Nintendo UK has announced that the European versions of Nintendo 64 games for Nintendo Switch Online members will all run at 60Hz and not 50Hz as previously feared. The Nintendo 64 games coming to the paid service will all be based on the superior NTSC versions and not PAL. The company also said that some games will feature the option of using the 50hz PAL versions with the included language options. The Nintendo 64 games will arrive later this month at an additional price. Nintendo is calling the membership Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. Pricing has yet to be announced.
Nintendo UK has confirmed that all N64 Switch Online games run at 60Hz
For people who don’t know why this is significant, in the days before flat screens, NA and Japan had one video standard, and Europe had another. Europe’s emphasized resolution over screen refresh rate, which was actually superior for playing normal video because you don’t actually need a very responsive screen for a 24 fps vhs tape. The problem comes in with releasing games designed in the US and Japan for the faster refresh rate. Do you A) put out the budget for a whole extra porting process to account for the differences in televisions, or do you B) slow down the game by 1/6th and go out for tacos? Many tacos were had, and European games from the 90’s actually play slower than NA and Japanese versions of the same game as a result.
Good on Nintendo for appreciating some of the little things.
Ngl when I first saw this I read it as 60fps instead of 60hz and ended up disapointing myself lol.
I still wish games like Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask ran at 60fps though, 20fps is just bleh.
Plz fucking tell me we’re getting WinBack in the US! I was so close to beating it as a kid til my N64 crashed on me! I didn’t have a memory pak back then so yeah; I NEED this! Same with Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage & Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber!
It was shown during the Direct that announced N64 games were coming, I don’t see why we wouldn’t get it after that. I just hope we don’t have to wait long to get F-Zero X since that isn’t a launch game. I still can’t believe that game was mentioned by title in the Direct- actual acknowledgement of the neglected series.
i like how people keep asking for Goldeneye when they should realize that it would be a licencing nightmare for Nintendo as they will have to negotiate to everyone that owns the rights and lets just say that people should give up that dream, it ain’t happening. Sora got lucky cuz if Nintendo was the one asking then Sora would not have been the final character.
Sadly. There’s a reason it got a remake. It wasn’t just for the hell of it or as a cash grab. It’s also why character designs were changed, different layouts, etc, etc.
At least there’s still a fair handful of 60fps N64 titles to potentially make use of it.
It impacts all N64 games, which have a framerate of 5/6 the NTSC rate in PAL regions, and consequently simply run slower. It’s great as a European player to be able to play these games at the speed they were intended to run.
I need some virtua boy remakes lesgoooo