be able to break out the composite cable and CRT TV for when you go to retro gatherings. But I ESPECIALLY like being able to perform mods without destroying the chassis.
yeah that's beauty of it
Thank you for this! The youtube community is not heavily saturated with these videos yet. I had posted some very terrible recordings, so I'm glad finally some better equipped individuals are finally bringing out the high quality reviews.
Thank you!
When this is back in stock I'm 100% doing this, thanks for the guide bruv.
Great video. I'm fortunate enough to have owned the ultraHDMI v2 and the N64 Digital. For me, the N64 Digital takes the cake. Image quality is comparable between the 2 but the N64D shines with how many options you have to dial in your experience. Also, the firmware updates over the air are a huge plus.
Nice!
@187bronco187 Do you tinker with scanlines and scaling? If not, then yeah, to you it would be exactly the same. Both devices offer a completely different experience, though. The options to customize the picture on the N64D is leaps and bounds better than the UltraHDMI (I have both too). The scanlines on the UltraHDMI would shift too much and make me nauseous.
Always enjoy your videos Tito, so professional.
Great video! Installation doesn’t seem to be too bad. This is a definite must have for me once they become more readily available
Great video!
I’ve done several of these now as well as several hundred UltraHDMI installs so I can share a couple shortcuts. :)
First, you don’t need to explicitly remove the Jumper/Expansion Pak. It will come off with the top shell and stay contained with the lid on top.
Second, you don’t have to remove nearly all those screws! You only have to remove the ones that thread into plastic (including the two that go through the board at the memory slot) and then the two that have washers on them which thread to brackets on the N64 board. It will feel like the heat sink is stuck because you have to break the surface tension with the thermal pads. Try to lift from the rear because the RDRAM chips can actually pull off the board on the front side (only four ground legs on that side). Similarly, reinstall it by first aligning the tabs on either side of the memory slot and dropping it down. They should be in little notches BELOW the top of the slot, not flush or above.
Those NUS-CPU-04 RGB component footprints are seemingly always unpopulated. Never seen one that was.
The foam isn’t specifically for covering the pins... it’s for pressing the N64Digital down into the bottom of the console so that it doesn’t contact the console. Obviously, those pins are the closest but it doesn’t have to cover the whole set.
The RF/EMI shield can be reinstalled for the regular “cut” version of this install.
Dan’s guide says to leave the brackets on the bottom out when using No-Cut but he is mistaken. They only contact ground, same as when the RF/EMI shield is installed. They can’t fall out either because the motherboard screws hold them down.
unfortunate that these mods are sold out so fast. :( been trying to upgrade my N64 for a long time...but keep missing these drops.
I feel that, same here.
Seriously these install videos are useless when no one can buy the products.
@@jmg5281986 just happened on the latest upload as well. the video should just be titled "a random gadget that someone gave me for promotion, but you can't get your hands on - here's how to put it together". it's just not as useful of a video when we can't join in the fun.
Yeah, exactly.........so frustrating!!!
If you don't mind the lack of features then Tim Worthington's mod is ~$40USD and works on a lot of models. His mod just sends RGB to the multi-out and has an optional deblur filter. (Voultar's is even cheaper; only works on, like, one model tho? lol)
With the money you save you can easily buy a RAD2x cable (~$70USD), which will output RGB to HDMI via the multi-out (this cable will work on all pre-'95 SNES models as well; all 1CHIPs have to be modded to output RGB though).
You'll still have money to spare, so you could buy a capacitor kit for the PSU and mobo (~$15USD combined). You could also splurge on some thermal paste and apply it to voltage regulators.
Make sure to plug the jumper pak in the correct orientation when testing it without the shell.
I blew a fuse in the power brick thanks to messing this up.
Yes! That is super important!
I did similar once and thought I needed a new power brick. Went out and got a new one a couple weeks later and to my surprise the old one worked again.
Nice work! This looks like an incredible mod, I have been considering these kinds of mods for a while, but it does look pretty challenging. Keep up the great work!
The only “big” difference I noted was the image looking brighter.
As a PCB-designer I really like the layout and use of ribbon cables.
These make my Thursday’s. Thanks Tito !
Glad to hear it Madblaster! Hope you enjoyed this one brother!
@@MachoNachoProductions I loved it. I may do this one. I have 2 N64s that I haven’t tested yet.
