115
votes
How is it possible that classic 3D video games such as Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time can contain such bizarre "glitches"?
3D games like Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time are time-step-based physics simulators. Their basic design is based on the assumption that nothing goes above a certain speed. Each frame, Super Mario ...
- 18.8k
78
votes
Accepted
How can tilting a N64 cartridge cause such subtle glitches?
The main point to understand is that the console is limited. RAM on the console itself is faster than memory on the cartridge (and the cartridge memory was usually read only, with a little non ...
- 896
51
votes
How can tilting a N64 cartridge cause such subtle glitches?
I wouldn't say "It's a very specific and subtle kind of behavior." I really think this is the case of undefined behavior that has been reproduced so many times from N64 launch to now that ...
- 9,670
48
votes
Why are the Nintendo 64 memory cards' batteries *soldered* on?
It's cheaper and possibly more reliable than providing a connector. These are disposable consumer products designed to be sold at the lowest price and highest margin.
Your question assumes devices ...
- 12.8k
43
votes
Accepted
Why did Nintendo 64 (1996) memory cards require a battery inside them to retain data whereas the PlayStation (1994) ones did not?
Most likely different acrchitecture comes from idea how memory cards will/should be used and what are the available interfaces to access them.
The PS memory cards do have flash memory, but the bus to ...
- 37.2k
31
votes
How can tilting a N64 cartridge cause such subtle glitches?
This is the pinout of a Nintendo 64 cartridge (from here). The Nintendo 64 used a multiplexed address/data bus with a three-stage access protocol: write the high word of the address you want to ...
- 8,736
31
votes
Accepted
Can a Japanese (or US) PSU for Nintendo 64 be run with 230 V mains?
The supply shown in the video will most likely blow up if you connect it to 230V mains. At 1:08 in the video you see the printing "200V" on the main filter cap. There is no plausible way to ...
- 8,311
29
votes
How is it possible that classic 3D video games such as Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time can contain such bizarre "glitches"?
The short answer is: These games are built on code which is supposed to simulate the laws of physics, at least for motion. But they are also games, which means that that code has to run fast enough ...
- 299
27
votes
Why are the Nintendo 64 memory cards' batteries *soldered* on?
Replacing the battery wipes the memory card, losing all your savegames.
Note that if you had a battery clip, there is a potential risk that the battery terminals might become oxidised or be jolted ...
- 1,015
22
votes
Can removing a cartridge from an NES (or any other cartridge-based game system) damage the hardware or software?
The NES can be damaged by software, so removing the cartridge at just the wrong timing could theoretically damage the console.
The 2CO2 PPU in the NES normally reads the background color from palette ...
- 5,494
19
votes
How is it possible that classic 3D video games such as Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time can contain such bizarre "glitches"?
You probably don't encounter these glitches because you play the game as the developers intended.
In Oblivion you can pickup plates and stuff to move or throw (which is the intended use), but if you ...
- 291
16
votes
Accepted
How does the Everdrive handle all the special chips and stuff that were put in cartridges?
Does it really have every single chip that any game ever used as hardware inside the Everdrive? Or does it actually emulate them somehow?
The latter.
In the Super Everdrive and SD2SNES cartridges, ...
- 12.8k
16
votes
Why did the Rumble Pak for the Nintendo 64 require batteries when it actually apparently doesn't?
According to Willis82 at https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/nintendo_64_forever/rumble-pak-mod-t6706.html
Nintendo actually did this to kiosk rumble packs so shop owners wouldn't have to change ...
- 4,024
15
votes
Accepted
Did blowing into an N64 cartridge really affect whether or not the game would run?
Not the blowing but most likely the process of repeated inserting has removed the cause - as so often with connectors, especially PCB connectors.
As @Ross Ridge already mentioned, the Question has ...
