Nintendo 64 Games Can Now Be Recompiled Into PC Games...

Summary

The video discusses the evolution of game emulation into recompilation, exemplified by 'The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask' running natively on PCs at 120 frames per second. It highlights the importance of emulation for game preservation, mentioning the challenges of emulating N64 games and the potential of recompilation tools like N64 recompiler. These tools allow for creating PC ports with enhanced features such as ray tracing, wide screen support, and improved frame rates. The video also touches on the broader implications for game preservation and the potential benefits for companies like Nintendo, urging them to embrace these developments for better porting of classic games.

Takeaways

• 🕹️ The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask has been recompiled for modern PCs, allowing for features like higher frame rates and resolution adjustments.
• 📱 Emulation is important for game preservation, with examples like the PlayStation 3 and its games becoming harder to access as hardware ages.
• 🎮 Emulators exist for a wide range of gaming systems, from the Nintendo 64 to the Sega systems, keeping older games alive and playable.
• 🛠️ The N64 recompiler tool allows for reverse engineering and recompiling of N64 games into native executable files for PC, opening up possibilities for enhancements.
• 💻 Recompiling games can lead to significant improvements, such as the addition of ray tracing, widescreen support, and other graphical enhancements.
• 📚 The process involves using a TOML file to configure the recompiler, specifying input and output paths, and defining how certain functions should be handled.
• 🔍 The recompilation approach requires the use of instruction decoders to speed up the process of converting machine code into C code.
• 🚀 This method of recompiling can potentially lead to better and more faithful ports of classic games on modern platforms compared to traditional emulation.
• 🧩 The recompilation of games could be beneficial for companies like Nintendo, allowing them to offer enhanced versions of their classic games.
• 🎉 The advancements in emulation and recompilation are not limited to the N64; they have the potential to improve the experience of playing games from other platforms as well.

Q & A

What is the significance of recompiling games like Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for modern PCs?

Recompiling games for modern PCs allows them to run natively with enhancements such as higher frame rates (up to 120 FPS), improved resolutions, and graphical features like ray tracing. This makes classic games more accessible and enjoyable on current hardware.

Why is emulation important for game preservation?

Emulation is crucial for game preservation as it allows older games that are no longer sold or supported to be played on modern systems. This prevents the loss of gaming history and culture and ensures that classic games remain playable for future generations.

What is the difference between emulation and recompilation in the context of video games?

Emulation involves creating a software environment that mimics the original hardware, allowing games to run as they would on the original system. Recompilation, on the other hand, involves translating the game's code into a format that can run natively on modern hardware, often enabling additional enhancements and improvements.

How does the recompilation of N64 games with the N64 recompiler work?

The N64 recompiler works by taking the original game's binary code and metadata, splitting it into functions, and recompiling each into a C function named according to the metadata. This process allows for modifications such as adding ray tracing or other graphical enhancements.

What role do emulators play in preserving games that are tied to specific hardware?

Emulators allow games that are tied to specific hardware, and which may no longer be available for purchase or supported, to be played on modern systems. This is particularly important for games like Metal Gear Solid 4, which can only be played on the PlayStation 3, a console that is no longer officially sold by Sony.

What enhancements can be made to recompiled games that might not be possible with emulation alone?

Recompiled games can have enhancements such as ray tracing, widescreen support, DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), and other graphical improvements. These enhancements are not typically possible with emulation alone due to the limitations of interpreting the original code.

How does the process of recompiling games differ from simply running them through an emulator?

Recompiling involves converting the game's code into a format that can be natively executed by modern hardware, allowing for modifications and enhancements. Running a game through an emulator involves mimicking the original hardware environment, which may not allow for the same level of modification or optimization.

What is the potential impact of recompilation on the gaming community and game preservation?

Recompilation can greatly benefit the gaming community by making classic games more accessible and enjoyable with modern enhancements. It also aids in game preservation by ensuring that these games can be played and experienced by future generations on current and future hardware.

How might recompilation be beneficial for companies like Nintendo in terms of porting older games to new platforms?

Recompilation allows for the creation of better ports of older games on new platforms, with improved performance, graphics, and additional features. This could lead to higher quality releases and a better gaming experience for users, potentially increasing sales and customer satisfaction.

What are some of the technical challenges involved in recompiling games like those from the N64 era?

Recompiling games from the N64 era involves reverse engineering the original code, splitting it into functions, and recompiling it into a format that can run on modern hardware. This process requires a deep understanding of the original game's architecture and can be time-consuming and complex.