Also. I would rather remove 20 screws than replace 200 capacitors on a laser disk player. 😉
@@Madblaster6 haha very true
N64: I have a lot of screws
PS5: Hold my beer
Love your videos man, been following you for a good while, doing some of these mods to my own collection. Such as the Boxy Pixel CNC aluminum shell for the GBSP. Absolutely love how close you get and the quality of your videos.
Thanks Johnny! Glad you are enjoying the videos and finding them helpful. Cheers!
Wonder if would be possible to have a full size HDMI jack in there? Move the HD board closer to the controller ports and put in a mini to full size HDMI adapter. Remove the multi out (who cares about that thing now?) and put the full size jack where the multi out used to be.
I'm amazed with all the layers of metal from the CPU block to the heatsink there isn't any thermal compound.
I definitely will. I bought a N64 from a theft store for about 20 bucks and works perfect. I dug out some of my old games games that I had when I was a kid and starting enjoying again with a cheap rca to hdmi box from amazon.
Then heard about this kit and I actually managed to buy one from the Pixel website they had on sale today. Can't wait to get everything installed!
Solder pads ON the ribbon cable?! Never seen that before, that's so cool.
Just discovered your channel, Im not really much of a modder and when looking at other sources I sometimes feel overwhelmed, but this vids do a great job at keeping it simple
Thank you!
Love your videos man! Very professional and pleasant to watch, I've even give maintenance to one of my consoles with one of your vids, forgot which one tho, lol.
Btw, luckily I got one of these but unfortunately I'll have to send it back all the way up to USA so one installer does it for me and send it back to my country (🇨🇱) again. Probs I'm the only dude from here that will be able to have one of these jewels in my hand so I feel lucky and like a boss too, hahaha 😎
that didnt even look bad compared to other stuff I have had to do. The engineer made it very nice for us. Props to him
Not only my fridge has wifi, even my N64 has it!
Looks Amazing!
found myself rewinding to look at the sick close ups of the N64 console. incredible
Very Awesome Intro, btw
It just hit me that it must be a work of art in itself the way you record the spinning consoles, especially those 3 axis rotations. I hope you can show how it's done in a video sometime.
"Since ill be doing the no-cut version of the mod, you need to cut the foam block in half"
this doesnt sound like a no-cut mod to me!
Aaaaand cut! Let's do that one more time.
funny enough the cut version you don't cut it
Thank you for doing a video on this! Hope they're back in stock soon
Great video as always. But, I wanted to mention to you that you do not need to take all the screws out of the head spreader. You only need to remove two of the ones that look different from the rest and then you can just pop off the heat spreader.
Amazing work! I couldn't do something like this, but I do know someone who could. Makes me want an N64 again!
Thanks Sojan!!
This is amazing mod, and very relaxing to watch a pro complete it. But damn it’s expensive, checked a reseller in the U.K. and it’s £175 just for the board. When did retro modding become so expensive.
Always been
Project 64 and RetroArch are not though 😏 😏 😎 😎
I've done a fair amount of electronics work myself, and have moderate soldering skills, but the bump in image quality doesn't really justify the headaches for me. Maybe worth it for streamers, and I'm glad there are people dedicated to this work, but that's a long walk for a short drink in my book.
As usual a fantastic video and it's great to see an alternative to such a desired mod. I've heard rumors that pixelfx are doing a gamecube mod too
Videos like this reaffirm my commitment to emulation over read hardware.
These videos from this channel are like the Ferrari of the console mods
This is a really nice mod. But I have to say... I prefer the composite signal as it doesn't look so sterile.
Awesome mod!! definitely beyond my ability to do personally lol but watching you do it expertly was satisfying
Being this is a small company, with very specialized custom PCBs and ribbons, the price is really fair from my experience. Usually you need to buy millions of something, to get the price low, and even if they did that, I doubt there is enough of a market to move the product in the millions. For those that really love the N64, this is a hell of a nice option. I've done really complicated mods in the past, and this one is really not beginner friendly, but the fact the company seems to have sourced a few professional modders to help people is a really nice touch.
Lol except you can't get it anywhere.....no where to be seen. I am in the UK and there one on ebay for £500, not inculding shipping and import duty. That's insane!!
Forget about doing expensive, risky mods.
Retrotink 5X is the way to go!!!
Got my hands on a RAD2X a long time ago, had to preorder for it. Excellent plug and play solution.
It doesn't have the deblur filter that the N64 sorely needs, so you're never going to get a crisp image from the N64 with it, unless you are playing ROMs using a flashcart rather than original carts (which not everybody wants to do) and you patch them to disable the blur filter completely. That's what makes the UltraHDMI and now this so special.
