In 2024, there are many ways to play Nintendo 64 games. You can dig out an original gaming console. You can subscribe to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack . You can download an unofficial emulator. Now you can play the recompiled PC port, starting with The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask .
For technically minded people, this is a big deal. For others, this might be a little confusing.
If you've played Nintendo 64 games on your PC, or even your phone or tablet, you're probably using an emulator. Essentially, these programs work by using software to mimic the processes of the Nintendo 64 console itself, tricking games into thinking they are running on real hardware. It's a legally protected workaround - thanks to an old court case between Sony and a company called Bleem! - But it's not without its drawbacks.
Analog games can suffer from accuracy in areas such as music and input lag, and since they're expected to run on home consoles, they're limited in their ability to take advantage of more powerful hardware on modern devices, meaning it's difficult to add light Features like tracking or ultrawide support.
Enter decompilation, the holy grail of retro game preservation. Rather than running an old game in software that mimics an old console, decompiling takes the source code of the original game, tearing it apart, and remaking it from scratch to run on a home computer.
Decompiling greatly improves compatibility with everything from ray tracing to mods to higher frame rates, and generally makes games feel smoother and less laggy. This process has been applied to some N64 games before, including Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time , but there's a catch - you need the game's original source code (and a lot of development time) to make it its running.
Play any N64 game using only ROM files
While the source code behind some well-known games has been leaked, that's not the case with most games. But with the launch of Wiseguy's new Nintendo 64: Recompilation Tool, it's possible that the entire Nintendo 64 library will make the jump to PC via another route, and one high-profile game has already done so.
Wiseguy's tool technically can't decompile the game because none of the data is readable. Instead, it takes the original game ROM and "recompiles" it, meaning it translates the code into C (a programming language) and runs graphics through modern APIs like Vulkan at launch. Think of it like Steam's Proton translation layer, which allows games built for Windows to run on Linux.
Some things still require manual cleanup afterward - games designed in the '90s were not designed to run at the speed of modern hardware - but the process from recompiling to porting is much faster than decompiling and can be applied to the entire game . Short term Nintendo 64 library.
In a statement to YouTuber Nerrel, Wiseguy said they recompiled The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask first (other games were tested first, but The Legend of Zelda was the first Published). The port was completed in just two days, whereas past decompilation projects took two years. And because the code is directly translated rather than tweaked to run on modern devices, the results are more accurate to the original game.
That’s not to say that decompilation is obsolete—it still helps programmers understand the original game’s code, aiding in mods, patches, and fixes. But where decompiling isn't possible, recompiling can improve upon the original hardware or emulation, since it doesn't require emulation and allows more freedom to take advantage of modern upgrades like high frame rates.
Wiseguy's port of Majora's Mask is now available for download via Github , paving the way for future projects. To protect the project's legal status, the port does not include any assets (i.e. the game's code, graphics, sound effects - basically anything owned by Nintendo), which must be provided by users via ROM files.
But once available, the port will take those assets, convert them into translated PC versions, apply Wiseguy's fixes, and then play the game on your computer as if it was built for them. You just need to provide the ROM. The port will also support higher frame rates, faster loading times, gyro aiming input, and ultrawide displays.
In addition, advanced features including ray tracing are in development, using RT64 tools developed by modder Dario.
It's unlikely we'll be able to fully decompile the entire Nintendo 64 library, but fans of lesser-known games like Iggy's Reckin' Balls or Blast Corps may soon have a better way to play their favorites than emulation game. Wiseguy's porting process isn't entirely automatic, but with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time planned next , we can obviously expect more games from them soon. They also plan to make the Nintendo 64: Recompilation Tool available to other modders, meaning the future of the Nintendo 64 library looks bright.
