Hyperkin says an N64 handheld could happen "potentially in the future", and the idea of portable cartridge support excites me

The idea of an N64 handheld with physical cartridge support sounds ambitious, but retro console maker Hyperkin says it's a possibility. Yes, and the company does say it won't happen "in the next year or two." Nevertheless, this is a sign that a portable way to play physical Nintendo 64 games is being considered.

The revelation comes off the back of yesterday's Mega95 update, with Hyperkin directly responding to one fan questioning if we'll ever "see an N64 handheld." While the remark was in response to the fact that its next best retro handheld contender is delayed, the company actually replied that a Nintendo 64 system could happen "potentially in the future."

No, this isn't an official N64 handheld annoucement, and it's more a case of Hyperkin being pretty open with its fanbase. You'd perhaps think that the company with countless rivals out there at varying price points would keep ambitions close to its chest, but the comment demonstrates that it is thinking ahead.

It is worth stressing that if we do end up with a Hyperkin N64 handheld in a year or two, it won't be taking the same approach as the Analogue 3D. That system uses FPGA technology to replicate Ninty's original console innards, whereas systems like the Hyperkin Retron GX, the gadget maker's PC Engine remake, use a system on a chip to pull ROMs from cartridges into a traditional emulator.

Simply put, the theoretical N64 handheld would support physical games like the existing Supraboy and upcoming Mega95, but would extract the games into memory. This means you'd have to deal with the usual caveats of software emulation, like graphical glitches and mixed compatibility, which are more prominent with the Nintendo 64 due to the OG console's hardware being hard to mimic.

Given that N64 emulation in 2026 still has its quirks, I can see why Hyperkin would write off attempting a handheld for at least a year or two. Hyperkin's ROM-dumping consoles are also inherently a little more complex since they exclusively rely on pulling cartridge data into memory for quick emulation, something that, in my experience, comes with more hurdles than simply importing a file into something like Mupen64Plus.

Those challenges aside, Hyperkin is arguably well-equipped to make a portable N64. Not only does it already make a pretty accurate Hall Effect N64 thumbstick, but it has a bunch of controllers that mimic the '90s gamepad. It also just revealed a collaborative modular mobile controller with GameSir that features N64 buttons, so the company is seemingly all set on the physical side of things.

Yes, Hyperkin does need to make a success of its Sega Genesis handheld before even considering other projects. It's currently experiencing what it describes as "visual artifacts and occasional tearing" with its emulation, and says "we’re not okay shipping it like that." That to me says that it's both looking to nail the process behind blending emulators with physical hardware, and if the Mega95 releases with minimal flaws, it could help kickstart the aforementioned N64 handheld ambitions.

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