NTSC N64 and cheap RGB mod for the money this solution cost you can get a Sony PVM or find a good crt for free...
You have one of the best intros easily
Incredible quality video, so smooth. Are you going for some kind of award?
I hate composite, but the composite signal looked quite good oompared to hdmi.
I'd like a comparison between RGB scart and hdmi. I expect very little difference.
I'm amazed how good some of you guys have become at these... experience moder ??? your install was perfection it could have been 100th time you have done it
Thank you!
15:26 I'm not seeing a huge bump in quality. In fact, the "OCARINA OF TIME" text looks better on the composite.
damn your soldering is so clean
So many of those screws on the shielding didn't need to de removed, lol. Thanks for the video though! Highly recommend cleaning flux however.
very nice bro N64 needed this.
godlike stuff tito! keep up the awesome work!
awesome as always... It actually looked easier than some of the other HDMI mods for other consoles.
Great quality video!
this is sweet dude, my only gripe always with this stuff is (not your fault BTW) the availability of the kits! You can never easily get hold of one it really sucks. Keep up the good work :]
A pretty clean install & nice peice of kit. Thanks for the vid good sir.
15:03 to see what it does. seems to just increase brightness, thought it kinda looks like the difference between classic games on a CRT and classic games on an HDTV. i think it makes it look worse.
You and Voultar make these mods look easy but I got dem shakey hands lol
15:05. I don't know, something is off here. I use an N64 on a modern TV with the RCA input, and it doesn't look quite as bad as the video on the left.
Am I the only one who thought the composite image looked better. The HDMI had a ton more jaggies and other than being a bit brighter, the image overall looked worse for the most part. Based on the smoothness of the video output you would have thought the one on the left was the HDMI. There is some checkerboarding on some of the edges on the composite output but IMO that is much better than the jagged jumpiness of the HDMI output (which is very distracting). I almost suspect a TV's built-in upscaler would do a better job.
To each his own. Personally, I prefer to just use an old CRT, which is what this kind of graphics looked best on. But I like the option this presents of being able to just plug it into the HDMI on your main TV, rather than having a separate setup that takes more space. Not having to occupy one of your valuable composite inputs on the TV can also be a plus, but you can still break out the composite cable and CRT when you go to retro meetups.
No you're correct, the composite image is much better. I honestly have no idea why anyone on these comments are saying the hd mod looks buttery smooth. I've never seen something so over saturated, jaggy and out of proportion described as beautiful. I'm confused to say the least.
This is a great mod!! Its very unfortunate i already invested and set up a sony trinitron wega to play my retro consoles.
That’s a great way to enjoy retro games! Nothing wrong with that at all. Tough to beat playing on a great crt
I honestly would prefer your way (a good sony triniton) over hdmi expensive modifications.
Just make sure to use the best s video cables you can get. I am sure your setup looks awesome.
@@fernandomartinez4486 oh yeah s video is a must. 👍👍
Thankfully my Sony CRT is the XBR 960 34 " wide screen with HDMI!! Perfect solution 👌
Nice!
If you have multiple consoles, surely the best use of your money is a composite switch and a single upscaler such as retrotink. Rather than getting slight upgrades for alot of effort on each device.
Obviously this gives more flexibility on where you can play it, but how often do most people remove their consoles from their setups. I'd happily take a hit in quality for a day or so over paying/doing this mod. Then just hook it back up to the common upscaler.
These instructions add to the list of things I can do in theory! In Practice, noooot so much!
A friend of mine paid like £300 to a sketchy EU Spanish company back in the day to get his N64 modded with HDMI, less than 4 years later other mods have come out with boards in them with upscaling and many video effects to clear up tv lines etc and now there are even N64 Video port to HDMI adapters that do a better job. xD
Instead of composite, you should show component video. Thats what I used with it.
I dont own a N64 anymore but i love'd the video. Great job!
Yes! Subbed. Awesome stuff. Looking to see if you have USB C for the DS Macro next. :D
Thank you!!
I love the spinning console intro's how the heck did you even do those shots?
After owning a PS1Digital I'm tempted to get this but I have an UltraHDMI so it's really not something I need. I'm just happy everyone else gets a chance at a good N64 HDMI mod now though since that mod was so hard to obtain.
This one is already sold out too :(
despite fact i'm electronics assembler (former one, became truck driver few years ago), i still would be so nervous on doing this modification to my original N64, yet if i'll buy it, probably will hire someone who knows what to do, rather than risk it myself.