How does the recompilation process compare to the methods used by companies like Microsoft for backward compatibility of games?

Companies like Microsoft have used similar techniques, such as reverse engineering and recompiling, to enable backward compatibility for games like those from the Xbox 360 on the Xbox One. This allows for enhancements like higher frame rates and HDR support, providing a better gaming experience on newer hardware.

Outlines

00:00

🕹️ Emulation to PC Port Evolution

The paragraph discusses the evolution from emulation to creating PC ports for classic games, using 'The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask' as an example. It highlights how the game, originally an N64 title, now runs natively on PCs at 120 frames per second, thanks to recompilation that allows for modern enhancements like adjustable resolution, frame rate, and anti-aliasing. The speaker also touches on the importance of emulation for game preservation, mentioning the challenges of hardware-based games like 'Metal Gear Solid 4' and the role of emulators in keeping older games alive. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the imperfections of traditional N64 emulation and introduces the concept of the N64 recompiler as a tool for reverse engineers to develop PC ports of N64 games.

05:00

🛠️ N64 Recompiler and Game Enhancements

This paragraph delves into the technical aspects of the N64 recompiler, a tool that recompiles games into native executable files, allowing for extensive modifications and enhancements. It discusses the implementation of ray tracing in 'Super Mario 64' as an example of the potential enhancements possible with recompilation. The paragraph explains how the recompiler works, using metadata and binary files to split the input binary into functions, which are then recompiled into C functions. It also describes the use of a TOML file for configuring the recompiler's behavior, including specifying file paths and modifying game functions. The speaker mentions the benefits of using instruction decoders to speed up the recompilation process and how this method can lead to the creation of PC ports that offer improved performance and graphical capabilities compared to traditional emulation.

10:02

🎮 The Future of Game Preservation and Emulation

The final paragraph contemplates the future of game preservation and the potential impact of recompilation on the emulation community. It suggests that recompilation could lead to better performance and instant loading times, as well as graphical enhancements like ray tracing. The speaker expresses hope that companies like Nintendo will embrace recompilation for creating better ports of classic games, rather than resorting to legal action against developers. The paragraph also highlights the importance of game preservation and the role of subscription services like Nintendo Switch Online in providing access to older games. It concludes by encouraging viewers to share their thoughts on the topic and to support the content through likes, comments, and subscriptions.

Keywords

💡Emulation

Emulation refers to the ability of one device or program to imitate another device or program. In the context of the video, it discusses the evolution of game emulation, where classic games are made playable on modern systems. The script mentions 'emulating' as a process that has advanced to the point where games like 'Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask' are no longer simply emulated but recompiled for modern PCs, showcasing the progress in emulation technology.

💡Recompilation

Recompilation is the process of translating or converting code from one form to another, often to optimize or adapt it for a new environment. The video script discusses the recompilation of N64 games into native executable files for PCs, allowing for enhancements not possible with traditional emulation. This process is central to the video's theme of preserving and enhancing classic games for modern systems.

💡Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

'Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask' is a popular video game title from the Nintendo 64 era. The script uses this game as an example to illustrate the advancements in emulation and recompilation, noting that it can now run natively on PCs at 120 frames per second with modifications such as resolution and frame rate adjustments.

💡Game Preservation

Game preservation is the act of keeping video games accessible and playable over time, often through digital means. The video emphasizes the importance of emulation and recompilation for game preservation, as it allows older games to be enjoyed on current hardware and software platforms. The script mentions this in relation to the availability of classic games like 'Metal Gear Solid 4' through emulation.

💡N64

N64, short for Nintendo 64, is a video game console released by Nintendo in the late 1990s. The script discusses the challenges and advancements in emulating N64 games, which were historically difficult to emulate accurately. The introduction of recompilation tools has made it possible to run N64 games natively on modern systems, improving performance and compatibility.

💡Ray Tracing

Ray tracing is a rendering technique used in 3D graphics to simulate realistic lighting and reflections. The video script mentions ray tracing as an enhancement that can be added to recompiled games, such as 'Super Mario 64', to create more immersive and visually impressive gaming experiences.

💡RPCS3

RPCS3 is a PlayStation 3 emulator that allows users to play PS3 games on their PCs. The script refers to RPCS3 as an example of the progress in emulation technology, noting that it has advanced to the point where it can emulate the entire library of PS3 games with features like online support and graphical enhancements.

