Play PAL games on a Japanese N64?

[SirDerpyWill]

Hey all,

I'm going to Japan in a few months and while I'm there I plan on picking up a Japanese Nintendo 64 and a few games to go with it. When I bring it back home to Australia I am aware I will need to use an Australian N64 Power supply, that's fine. What I'm worried about is how I'm going to play games from other regions on it (specifically PAL) I've heard of region convertors to play NTSC games on a PAL N64 so I would hope there is something for the other way around, is there anything else I should be worried about aswell?

Thanks in advance,

- SDW

 

[Lumstar]

It's likely you'll need a video mod, or a converter that can force 60hz. NTSC color encoding at 50hz isn't a valid TV standard.

 

[Deleted User]

It's likely you'll need a video mod, or a converter that can force 60hz. NTSC color encoding at 50hz isn't a valid TV standard.

I thought you could get one of those passport things where you plug in both the PAL game you want and an NTSC game for the CIC chip

Speaking of which, I was thinking of getting rid of my PAL N64 to free up space, and my N64 shelf is too narrow for something like passport, I have been considering getting a PAL CIC chip modded to my NTSC console with a switch as some people have done but I'd rather not mod my console.
Would it be possible to make some kind of really small (like 2cm high) and simple adapter that consists of just a Jap/US CIC chip and pass-through pins for the PAL cart minus the CIC pins? Would be so simple even I could build it myself (if I can find an N64 cartridge connector).

Though, isn't the CIC chip needed to determine the N64 clockspeed? so if my idea worked I would have Perfect Dark running at 1.2x speed? Or does the ROM tell the N64 to go into slow mode?

 

[Lumstar]

My understanding is N64 sets 50hz or 60hz in software. If true, you'll get NTSC50 from composite and s-video.
Except I don't own a passport or flash cart to try PAL games.

 

[Deleted User]

My understanding is N64 sets 50hz or 60hz in software. If true, you'll get NTSC50 from composite and s-video.
Except I don't own a passport or flash cart to try PAL games.

I know my TV and my signal converter both don't like the NTSC 50 signal my NTSC GameCube produces when it runs a 50Hz game on Freeloader, apparently it's an issue with the GameCube rather than my hardware not accepting the signal format IDK about the N64's NTSC 50 signal, I am considering getting a Passport from EMS to either use as parts for my above idea, or attach a ribbon cable to so I can plug it in without running out of vertical room so I could test then, but IDK when I will get round to it.

 

[Armadillo]

lumstar is correct. 50/60Hz is set by software on n64. Colouring encoding is by hardware. So game PAL game on NTSC console will produce NTSC50. Not suprising that the signal convertor does not like it. It's not a valid standard.

I would just RGB mod the console, bypass the colour encoding issues altogether. And yes, they can all be rgb modded before someone comes in with "but only early ones can be done". That hasn't been true for a long time.

 

[Lumstar]

I know my TV and my signal converter both don't like the NTSC 50 signal my NTSC GameCube produces when it runs a 50Hz game on Freeloader, apparently it's an issue with the GameCube rather than my hardware not accepting the signal format IDK about the N64's NTSC 50 signal, I am considering getting a Passport from EMS to either use as parts for my above idea, or attach a ribbon cable to so I can plug it in without running out of vertical room so I could test then, but IDK when I will get round to it.

While expensive, GameCube doesn't have to be modded. The component cable fixes this.