Downing's Basement

Welcome to Downing’s Basement and thank you for your interest in Commissioning a portable project! Due to the recent popularity of my N64 portables that have been all over Instagram and X, there has been a huge influx of people asking about them and how much. This page will answer all the most frequently asked questions about the commission process, pricing and lead times.

At the end, if everything seems agreeable and you wish commission a project, please fill out the form below. This will make things much easier in keeping track of those who are serious about the project.

UPDATE: Currently I’m in the middle of a very large project that is going to take me through April 2025. I can still take on a couple commissions but lead times may be extended.

FAQ

Q. What kind of systems do you portablize?
A. Currently I am only doing N64 portables. See the specs below.

Q. How much are they going for?
A. Currently they are going for $1200 USD.
– I understand this sounds like a lot, but after considering that there are over $300 worth of parts alone, along with 25hrs+ in production and other various taxes and fees, that number becomes a lot more understandable.
– I used to include shipping in the base price as well, but the cost to ship something insured has gotten stupid at nearly $50 a pop. So there will be an additional $35 maximum offset for standard insured shipping. Expedited will be handled on a case to case basis.
– A list of what is included in the package is with the specs below.

Q. Do you ship International?
A. Not at this time. However, if you have a freight forwarding account and I only have to ship to a location in the continental US, then yes. However, this does affect my ability to provide warranty coverage and once the package reaches the domestic destination, I no longer have control and the sale is final regardless of if or how, the package is delivered. I also will not be responsible for additional taxes/fees or tariffs based on the declared value.

Q. Do you offer any kind of warranty?
A. Yes, I offer a 30 day workmanship warranty to protect against DOA or other issues that could potentially pop up with a new build for domestic shipments only. It does not however cover accidental or other damages. After the 30 days, if something does go wrong, we can always discuss options and pricing to fix. Please see the Warranty and Returns policy below.

Q. Do you offer Returns?
A. No, unless the system happens to fail within the 30 day warranty period. Please see more details in the Warranty and Returns Policy below.

SYSTEM SPECs & INCLUDED EXTRAS
– The base unit is an original N64 mother board, with Standard Jumper Pak. This unit will not play Donkey Kong 64 (though I doubt anyone is really going to complain about that) or the campaign version of Perfect Dark. The Expansion Pak could be installed, but it kills the battery life and increases the amount of heat distributed through the system, which are two instances portables actively try to avoid and is not recommended!

– This is a Single Player only system. Maybe down the road there will be an option for a breakout box with A/V out and multi-player tap, but for now they are for single player titles only.

– There is currently only one form factor available, though it could be printed in a variety of different materials, colors with custom screen protector artwork.

Standard Specs Include

– 5″ 4:3 Aspect Ratio 640×480 Composite LCD Display
– 3D Printed Enclosure w/CNC Acrylic/Polycarbonate or PET Screen Protector and Self-Adhesive Art Work
– 3D Printed Buttons & Joy Con control stick
– Custom Main PCB & Modular Components for Audio, Controller and Power Management by “4 Layer Tech”
– USB-C PD Charging
– (3)18650 Batteries for about 2hrs Battery Life
– Supports Play & Charge over USB-C PD power adapter
– 3mm (1/8″) Headphone Stereo Jack w/auto switching
– EXTRAS INCLUDED – USB-C Charging Dock with Magnetic Disconnect, 45W USB-C PD Charger, 6′ USB-C Charging Cable, Apache 2800 Carrying Case

*****IMPORTANT – KNOWN GLITCHES Updated 9-8-2024****

– It has come to my attention since the first couple of these have been built, that there are some recurring glitches with certain actions that need to be addressed. While one of these seems to have only affected one client, the other is consistent throughout every build and those who designed the PCBs are looking into the issues. These boards are only in their first revision after all, so some tweaking is to be expected.
– However, until such patches are made, here is a list of the glitches so far, their workarounds and actions being made to fix.