Very cool mod! But honestly I think the composite looks more natural and smaller/smoother pixels.
the composite output looks better lol. built in aa from the fuzziness.
While these mods are cool, I can't sacrifice the CRT experience. I finally invested in premium true S video cables for SNES, N64, ps1 and Dreamcast, and I also have component for GameCube, PS2, Xbox and Wii. All connected to switcher boxes. It is THE best way to experience these older games imo. I also have everdrives/ODEs for them all, except for the Xbox, I plan to do it soon.
Finally I can record footage and these looks amazing
Great tutorial video as usual. But I don’t like messing with the hardware of an original console for a marginal improvement in game graphics. But if you don’t mind that I can certainly see this being a fun project.
glad to see a N64 HDMI vid that isn't about the HDMI external box things. from what i understand the only posable improvment thoes external boxes can do is upscale and they can actually downgrade the output because it needs to do science stuff to convert the output signals to useable HDMI output potentially losing signal quality in the process. one of the pros of useing N64s originaly intended highest quality output aka S-Video is it's simply taking the output and sending it to the display device. And that's the main reason i dispise people selling them being like this is the way to use N64 in modern times, a HDMI adapter!!! I can understand it if the seller themselves doesn't know it might not the best unmodifying video connection for even modern TVs but when their a big enough company to were they most likely do or should know it's awefull that they promote/sell them purposely implying, to non tech savvy retro gamers, it's the best quality output because HDMI is a superior output type(technicaly it is, but only if more than inferior output signals are present,as far as i'm aware.) .
The second thing i want to comment on is about the comparisons you make about this HDMI MOD(ligit probably good). for future vidio output upgrade comparison vids i think it would be a better comparison if you use the original systems best originaly intended output as the comparison piece, in this case S-Vidio(please correct me if i'm wrong i'd love to know if their was a better vidio type avalable on the N64)
Just to make sure this comment isn't misinterpreted negatively I think this mod is legit cuz it looks to me(a noob to Video output) like it takes all or at least most of the information HDMI is designed to use from the chips in the system itself instead of the posably limted number of signals the OEM port has.
and PS i'm prety tired rn so sory for any typos, grammar isues, etc.
You made it look easy. Is that a retrotink hanging up on the wall? Great video. 👍
Yessir! The 2x pro. Haven’t upgraded the 5x yet.
Awesome. I have the multiformat. Works great. Especially if someone isn't able to mod.
This is a very difficult mod. If anyone here has no experience soldering, please do not do this for your first mod. Get one of the practice kits, and make a Gameboy first. Even then, I would still be very careful. N64 HDMI mods are some of the most difficult mass produced mods there is.
What do you mean by practice kit
Following to learn what a practice kit is
@@ciho69 Soldering practice kits. They sell them on retro game repair shop. You solder wires to parts of a board and it makes certain lights turn on when power is supplied
@@kilo1265 wow that's just what I was looking to find. Thank you!
Makes me wish I had held off on the UltraHDMI I installed years ago but I mean it accomplishes what I want it to do so buying a new N64 and installing this mod would be pretty money burning lol.
Thanks for the overview! I'm sold on it, but missed out on the first round of pre-orders. Hopefully I can get one on order later this month. I went ahead and ordered the laser bear piece though while I'm waiting. I have a spare jungle green N64 all ready to try this mod.
I finally got a kit in this week from last weekend's order opportunity. I was able to complete the install successfully but completely missed the part of the instructions that say to leave the bottom RF shielding off if you're doing the no-cut mod. It was grounding something out and was completely preventing the unit from powering on. Once I figured that out I had issues with player 1 controller port. Then I realized I have a newer board and needed to connect the CON pad on the flex cable to a via instead of pin 16 on the PIF. Now that I have all that worked out it works like a champ. Thanks again for this video! It was a huge help; I watched several times before I attempted this on my own.
@@traaaaaavis how much $ was the kit?
@@darrell5363 with shipping it was about $198.00
@@traaaaaavis quite the investment! I think I’ll just use Roms lol
IMO The more difficult issue will be availability. Much like the Ultra HDMI it will be next to impossible to acquire one
I think these will be easier to acquire than the ultrahdmi. As soon as we get out of this chip shortage. I know pixelfx is working hard to get these out soon
@@MachoNachoProductions Agreed. Before the chip shortage, they had plenty of restocks of other products. No reason at all to assume it won't go back to that once the shortages end.
