PixelFX N64Digital Installation Tutorial and Review!
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
- NEW NINTENDO 64 HDMI MOD in 2021! | PixelFX N64Digital is Here! Installation Tutorial and Review!
Today, I’ll be showing you how to install the N64 Digital from Pixel FX into your Nintendo 64 console! Much like the DC Digital and PS1 Digital before it, the N64 Digital brings HDMI capability to the Nintendo 64. This is a mod that I have been waiting a long time for and it’s finally here! After I demonstrate how to install this mod, I will show you some comparison footage as well as a quick run down of some of the features and capabilities this mod brings to the console. So sit back, relax and let's see if this HDMI mod is everything he had hoped for!
► So here's what you will find in this video:
► 0:00 Intro
► 1:00 Mod Overview
► 2:36 Kit Contents
► 3:57 N64 Digital Install Tutorial
► 12:44 N64 Digital Features
► 14:51 Video quality comparison (HDMI vs Composite)
► 15:35 Pros and Cons
► 17:07 Conclusion
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// Links:
► PixelFX Website: www.pixelfx.co/
► LaserBear Industries No-Cut: laserbear.net/shop/ols/produc...
► N64 Digital Official Instructions: www.pixelfx.co/content/N64_in...
► Recommended Installers: www.pixelfx.co/content/N64_De...
► RetroRGB Channel: / retrorgb
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#PixelFX #Nintendo64 #MachoNachoProductions
DISCLAIMER: This video is only for entertainment purposes. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of tools, equipment, or from the information in this video is the sole responsibility of the viewer and is to be used at the discretion of the end user/viewer and not Macho Nacho Productions or Tito Perez. If you are uncertain about any step of the process or feel unsure about your skill level, seek a more authoritative source. - Hry
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!
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 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.
Yes I enjoyed this video, again, damn your editing skills is smoooth as butter.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
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!
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!
Great video! Installation doesn’t seem to be too bad. This is a definite must have for me once they become more readily available
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
As a PCB-designer I really like the layout and use of ribbon cables.
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!
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 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
found myself rewinding to look at the sick close ups of the N64 console. incredible
When this is back in stock I'm 100% doing this, thanks for the guide bruv.
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!
Always enjoy your videos Tito, so professional.
Thank you for doing a video on this! Hope they're back in stock soon
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
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!
Finally I can record footage and these looks amazing
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.
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.
Awesome mod!! definitely beyond my ability to do personally lol but watching you do it expertly was satisfying
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!
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.
awesome as always... It actually looked easier than some of the other HDMI mods for other consoles.
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
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 😎
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.
Amazing work! I couldn't do something like this, but I do know someone who could. Makes me want an N64 again!
Thanks Sojan!!
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
Solder pads ON the ribbon cable?! Never seen that before, that's so cool.
A pretty clean install & nice peice of kit. Thanks for the vid good sir.
You have one of the best intros easily
I'm amazed with all the layers of metal from the CPU block to the heatsink there isn't any thermal compound.
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
very nice bro N64 needed this.
Great quality video!
Very Awesome Intro, btw
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!
I dont own a N64 anymore but i love'd the video. Great job!
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.
These instructions add to the list of things I can do in theory! In Practice, noooot so much!
I was able to pick one up on launch looking forward to having it installed!!
You’ll love it!
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!
That sick sick retro stranger things mix 🙌🏼
damn your soldering is so clean
You and Voultar make these mods look easy but I got dem shakey hands lol
this mod is insanely hard for people like me haha. Thanks for the instructions.
godlike stuff tito! keep up the awesome work!
I love the spinning console intro's how the heck did you even do those shots?
Looks Amazing!
You make it look so easy, so awesome
Hi Tito excellent video as always! I bought and installed the N64Digital when it was sold by a UK reseller as it was quite hard to get one here as we couldn’t buy direct form PixelFX. I noticed an error on the video though regarding the mainboard bottom shield as it can be used on the cut version of the mod installation as per the instructions notes listed below;
“Install the bottom shield on the N64 motherboard and install the motherboard.
No Cut: Install the plastic spacer and N64Digital Board into the N64 case, then place the N64 Motherboard on top, do NOT use the bottom shield”
I hope this helps as I have performed the cut version of the mod with the bottom shield installed and have no issues.
Keep the videos coming and looking forward to what’s next in the pipeline?
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.
That’s an awesome mod; however, I don’t trust my soldering skills enough for that 😆
You're doing a fantastic job! So hopefully you'll make a video of replacement lcd screen mod for the SupaBoy S, SFC and Gold made by Hyperkin.
I’ll be looking too get a few in those kit for all my old consoles they will look great 👍🏽
These videos from this channel are like the Ferrari of the console mods
Great vid Tito, I still play on my rgb modded n64 on a CRT.
That's the best way to play N64 right there.
Hope they get more chips back in stock soon, this is a mod my n64 needs! Also, im curious what soldering iron you are using? I didn't see it in your tool list
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!
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.
Wow this is very good I think I'll do it with my N64 that I still have.
awesome video, if I were to do any mods these would be my point of reference
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 :]
Videos like this reaffirm my commitment to emulation over read hardware.
Yes! Subbed. Awesome stuff. Looking to see if you have USB C for the DS Macro next. :D
Thank you!!
N64: I have a lot of screws
PS5: Hold my beer
Very cool mod! But honestly I think the composite looks more natural and smaller/smoother pixels.
Of course it's sold out, but man am I excited to get my hands on one. This is great!
Great mod! It's way too expensive though.
Top quality video as always.
Cheers Tito!!!
Have you tried using the pixelfx hdmi mod in combination with mClassic? It would be awesome to see a comparison there.
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.
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!
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.
If i ever decide to do this, i see a perfectly good modder right here to do it.
Got my popcorn out
Nice!
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 😂
i love these vids, because it reminds me that I am cool and not a gamer DORK.
Great video. Would it work on PAL (european) consoles?
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 😏 😏 😎 😎
Top soldering skills.
Me awaiting the cons list as I just got it back from a professional installer with the no cut mod
Cons - expensive hard to install. Sounds good to me
This mod it's amazing! and image quality looks very stunning but it's seem difficult to install and i would not like to damage my console if something goes wrong, at this point i got the EON Super 64, a good product if you use it with mclassic image quality is amazing even in a 4k TV, nice videos Nacho keep it up!!
Thank you Marco! Will do!
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.
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.
I wish you showed the scanlines option
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!
"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
I wonder how it'd look in 480p with the mClassic getting rid of the jaggies and upscaling it
Last year I purchased an RGB modded N64 that I'm using through the OSSC so I won't be jumping on this one quite yet. However, I do have the DCDigital which I love so I know this product must also be killer. I kind of wish the DCDigital would get a firmware update to include some of the scaling options on the N64digital. It's probably not possible with the chip on the DCDigital but I'd LOVE a 3x option for 1440p.
When you soldered, I blowed
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.
This is super rad! Had me till that price tag though. oof. I'll stick with my upscaler to hdmi for now. That only ran me about $30-$40 and allows me to play on any HDMI tv up to 1080p resolution. I may have to scoop this up one day though just for the cool factor and a fun little project. Wonder if they'll ever incorporate a way to download games? WiFi capability coupled with modern expansion pack.. idk, could be doable. 😎
I have the ultra hdmi, so I won't be needing this but have been curious to see what it can do, pretty cool, I did see on there Twitter that the n64 digital had issues with ever drives. Krizz hasn't updated anything so I'm assuming that's still an issue, but hopefully that's gets fixed soon
Would you consider doing a comparison of this vs the Ultra HDMI vs a RetroTink 5x?
amazing the new nintendo screws 64!