A new update of the ModRetro M64 was first teased in July, just weeks after Analog finally started shipping its excellent Analog 3D N64 console. As much as you might imagine you’d enjoy having a cheap way to play N64 games again on your TV, there are plenty of moral and financial reasons to wait your turn for the competition.
In a post on Like the $270 Analog 3D ($20 more at launch, Analog claims the price increase is “due to tariffs”), the M64 uses an FPGA chip (field-programmable gate array) that, in simple terms, mimics the chip logic of the original hardware. In the case of the M64, Nintendo’s first 3D graphics capable console was released in 1996.
The M64 is similar to the Analog 3D, although it uses an AMD chip, which is presumably much larger and faster than the Game Boy-like Moderetro Chromatic.
ModRetro M64 hardware being revealed in full on Black Friday – features, colors, our incredible new controller, cutting edge @amd Hardware, etc.
A lot has changed since we launched earlier this year at a starting price of $199, inflation, component shortages,… pic.twitter.com/T8MLilyweh
– Palmer Luckey (@PalmerLuckey) 25 November 2025
Difference between M64 and Analog 3D
You can see the strange colored accents on the M64’s power and “menu” switches – the latter of which appears to be a dial. Otherwise, ModRetro’s N64 console has the classic four controller ports and slots for N64 game packs. Analog 3D also supports native N64 controllers as well as wireless 8BitDo 64 controllers. ModRetro hasn’t shared what software the M64 can use, while Analog uses its own custom 3DOS to launch your games, convert CRT TV entertainment, or even overclock the system.
Like all consoles today, Moderetro has had to deal with the changing tides of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and subsequent tumultuous trade war. However, Luckey promises that the M64 will remain at $200 until Black Friday and beyond. It makes sense to price the analog under $70 in an effort to attract older retro gamers who remember when gaming was an inexpensive hobby. Those customers simply need to ignore the voices asking questions about Luckey’s growing ties to the military-industrial complex and the current Trump regime.
In August, FPGA experts noted that the M64 Mister FPGA could use the N64. While Analog 3D doesn’t immediately allow users to add their own emulation cores to the system, the M64 will be more open source, at least according to Walter Lee, Marketing Director of Moderetro, in an interview with The Memory Core. Luckey has consistently hinted that the M64 will be “the best way to play games at any price” compared to “inferior alternatives” – a clear dig at analog 3D. But what this means for the nearly 30-year-old games has yet to be revealed.
hey, look, it’s @AzumFpgMister FPGA N64 core. https://t.co/dEXAT2BueW pic.twitter.com/1OLrd1wtPq
-Porkshop Express (@MisterAddons) 26 August 2025
Is the N64 worth supporting an arms dealer?
Luckey created Moderetro in 2024 to sell Chromatic, although the name is reminiscent of his early days running the Moderetro forums and modding Game Boys. Now, the father of modern VR headsets is focusing more on building weaponized drones for the US military through Anduril. He’s working with Meta on militarized AR headsets — including UWU cat ears.
That being said, Lucky cannot keep his two companies separate. On an episode of Joe Rogan’s podcast, he showed off a version of his Chromatic, which he proudly claimed was “built with the same alloy as our attack drone airframes and is coated with the same low-signature ceramic used on the Ghost X!”
ICYMI: HERE @palmerlucky Talking about the wonders of Chromatic @joerogan pic.twitter.com/UvGsWB9hJv
– modretro (@modretro) 20 October 2025
For those who don’t know, the Ghost The UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine recently reported that long-range drones and missiles killed 548 people and injured 3,592 from January to October this year alone, a huge jump from the same time frame in 2024. DefenseScoop’s report suggests that the US intends to mass produce these drones for US military use.
Sure, practically every other major tech company is involved in US military contracts in some way or another, but Luckey’s various companies are designed to promote his highly militaristic worldview. If you want the current best N64 option, it’s Analog 3D, even if the console costs more. Analogue brought out a restock on November 24th, though it is currently sold out once again. Anyone who jumps on the ModRetro bandwagon will have to decide for themselves whether supporting an arms dealer is worth the $70 you save on a retro console.
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