It's pretty annoying to see people being rude to them on Twitter, constantly telling them "Don't be an Analogue" as if they ever announced "hey we're not making any more because screw you all lawl". It's not their fault the world is in this state, people need to stop giving them crap for it.
Composite on a crt actually
Looks wayyy better. The true way to display your n64
You don't need to remove the majority of those screws on the heatsink. It comes off the motherboard as one piece
That’s a good point!
You do need to remove those screws. I saw a _LOT_ of comments saying this exact thing, and tried it, and you know what happened? It pulled one of the memory chips up on one side (the side that only has 4 legs - good grief, they should have added more pins, even if they go nowhere, for stability). Thankfully I got lucky and it was just the solder joints that broke and no pads/traces got ripped up, and thankfully soldering it back in place is easy if you already have the skill to install one of those flex cables.
BUT! The advice that you don't have to remove all the screws on the heatsink and just take it all off in one piece is absolutely terrible. Take off all the screws. Remove the main heatsink by itself and leave the smaller metal blocks and thermal pads on the chips. Saving a little time undoing screws isn't worth the time wasted resoldering the memory to the motherboard, and certainly isn't worth destroying your N64 if those pads get ruined.
So to anyone reading this - do it right, take out all the screws. Don't ruin your board because TH-cam comments told you that you could save time.
@@mjc0961 I've done this method to 10+ n64s. You just need to be gentle when you remove the heat sink. There are also 4 screws you need to remove on the heatsink at the bottom. I gently rock the heatsink back and forth. It pops right off.
I've done 3 n64digital installs and 1 UltraHDMI. I'm not wasting my time with those screws
Man I got a first day launch console. I don’t think I should mess with it. Still have the original box etc.. put my name on the list two years in advance and was #4.
Have you tried using a wider tip, adding a bit more solder, and then dragging back like you did? Seen dave do that over on eevblog, worked really well and fast. Cool video tho buddy!
You make it look so easy, so awesome
Another great video Tito! It would be cool to see a comparison between this and advanced RGB mod with an OSSC
That would be a very cool comparison!
sorry plug my channel but my most recent vid is advrgb + ossc 😂
Sweet mod Tito! Really fine soldering work 💪I dont think ill get one but im not a big enough fan of the N64. I will keep a look out for future pixelFX projects hope that trio do another mod maybe another hdmi mod for the famicom? Blue tooth enabled is music to the ears.
Thanks bro! I’m hoping they start making kits for some of the older consoles too! That would be so cool!
Great mod! It's way too expensive though.
Top quality video as always.
Cheers Tito!!!
You could probably apply a dab of thermalpaste between the heatsinks and the RF shield and then between the RF shield and the big heatsink!
Will there be a comparison between this and the Ultra Hdmi?
Would love to if o could get my hands on an ultra hdmi
😉
I have both kits and as far as picture quality goes, I'd call them identical. They both do a flawless job of pulling the digital signal and scaling it. The only differences would come down to features and I'd say the N64 Digital wins in the regard. Also the fact that Dan and Chris have proven far more reliable when it comes to product support and firmware tweaks. Marshall, the creator of the UltraHDMI has pretty much gone radio silent for the last two years and doesn't seem very interested in making his product any better or tweaking much.
@@TooBokoo I wish we would hear from him again. I waited ages for it to be back in stock, and it never came back.
@@kilo1265 the best way i know of is to get in on one of the group buys
I just use a couple different un-named emulators and I have my roms from the original games and I can play on my computer, I do understand the retro, I remember when they were all brand new.. I never cared for the consoles cause they were all prone to have many issues that made some games not work or mess up, since now everything I use is 100% digital I have had zero problems and firmware updates regularly.. I am not downing this at all I still have all my original game systems, games, controllers, adaptors & accessories I bought my kids when they came out.. Also since I am a computer tech, all have been perfectly maintained and all still work very good.. I do love watching the mods people do to those old systems.. We have a very large, media game with pinball, pool table & 3 game stations that up to 4 people can play with thousands of games from Atari to Xbox, Xbox live and also online games... We have a 72 inch tv where up to 6 people can play almost every game from 8 bit up to all the newest games... No insult intended, maybe it is that I remember when every new game system came out, but I can play all those games from my computer or in my game room without having to plug or unplug anything or change a single cartage or disk.. Thank you very much for sharing, I found it all very fascinating..
Pretty good guide, however i modded the N64 for RGB output back in the day, that does a good clear image aswell. Using then an OSSC Lindoubler for Modern TVs.
The Plus is the OSSC cost not much more but can be used for different Consoles too.