The ModRetro M64 and Hyperkin's drift-free N64 controller just launched

ModRetro and Hyperkin have officially released the M64 console and the Captain+ controller. The hardware was first announced in March 2026. It brings FPGA-based 4K playback to original Nintendo 64 cartridges, alongside a wired controller designed to survive Mario Party.

ModRetro is a relatively new boutique hardware company. They previously released the Chromatic, a premium FPGA handheld built to play Game Boy games. The M64 is their first home console. It costs $229.99 and plays original Nintendo 64 cartridges from any region.

Native 4K without upscalers

Nintendo 64 emulation has been a notoriously difficult target for decades. Software emulators often struggle with the console's custom microcode and complex rendering pipeline. FPGA hardware takes a different approach. It recreates the original silicon logic at a hardware level rather than relying on software translation.

The M64 outputs native 4K video at 60 frames per second. It also has a five-second boot time. Original N64 hardware requires a CRT television or a messy web of external upscalers to look decent on a modern display. The M64 handles all the scaling internally, keeping the gameplay timing identical to the original 1996 hardware.

$30 for a Hall Effect stick

Hyperkin partnered with ModRetro to provide an accessible controller option. According to Hyperkin, the new Captain+ controller features a Hall Effect analog stick, a dual-layer PCB, and a 10-foot cable.

The original N64 controller has a fatal design flaw. The plastic bowl inside the joystick assembly grinds against the stick during use. This creates a fine white powder and eventually leaves the stick floppy and unresponsive. Hall Effect sensors use magnets to measure position. This eliminates the physical friction that causes analog stick drift.

The Captain+ costs $29.99. ModRetro also sells its own wireless M64 Pro Controller for $89.99. I think $30 is a very reasonable price for a durable replacement stick, especially since original controllers in good condition are getting expensive. Hyperkin has spent years building retro hardware, from the multi-cartridge Retron 5 to the massive Xbox Duke controller reproduction, so they have plenty of experience with classic form factors.

Four physical cartridges

The M64 does not use ROM files from an SD card. It requires physical media. To support the launch, ModRetro is publishing four new physical game cartridges.

The lineup includes Xeno Crisis, Buck Bumble, Xibalba 64, and Extreme-G Turbo Fusion. Xeno Crisis is a popular modern arena shooter that has been ported to almost every retro console in existence. Buck Bumble is a 1998 shooter about a cyborg bee with a famously catchy garage garage-step theme song. Xibalba 64 is a Doom-style first-person shooter, and Extreme-G Turbo Fusion revives the futuristic racing series.

The Nintendo 64 launched thirty years ago. People are still trying to figure out the best way to play its library on modern televisions. The M64 is the latest attempt to solve that problem with raw hardware accuracy.