Only slightly larger than an N64 cartridge: that's how big (or small) modder Gunnar Turnquist engineered his handheld N64 that plays actual game cartridges. He managed to fit his portable console into a 8.4 cm x 11.8 cm x 4.50 cm (3.3 in x 4.64 in x 1.77 in) package complete with a 3.5" LCD screen, a headphone jack, speakers and a built-in battery that lasts for around 1.5 hours. In comparison, the original N64 console measures around a height of 2.87” (72.9 mm), width of 10.23” (259.8 mm) and depth of 7.48” (190 mm).

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Even if Gunnar Turnquist completed his project last December, his work officially earned the title of "the world's smallest Nintendo 64 console" by Guinness World Records a couple of days ago. Below you can see Turnquist's video putting the device in action while explaining his design process:

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Do you think Nintendo should release an official version of such an "N64 Mini" that also plays cartridges?

SOURCE

 

[SecureBoot]

Portables that utilize original carts/discs are so impractical...but I love them so much!

I bet an everdrive would come in handy here

 

[raxadian]

I bet an everdrive would come in handy here

Will I ever get an official portable Sega Genesis/Game Gear with a decent battery life and a screen that isn't so small is ridiculous?

Nope, unfortunately.

 

[IncredulousP]

Once again people singlehandedly doing better than nintendo.

 

[raxadian]

Once again people singlehandedly doing better than nintendo.

To be fair Nintendo did a smaller Nintendo 64, the Ique and it completely failed.

 

[SecureBoot]

To be fair Nintendo did a smaller Nintendo 64, the Ique and it completely failed.

This is smaller than the ique

 

[raxadian]

This is smaller than the ique

Yes but this was done recently, the Ique is from the 2000s.

 

[SecureBoot]

Yes but this was done recently, the Ique is from the 2000s.

You're not wrong

 

[tech3475]

To be fair Nintendo did a smaller Nintendo 64, the Ique and it completely failed.

Hey if it wasn’t for the iQue we might not have had Gigaleak.

 

[Foxi4]

No, it isn't. In JP, it's illegal to distribute tools/programs for modifying saves and selling save/console modification services. It's not illegal to go around and cut your PCB and shove it in an enclosure.

I don't know where this misconception comes from, but I hear it more and more often. If you buy a product, it's yours - it belongs to you. You can take a buzz saw to it, or flush it down the toilet, or burn it in a bonfire, and it's still none of the original manufacturer's business. There's something to be said about modifying software since that isn't "owned", merely licensed, but this example only features hardware modifications which are perfectly legal.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

I don't know where this misconception comes from, but I hear it more and more often. If you buy a product, it's yours - it belongs to you. You can take a buzz saw to it, or flush it down the toilet, or burn it in a bonfire, and it's still none of the original manufacturer's business. There's something to be said about modifying software since that isn't "owned", merely licensed, but this example only features hardware modifications which are perfectly legal.

It's because a couple years back good ol' Kotaku made a news article saying some dumb shit like "ALL CONSOLE MODDING NOW ILLEGAL IN JAPAN YOU'LL BE TAKEN AND MURDERED IF YOU MOD YOUR CONSOLE BETTER WATCH OUT!!!"

And of course nobody at Kotaku read the actual law where it's just regarding modding saves and selling modding services But reading is hard

 

[Foxi4]

It's because a couple years back good ol' Kotaku made a news article saying some dumb shit like "ALL CONSOLE MODDING NOW ILLEGAL IN JAPAN YOU'LL BE TAKEN AND MURDERED IF YOU MOD YOUR CONSOLE BETTER WATCH OUT!!!"

And of course nobody at Kotaku read the actual law where it's just regarding modding saves and selling modding services But reading is hard

I mean, Japan is famous for their retro gaming stores. If doing anything to the system was illegal, half of them would have to close their doors since they subsist on refurbing old gear.

 

[smf]

There's something to be said about modifying software since that isn't "owned", merely licensed, but this example only features hardware modifications which are perfectly legal.

You do own it, but the copyright owner retains rights. In terms of hardware modifications there are some that are illegal but this wouldn't fall into it. If the original design was copyrightable and your modification was also copyrightable but derived from the original, then you would need permission to sell it. But I don't think that would be the case here.

 

[Foxi4]

You do own it, but the copyright owner retains rights. In terms of hardware modifications there are some that are illegal but this wouldn't fall into it. If the original design was copyrightable and your modification was also copyrightable but derived from the original, then you would need permission to sell it. But I don't think that would be the case here.

This is correct in the context of Japan - any modifications are for personal use, the system cannot be modified on somebody else's behalf. Modding services are prohibited and the original manufacturer retains the copyright for the design, meaning you cannot resell it as a new and unique item since, technically, you didn't make it - you modified an existing system. I'm not entirely sure if such systems are transferable if you modify one for personal use and simply grow bored of it, I'd have to look into it in more depth - all I know is that such activities cannot be performed for profit. There's actually a pretty famous case of a mod shop having to close its doors since they offered modifications that added functionality to systems, things like TV Outs for portables, which in light of the new law was now an illegal service, can't quite recall the name.

 

[smf]

This is correct in the context of Japan

It might also be the case outside of Japan. There are complex copyright and trademark issues that could potentially cause you issues.

Of course the rights owners would have to care & it's unlikely that they would & it's unlikely there is any money in it for anyone to really bother doing it either.

For example the modification in

https://cyber.harvard.edu/people/tfisher/IP/1997 Lee Abridged.pdf

turned out too trivial to attain it's own copyright protection, so that it was allowed. However more changes could have been an issue.

 

[Foxi4]

It might also be the case outside of Japan. There are complex copyright and trademark issues that could potentially cause you issues.

Of course the rights owners would have to care & it's unlikely that they would & it's unlikely there is any money in it for anyone to really bother doing it either.

As far as I'm aware, the only hardware modifications that are prohibited on a more global scale are ones that allow the user to circumvent built-in software protections, which is a pretty big umbrella term for modchips, loaders and other assorted add-ons. In fact, Analogue used to populate their PCB's with original NES chips and sell them on as "new consoles" without causing much of a fuss (they have since moved on to FPGA's, likely due to scarcity), this scene is even bigger in the retro computer sphere since the original add-in cards are rather rare and gradually replaced by FPGA equivalents. Then again, I'm sure each such product would require a separate look-over in terms of legality. The way I see it, if I can turn my car into a convertible, I can also turn my console into a portable, but life is never that simple.

 

[dAVID_]

How does that even work? How did he reduce the N64 circuit board into something that can fit inside a portable case?

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

How does that even work? How did he reduce the N64 circuit board into something that can fit inside a portable case?

You can trim a lot of the mobo off and then relocate required components just using wires and such to make them more compact and fit in a smaller space. Very interesting how people just figure this kind of stuff out

Wii PCB trimming is really insane, you can take a Wii mobo and trim it down to super tiny amounts which is crazy

 

[sarkwalvein]

How does that even work? How did he reduce the N64 circuit board into something that can fit inside a portable case?

With a saw, a hammer and some glue.

 

[KokoseiJ]

You can trim a lot of the mobo off and then relocate required components just using wires and such to make them more compact and fit in a smaller space. Very interesting how people just figure this kind of stuff out [emoji38]

Wii PCB trimming is really insane, you can take a Wii mobo and trim it down to super tiny amounts which is crazy

It really is insane, they somehow manage to fit that stuff in even a bloody altoids tin! (Though it is called Kill Mii- you can see the frustration he must've felt. )

 

[raxadian]

Hey if it wasn’t for the iQue we might not have had Gigaleak.

The iQue can be hacked since last year, but not all models and firmwares.