Even though the Nintendo 64 is no longer part of the gaming landscape, a lot of people remember the console fondly. This is why N64 ROMs are so popular. People are desperate to relive the past by playing their favorite N64 games. But even if you could buy an N64 today, where would you find the cartridges?
If you want to play N64 games right now, you need an emulator like Mupen64, the kind that you can use to play N64 games on your PC.
What is Mupen64?
Mupen64 is an N64 emulator. The program was created by Hacktarux. Released in 2001, the developer wanted to turn Mupen64 into a cross-platform emulator that could work on FreeBSD, OS X, and AROS. At the start, it was only compatible with Windows and Linux.
Even though ports for the other systems were added, later on, they received very little maintenance, which is why Mupen64 was eventually known as a Windows and Linux emulator.
The program was short-lived. Hacktarux abandoned the project in 2005 following the release of Mupen64 version 0.5. The Mupen64 name is still alive and well today but only because several branch projects came out of the work that Hackatarux did. For instance:
1). Mupen64++ – This is the most popular version of Mupen64 on the market. Initially designed to provide a 64-bit recompiler, the new developers modified the plugin API, a controversial decision that turned Mupen64++ into one of the best N64 emulators on the internet.
2). Mupen64 RR – People use this emulator to make TAS movies. It has several hacked versions that resolve the program’s emulation accuracy issues.
3). Mupen64 LUA – People use this version for testing, TASing, and brute-forcing. It is compatible with Lua scripting.
4). Mupen64 PUS – This version is not as popular because it experiences unknown crashes.
Mupen64 Features
- You can choose from one of four resolutions
- You have 3 texture cache sizes
- It supports Fullscreen mode
- Bilinear Filtering
- You can limit the speed of games
- You can adjust the video and audio settings
- Three emulation cores to choose from
- It works with plugins
How To Install Mupen64?
Step 1. Download the emulator. Get a version that fits your system
Step 2. Extract the zip folder
Step 3. Run the .exe file
Where to download Mupen64Plus?
- Size: 2.3MB
- License: Freeware
- Platform: Windows
- Release date: 2005
How To Use Mupen64?
Mupen64 may frustrate people that are not accustomed to using emulators via a command line. You don’t have a GUI to work with. Though that isn’t always the case. It is a question of the version you have downloaded.
For instance, Mupen64+AE has a simple interface that allows you to load ROMs on Android.
If you have the basic version, you have to grow accustomed to using the command line.
Conclusion
Mupen64 is not the best N64 emulator. If you want to play N64 games, you are better off using Mupen64++ or one of the other versions of the program that Hacktarux created. The emulator is dated. You cannot trust it to perform efficiently and accurately.
But if you just want a basic platform to experiment with, you can give Mupen64 a try.