💡Compatibility Lists

Compatibility lists are documents or databases that detail which games or software can be successfully emulated on a particular emulator. The script mentions these lists in the context of N64 emulation, explaining that not all games are playable on every emulator due to technical limitations and the need for specific configurations.

💡Recompilation Tool

A recompilation tool is a software utility designed to convert the code of a program into a different format or language, often for optimization or porting purposes. The video script discusses a specific recompilation tool that can convert N64 games into native executable files for PC, enabling modifications and enhancements that were not possible with traditional emulation.

💡Game Modding

Game modding is the process of altering or modifying a video game to change or enhance its content or gameplay. The script suggests that recompilation could enable more extensive game modding, such as creating a full PC port of a modified version of 'Majora's Mask', which would not be possible with traditional emulation.

💡Enhanced Graphics

Enhanced graphics refer to the improved visual quality of a game, often achieved through higher resolutions, better frame rates, or additional graphical features like ray tracing. The video script highlights enhanced graphics as a benefit of recompiling classic games for modern systems, using 'Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask' running at 120 frames per second as an example.

Highlights

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask can run natively at 120 frames per second on a PC, recompiled to support modern programs.

Emulation is crucial for game preservation, allowing access to games tied to obsolete hardware.

Games like Metal Gear Solid 4, tied to specific hardware, can be played on PC through emulation.

The N64 recompiler tool allows for the conversion of N64 games into native executable files for PC, facilitating enhancements like ray tracing.

Recompiling games can lead to better performance, faster load times, and support for modern graphical features.

Emulation has evolved to include compatibility lists and continuous improvements for a broader range of games.

The recompiler works by taking game binary data and metadata to split and recompile into C functions, enhancing modifiability.

A .toml file is used to configure the recompiler, specifying file paths and functions to modify or skip.

Recompilation can significantly reduce the time required for developers to create PC ports of N64 games.

Microsoft has used similar recompilation techniques for Xbox 360 games on the Xbox One.

PS3 emulation has advanced to include online support and compatibility with the entire library.

The emulation community is exploring intricate techniques for potential PlayStation 4 emulation.

Recompilation could lead to better official ports of N64 games, potentially with support from Nintendo.

The recompilation process could be beneficial for game preservation and providing enhanced experiences for classic games.

The potential for modifications through recompilation could lead to new content for classic games, like an enhanced Majora's Mask.

Recompiled games can be enjoyed on modern devices like the Steam Deck, with limitless enhancement possibilities.

Transcripts

you hear the birds chirping that's the

side of a massive emulation W boyos now

I don't even know if I can call today's

video an emulation W simply because I

don't really think that we're actually

emulating anymore boys now I'm going to

list a game off to you okay Legend of

Zelda Majora's Mask now if you think to

yourself man muda that game is old

that's an N64 title what if I told you

you basically have a functioning PC Port

right available the these days ladies

and gentlemen now of course this is

actually Legend of Zelda Major's mask as

you're seeing and what's interesting

about this is this is running at 60 fra

actually 120 frames per second natively

on a PC not through an emulator this is

the actual game recompiled to support

modern PC programs meaning that you can

do things like actually modify its

resolution uh frame rate at

anti-aliasing and of course do a whole

slew of changes this is by all stretch

of the imagination effectively a PC game

at this moment in time and this makes

modifying N64 stuff easily but we'll

look at that in a little bit now while

the world is creaming itself over things

like retroarc being available on the

iPhone now congratulations Apple boyos

you finally caught up to the Android

Brethren no emulation is important and I

speak about it from the perspective of

game preservation now obviously I've

made lots of emulator Focus content on

my channel I played Grand Theft Auto 5

on a PlayStation 3 emulator just to show

you that the single player of the game

is basically preserved in its initial

state with the initial soundtrack and

how Rockstar had initially made the game

before they ported it to the PS4 PS5 PC

and sooner the ps6 whenever that drops

but of course there are games that are

entirely locked to a actual piece of

Hardware games like Metal Gear Solid 4

guns to the Patriots imagine buying

Metal Gear Solid 3 on Steam and thinking

to yourself boy I really wish could play

Metal Gear Solid 4 and then realizing

that buying the game isn't really an

option anymore since Sony doesn't sell

the PlayStation 3 officially anymore

it's not really a matter of even being

able to buy the hardware right from Sony

themselves and the thing about it is is

as the PlayStation 3 ages the ability to

get that device is going to dwindle as

time goes on but thanks to emulators

like rpcs3 YouTube can enjoy Metal Gear

Solid 4 right on your PC right now

provided you have a strong enough system

to emulate the PlayStation 3 and the

Behemoth that is Metal Gear Solid 4 and

that allows us to basically play through

the entire game on the PC but of course

emulators aren't just relegated to the

PlayStation 3 PlayStation 2 N64 Super

Nintendo Nintendo Entertainment System

Sega whatever any popular system it's

got an emulator attached to it and

that's what keeps a lot of these older

games that don't have PC ports or aren't

even being sold on storefronts anymore

alive and playable by the game Gaming

Community now Legend of Zelda Majora's

Mask is by far one of the most popular

games in The Legend of Zelda franchise

next to ocarine of time so on and so

forth and there's a reason why people no

matter what your age is or what era of

gaming you live in probably want to

experience the game and you've got a few

options you can play the 3DS version or

you can play the N64 version of the game

it's really up to you but the thing

about it is is how do you preserve a

game like that and update it to Modern

standards well things like emulating N64

games which there are actual a64

emulators out there but throughout the

history of that console emulating games

hasn't exactly been perfect in fact in

most cases emulation comes with its own

slew of constant errors whether they be

graphical whether they be game logic not

working underneath certain emulators not

every game is playable underneath an

emulator right it's a simple matter of

fact that's why these things have

massive compatibility lists and there

are still games to this day that you

would think would work still don't

underneath some of the most popular

emulators that exist so obviously what

we're looking at today is something

known as the N64 recompiler now this is

a tool that statistically recompiles

games into native executable files now I

don't want to start off this video by

saying Bros you can download this tool

throw Superman 64 in and within a second

bada bing bada

boom it's a playable version of the game

no this is actually very much designed

for reverse engineers and people that

want to to develop PC ports of these N64

games now N64 emulation because it

relies on recompilation not

recompilation but reinterpretation the

amount of modifications you can do to

N64 games is quite limited okay so in

some cases if you want to add in things

like wide screen 60 frames per second

patches or further graphical

enhancements that may or may not be

possible depending on the game and which

type of emulator you use but by

recompiling it into a native executable

file you can modify games and add in

things like raate tracing if you want it

and for raate tracing Dario Samo an

individual that revealed rt64 back in

2022 a path Tracer for Super Mario 64 RT

basically evolved it into an emulator

plugin and if you look at the footage

right here it's actually quite

impressive you can see him walking

around the introduction area of ocarine

of time and you can see things like

shadows in this case see as link walks

over you can see Shadows being casted

Ray traced illumination and adds kind of

like a diarama effect to a video game

and it's more evident in something like

Super Mario or Super Mario RPG Paper

Mario sorry so again it really is just

something that adds extra life to video

games and it's not just rate tracing

it's things like widescreen support dlss

so on and so forth so Mr wise guy one of

the people behind this whole situation

describes how this recompiler works by

taking a list of symbols metadata

alongside the binary with the goal of

splitting the input binary into

functions that are each individually Rec

compiled into a c function named

according to the metadata instructions

are processed one by one and

corresponding C code is emitted as each

one gets processed the way they describe

how to use it is you basically need a

tomal file in order to configure the

behavior of the recompiler which is

actually the only argument you provide

the toml is where you specify input and

output file paths as well as optionally

stub out specific functions skip recm of

specific functions and Patch single

instructions into the target binary so

while this is again different for every

single game out there an example they

actually provide for Nintendo 6 or Zelda

64 recompilation is right here so this

is what one of these tomal files

effectively looks like so you can see

the entry points the patches they need

to work with so on and so forth and

again these are again different for each

you know uh game that comes out there

and they require extra utilization from