#1 – AUTOMATIC POWER SAFETY MODE – SYSTEM GOES INTO PSM BY ITSELF – I’m not sure this is even a real feature, but it was discovered that if the charging cable is removed while the system is charging and not yet fully charged, the PMS will put itself into Power Safety Mode automatically.
– WORKAROUND – Cycling the power button 3 times seems to take it out of this mode and on the third press, the LED NINTENDO Logo will briefly flash RED and the system will boot normally.
– ACTIONS – Those who designed the Power Management System are looking into both the custom coding that went into the boards for this project as well as its compatibility with the N64 hardware itself.

#2 – NO CONTROLLER DETECTED – CERTAIN GAMES WILL THROW “NO CONTROLLER” ERROR WHILE OTHERS WORK FINE – This has only been a considerable problem for one client. While I did come across this in testing a couple of times, the problem was always fixed by a reset.

UPDATE: – It seems the root cause for this has something to do with the power up cycle. The PMS takes a microsecond longer to power up the console than just flipping a switch. This delay seems to be enough to affect some games that during it’s boot load checks, thinks the controller isn’t present because the PMS hadn’t powered it up just then, even though it was connected.

-SOLUTION – We determined that simply hitting the reset button fixed this problem with all the games tested. Which made sense as a soft reset keeps the system fully powered, thus eliminating the boot load time gap and fixing the “No Controller” message.

WARRANTY, CANCELLATION & RETURNS POLICY

– My WARRANTY Policy is limited and with a short window, due to the custom nature of the projects. Rest assured that each unit that I produces goes through a three (3) hour burn in test and is working to my satisfaction before it leaves the building, I understand things can still happen.
– I offer a 30 Day Workmanship Warranty which is designed to protect against a DOA situation or if a component happens to fail. That situation is rare though and most times there are little to no issues.
– If issues do happen after the 30 Days, still reach out as I can help asses any problems or we can come up with a plan for a repair.

– My CANCELLATION Policy is dependent on the phase of the project.
– All booked projects require a deposit (see Booking below) for place holding and parts. Up until those parts have been allocated for your project, the project can be cancelled and refunded in full.
– Once the parts have been allocated and production has begun but the final payment has not been made, the deposit becomes non-refundable. This is to compensate for the time that has been put into production already.
– If the project is completed and the final payment has been made and yet you wish to return the unit at a later date, I can only offer to buy back the value of the parts, as my time cannot be returned.

– My RETURNS Policy is also limited, due to the custom nature of the project. Unless there is clear evidence of a large mistake or error in terms of build quality, no full-refund returns are accepted.
– If you do find yourself having to return the system for any reason outside of a covered failure, the only thing I will be able to do is buy back they system for the cost of the components that went into it, which is usually about 25% of the project.

BOOKING & EXPECTED LEAD TIME

– To get on the schedule, all persons must agree to the terms above and fill out the initial contact form below.
– After initial contact has been made and build details have been agreed upon, a $500 USD deposit will be required to put your place in line and ordering of required components.
– The deposit is refundable up to the point were said components have been allocated to your project. See Return and Cancel Policies Above for more info.
– I will only be taking on up to 3 projects at a time, in which case if you are still interested, you will be added in cue on a wait list until the next project slot opens up.

– Expected Lead Time can vary based on supply chain and other factors like custom artwork and so forth.
– The project has the potential to be completed in 4 to 6 weeks after parts have been allocated. But as I still do this mostly as a hobby, it’s directly related to the free time I have to work on it.

PAYEMENT INFORMATION

– In this wonderful digital age, we are blessed with a multitude of ways to spread cash and credit around. And while cash still remains king, I understand that for most instances that’s not possible.
– Given PayPal’s recent crack downs on letting you receive money, but not give you access to it until they think it’s ok, I’m kinda done with them.
– That being said, I will still accept Pay Pal, but greatly prefer Venmo to it.
– These details can all be arranged though private conversation when the time comes.

So again, I just want to thank you for your interest in my work and very much appreciate your interest to get this far! I look forward to working with you!

Please fill out the information below so we can get started!

Thank You!