Modder crafts world's smallest N64 at just 7.3cm tall

N64
(Image credit: GmanModz)

Guinness World Records has confirmed that a Nintendo fan has created the world's smallest N64 console.

In a post published to coincide with Mario Day on March 10, GWR announced that modder Gunnar Turnquist's miniature take on the classic console was the smallest ever. 

In his video breakdown of the console, Turnquist explains how he was able to trim down the original N64 motherboard enough that it could fit within a housing less than 7.3cm tall, 26cm wide, and 20cm deep.

As well as just about managing to fit one of those chunky cartridges in place, Turnquist's console (kitted out in a very fetching yellow colour-scheme) boasts a 3.5-inch monitor and a battery life of 1.5 hours. That's admittedly not a lot - Turnquist even acknowledges that "the battery life sucks" - but when every millimetre counts, there's not too much room for bulky battery packs. There's also not much room to consider ergonomics as the portable console is reportedly pretty uncomfortable to hold.

As it turns out, the 2010s was home to something of a mini N64 arms race, with a number of modders attempting to shrink the console as much as possible and the most recent record set in 2015. 

While Turnquist says he came up with a number of techniques that might have allowed him to make his console even smaller, he used more traditional means in an attempt to play fair by previous record holders. Given how little extra space there appears to be within this latest offering, it's hard to see how the console could be made any smaller in future, as there's next to no wasted space on the final product.

For something portable but a little more modern (and with a little more battery life), here's out list of the best Nintendo Switch games.

Ali Jones
News Editor

I'm GamesRadar's news editor, working with the team to deliver breaking news from across the industry. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.