- 236k
15
votes
Accepted
Nintendo 64 microcode format
As I understand it the GPU’s microcode was written for the RSP (Reality Signal Processor). The RSP’s instruction set is comprehensively documented in the Nintendo Ultra64 RSP Programmer’s Guide, ...
- 131k
15
votes
How is it possible that classic 3D video games such as Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time can contain such bizarre "glitches"?
No software is ever bug-free, and games are no exception. The reason most of these bugs seem so crazy is that they're complex and frequently require several things to go right (wrong?) at the same ...
- 949
14
votes
Accepted
Can removing a cartridge from an NES (or any other cartridge-based game system) damage the hardware or software?
Hardware
No damage to the hardware should occur (unless by chance removing the cartridge physically damages the hardware contacts). The reason for this is is that loading a cart basically completes ...
- 9,670
14
votes
Is the N64 incapable of 2D graphics?
All consoles with 3D capability are able to do 2D graphics, simply by rendering flat polygons on a fixed plane. Nintendo provided libraries to do this with the N64, which were used for things like 2D ...
- 15.5k
14
votes
How does the Everdrive handle all the special chips and stuff that were put in cartridges?
Most flashcarts (including the Everdrive) use an FPGA to emulate mappers, which is essentially a programmable ASIC -- a developer writes code in a hardware description language specifying the behavior ...
- 5,494
14
votes
Why are the Nintendo 64 memory cards' batteries *soldered* on?
I doubt you'll find any actual reference here but things that look to be silly from an engineering viewpoint often make more sense from a financial one. N64 memory cards are mass-market consumer ...
- 3,057
13
votes
What does "ByteSwapped" and "BigEndian" refer to in the context of video game ROMs?
There’s a detailed thread about this on Jul. Basically, there are three data storage orders used for Nintendo 64 ROMs:
big-endian, which is the Nintendo 64’s native order (Z64 in the thread);
little-...
- 131k
13
votes
Can a Japanese (or US) PSU for Nintendo 64 be run with 230 V mains?
I can supply an anecdote from 1997-8 that might answer your question.
A friend and I imported a couple of US units to New Zealand so that we could play US region games. As an aside, because the power ...
- 7,698
12
votes
How can tilting a N64 cartridge cause such subtle glitches?
The Gist
Games on the N64 typically did not have a lot of memory to use. Instead of keeping all code and data loaded onto the cartridge at one time, it would typically keep some necessary game code ...
- 221
12
votes
Accepted
Is the N64 incapable of 2D graphics?
While it may seem odd that Nintendo chose for every last one of their properties released on the N64 was transformed into 3D.
Why odd? Being all-3D was the Unique Selling Point for the N64. Since ...
- 236k
11
votes
Accepted
How fast was Rambus compared to regular EDO RAM?
What's the question?
First problem here is what is to be considered speed.
Random access time?
Cycle time?
Maximum memory thruput?
Average memory thruput?
Either value per chip or
for the whole ...
- 236k
10
votes
Accepted
Nintendo 64 Color Depth
The Wiki Entry says that the N64 calculated with 24-bit color, but output 21-bit.
Right,that's the way it is.
The 15 or 24 Bit colour is what the Reality Display Processor can produce (see Video ...
- 236k
10
votes
Were any unlicensed games released for the Nintendo 64?
While I was looking for information on the Hong Kong bootleg mentioned in Tommy's answer, I actually found information on a different bootleg released in Brazil: Ronaldinho Soccer 64
Released by TEG ...
- 9,670
10
votes
How is it possible that classic 3D video games such as Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time can contain such bizarre "glitches"?
A good way to think about it is to consider board, card and tabletop games:
A board game has rules: who goes first, what happens when you land on a space; and state: whose turn is it, where the pieces ...
- 12.8k
10
votes
Why are the Nintendo 64 memory cards' batteries *soldered* on?
The N64 has an interesting design choice that influences the way the peripherals were designed. Memory cards were attached to the controller, not the console. This means that during normal use, a ...
- 949
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible