N64 Portable Kit Assembly Guide (Read First)

NOTE: THIS KIT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE AND THE PARTIAL GUIDE IS FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY. MANY PARTS MAY BE OBSOLETE AND/OR NO LONGER AVAILABLE.

Introduction

The Nintendo 64 (without a doubt the best home gaming console of the mid to late 90’s) has kept it’s hold on me throughout the years, despite having it’s 20th birthday this year. But, I’d say that for the better half of N64’s existence, people like me have been hacking the hell out of them, turning closet space fillers into new portable renditions of the TV based console. Though this may not be the most practical route for most who just want to “play” their retro games on the go, for creative minds who like a challenge, building a portable console is not only fun and rewarding, but it can open up a whole new world to those who want to push their skill sets further.

Of course, everyone has to start somewhere and the N64 was my beginning into the console modding scene. So it seemed fitting that my first full blown “How To” console guide be centered around the N64, also, in a form I would have killed to have had back when I started, in an all-inclusive N64 Portable Kit! And not just any kit, as most attempts in the past were using off-the-shelf parts that had to be hacked or modified in some way to work, but a kit with custom components designed to be in a portable, fit into a custom designed casing for easy mounting and assembly. That combined with an in-depth guide on how it all goes together makes for the simplest solution for any beginner or advanced modder to create their own N64 Portable console.

WORD OF CAUTION: Though a big portion of the guess work is taken out of this with the kit, it is still a challenging project to complete if it’s your first time working with electronics. The guide assumes that you have a basic understanding of simple electronic circuits and terminology. If at any point you don’t understand a step, diagram or term, stop and do some research on it before continuing, especially if it involves questions with the batteries or power in general. I would recommend reading through this guide ahead of time to know what you’re going to be getting into and weigh in on if you think your skills are up to the task.

So alright then, here it is! The culmination of over 3 months worth of work to bring to you a step-by-step guide to assembling one of my N64 Portable Kits.

Part I – Getting Started & Tools Needed