GamesAdventureThe Legend of ZeldaA new native port of Majora’s Mask might change how we play N64 games on our PCsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesAdventureThe Legend of ZeldaA new native port of Majora’s Mask might change how we play N64 games on our PCsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Static recompilation translates the game’s code into C, then utilizes direct3d12/Vulkan to render breathtaking visuals. It’s not an automatic process, requiring some hands-on work to account for how vastly more efficient modern hardware is than the N64. But where a full decompilation of a ROM to extract the source code required to build a native port can take years, developer Wiseguy was able to churn out a playable port of Majora’s Mask in only a couple of days. According to the developer, Zelda 64: Recompiled was tested against other emulators with a performance metric called RDP Accuracy, which assists in identifying which effects and visuals are intended and which are quirks of the hardware.
Native controller support, input-mapping, autosaving, widescreen support, and easily the best feature that was previously marooned on the official 3DS ports, gyro-aiming, have all been added, removing the hassle of first-time emulator setup. Ray tracing, mod support, and dual analog support with camera controls, as well as eventual Ocarina of Time integration, are all features planned for Zelda 64: Recompiled.
That these features have been seamlessly integrated into Zelda 64: Recompiled is what’s most exciting to me about the potential of this method. I’m no stranger to emulation, but the amount of times I’ve tried to emulate a game that uses some weird form of hardware specific anti-aliasing or texture smoothing and been met with single digit framerates or totally warped texture mapping is too many to count.
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