in myips instruction decoders like rabid

iser for instance which allows them to

again you know basically cut the time

down on recompiling Plenty of these

games so for instance back in the day

when you saw like Super Mario 64

recompilation basically drop down a PC

Port basically of Super Mario 64 a lot

of these developers that are working on

these kind of projects can basically

trim the fat and time down and basically

you know develop these projects far

quicker than you could imagine so for

instance these projects right for these

recompilations it cuts down on the time

because what's effectively happening is

this tool is taking the machine code uh

the oper and code of like N64 games and

converting them on the fly to actual

equivalent C code out there which can

then be you know brought in and then you

know you can attach things like your

graphic libraries you know add in your

fancy guis make ports out of it and

basically create recompilation projects

for many N64 games out there and again

I'm trying to like uh lay in the stuff

up just to make everybody really

understand that these are at the end of

the day games that are designed to not

just be emulation projects but to be

reinterpretations not reinterpretations

but recompilations and effectively PC

ports of these N64 titles and there's a

pretty good write up about this too uh

when it came to recompiling NES games

into native executables as well and

again this is a project that goes beyond

just N64 titles as well from my

understanding even Microsoft does this

to an extent with the actual Xbox One

when it comes to Xbox 360 games back in

2017 when they were interviewing with

digital Foundry uh the basically one of

the things they brought up was

essentially the original Xbox 360 power

PC executables are reverse engineered

into an intermediate then recompiled

into x86 and there's also been talk of

some level of Hardware compatibility

integrated directly into the processor

so to give you an idea this is also how

from my understanding Microsoft allows

certain Xbox 360 games to have things

like 60 frame patches 120 frame patches

HDR so on and so forth because they're

actually able to modify more of the game

because they're not just simply

emulating it like something like Zenia

from my understanding does the thing

about actual emulation is in the last

several years there have been so many

different forks and Pats that the entire

scene is actually mindboggling you if

you think about it PlayStation 3

emulation used to be kind of a pipe

dream I thought at a while but now

pretty much the entire Library seems to

be up and running and it seems to

function as an original PlayStation 3

would it's to a point where the even the

PS3 emulator now has things like online

support uh you can use plenty of cheats

to modify the game's memory to give you

things like Ultra widecreen better frame

rates and there are actually safe States

somehow working in a PS3 emulator but

again even Beyond emulating it we're on

the cusp of people finally digging into

PlayStation 4 emulation using very

intricate techniques and now we're at a

point where N64 which typically had some

of the most confusing emulation

imaginable and it was genuinely tough

for a while now we're looking at tools

that allow you to natively run these

games or Port them properly over to the

PC so obviously what this will do is

it'll make the games run far better so

like that gameplay I showed you earlier

with you know Majora's Mask you can see

the game is actually running at 60

frames per second now typically Nintendo

64 games at the time ran at 20 frames

per second and they sure as weren't

running at wide screen support that's

for sure and again this is not a game

that just runs better it loads more

instantaneously and of course it has

better support for things like raate

tracing or other graphical backends and

the thing about it is too one thing you

can really look at is maybe modification

of the game might be a lot better in

terms of the content itself you know if

you want to look at some of my older

content one of the things I covered was

Ben Majora's Mask which again it'd be

wild to see if somebody could use this

recompilation and make a proper honest

to God mod of the jadusable Bend round

ARG into an actual PC Port of like

Majora's Mask now this is a situation

where again uh I am taking at least in

my opinion a bit of a risk by showing

you footage of a Nintendo game but the

idea here is I really hope Nintendo

doesn't go against this idea of

recompilation in fact I hope Nintendo

actually reaches out and works more

closely with the Developers for this

because I think this is a net benefit to

Nintendo themselves

imagine using this to make better ports

of emulated projects in the N64 space

than what Nintendo has currently done if

you remember back in the 3D Allstar era

the Super Mario 3D Allstar collection

where they had Super Mario 64 some

people question why they couldn't get

things like 60 frames per second working

underneath a uh switch and the reality

of it is if they had recompiled the game

or they had went this level you might

have had a much better experience with

Super Mario 64 underneath a switch than

you know whatever the effort Nintendo

put into and that is something I hope

Nintendo works with and they absolutely

Embrace going in forward the era of

emulation and preservation is so

important to the point that it's big

business for these companies they're

working in creating their own

subscription services like Nintendo

switch online which basically are places

where people pay a few bucks a month to

play some of these older games so why

not play these older games in a much

more updated and playable fashion by

utilizing some of these actual enhan

ments things like anti-aliasing things

like better resolutions updated you know

uh frame rates and possibly R tracing

down the road and again the actual

limitations don't end right there now

not only do I think this is a wild day

for emulation but I think it's a wild

day for proper game preservation look

Nintendo is one of those companies where

again you know they can easily choose to

try to dmca these people and even though

I don't believe there's any assets that

are being shared around there's no cost

for a dmca I'm sure maybe somebody in

Nintendo might legally be looking at

somebody looking at this as a way to

play Nintendo games for free in a better

capacity but I really do hope that

Nintendo looks at this and thinks damn

this is really impressive we could use

this and even if it's for the game

preservationists and the game enjoyers

people that like to play these older

Classics this is ultimately a net Boon

to run this on things like the steam

deck is absolutely a joy and to imagine

the enhancements you get because now

games are being recompiled are nothing

short of limit L but ladies and

gentlemen let me know what you think

about it in the comments section below

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