GoldenEye 007 Nintendo 64 Community, GoldenEye X, Nintendo 64 Games Discussion

[AL64inthedark]

I bought my everdrive few days ago. Oh joy, playing GE:X on original hardware.

Less joy is playing it on a LCD with composite cable. So I went for the svideo sold by consolegoods which is wired right for pal system.

I always heard (checked again) that only last models of N64 doesn't output svideo (like the transparent for example). Seem not only those...

Mine is a pal 001-fra. Yes, the only pal model rbg moddable.
Problem is, I neither have the skill or material available to do it right now.
So aheum I went for that svideo solution. I suppose total black screen mean the console can't do it (I tried with both ntsc and pal svideo cable).
Problem sure doesn't come from TV (I tried everything on it).

Seem really strange, I've never ever read someone saying svideo doesn't work on that model, but maybe that's because they all go for rgb mod with the fra 001 ?

EDIT: I just read that only the EUR models can...but wouldn't give that much credit to the source, tho.

Last edited by AL64inthedark on Tue Feb 17, 2015 11:45 pm; edited 1 time in total

[Kerr Avon]

Sorry, I can't help, but I wanted to say that since you now have a flash cartridge, remember to try the other games and hacks that are now open to you, i.e.:


- Other Goldeneye/Perfect Dark mods, such as all single player levels in multiplayer modes - not ideal, since so many SP levels are more linear and less open, but interesting (even against the sims), plus there are versions of this mod with weather in them! Also, you can use the Goldeneye weapons in PD's multiplayer using a patch, and even make the sims use the Proximity and Timed Mines (http://www.shootersforever.com/forums_message_boards/viewtopic.php?t=5996)

- The unreleased full commercial game 40 Winks,

- The F-Zero X mod F-Zero X Climax,

- The English translated versions of games like Sin and Punishment, and Wonder Project J2,

- Lots of mods for other games, such as Super Mario 64, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (not all of these work on real hardware, though, sadly),

- Aleck64 arcade games,

- Alpha/beta versions of released and unreleased games, etc.



I can't post links for these as it's against the TOS of this forum, plus I don't have many of them (just the ones that interest me), but you can find out about them from looking through the official Everdrive 64 forum, at:

http://krikzz.com/forum/index.php?board=4.0

[MRKane]

I've cranked a few of those on the Doctor 64 and they generally work well, with a couple of exceptions where the games were only made to work on emulator, in which case they usually won't boot.

Pertaining to the s-video cable: I got one of those also (and then figured out how to do it myself. typical) but anyway I had great success with it. I guess try it with different TVs/N64s to make sure that it's a problem with the console before you move ahead (with the don't fix what isn't broken approach...unless like me you use the "for science!" principle, but I digress).

Looking at the scans from that board revision (NUS-CPU(R)-001 aka NUS-001(FRA)?) that looks very different. There's an extra chip hanging around video! The Scan that I found on the assembler forum appeared to have the necessary chip for the RGB mod - and that's the crucial part, so if you've got that chip you're all go for the mod really. Also from the reverse scans all of the pins seem to be connected so unless luma is not getting a signal it should be working. So you get audio or a signal recognition from the TV through the s-video cable? That's a safe null-check.

Having been under the hood of N64s for a while now my main suggestion here is to be methodical, patient and have plenty of solderwick, but they're pretty forgiving, just don't panic and good luck if you go ahead!
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No Mr. Bond, I expect you to be re-coded!

[AL64inthedark]

I found a cheap EUR N64 on ebay, so I bought this.

About my actual FRA model, yes, it does send a signal, somehow, while using svideo cable. The sound works and my tv switch from standard RCA (composite) to Svideo, as soon as I start the console.

Seem not surprising that a french model would not have svideo, because that thing is quite unusual here. It always was RBG or composite all the way.
Even in the mid 90s, when buying a tv, the sellers didn't knew what I was talking about when mentioning svideo to play japanese and USA games

About RGB mod, I just checked again, and actually it doesn't seem that much complicated to mod this N64 model. Well, it cost still more than buying an EUR console and enjoy Svideo :p

[MRKane]

One of the things that struck me about the RGB mod was the *stunningly complicated* TV connections people had made to connect it to TVs that didn't support RGB off the bat.

It seems as though part of the svideo for the FRA model is live but oddly enough isn't getting everything through. Might be just one of those Nintendo didn't think things.

Good luck with whatever you do decide to do! I throughly enjoy microelectronics
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No Mr. Bond, I expect you to be re-coded!

[AL64inthedark]

I remember back in those days, I used to tell people they're not in RGB, even if they tought they was. Quite often CRTs (at least those sold in France), only had one of the port that was reallly RGB.

Quote:

Might be just one of those Nintendo didn't think things.

Well, it makes sens to not give a **** about svideo in france, especially if you thought to make it RGB, like you, and everybody else always did.
But about canceling RGB on this FRA model, it makes no sens at all. I would really love to hear the argument of the people responsible for that.

[AL64inthedark]

So. The EUR console has arrived and that consolegood Svideo cable works wonder.

I tried it on a LCD to see the difference with composite. Lol, it's really a huge difference, everything stop blinking and look sharp.
Well it's of course on CRT that it's the best

http://i.imgur.com/w7Nkxkq.jpg

[MRKane]

Glad to hear that you've got it going! It really does make the difference

Probably one of the things I did notice through the svideo on a modern screen is that PD seems to have the blur effect on a little bit all the time - did you think that or was it just me?
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No Mr. Bond, I expect you to be re-coded!

[AL64inthedark]

Well honestly, I just installed my CRT again so I just tried it on a LCD for a mission. I don't really took the time to investigate on how the thing is displayed.

It looked to me very pixalisated at first impression. More of a "not enough blurry" feeling to it, than the opposite.
It looked like a very sharp and rough upscale. My LCD is the Sony 32D3000. I bought it because review said it was one of the best model at its time about upscaling.
I had to lower the "sharpness" setting after few seconds, because it looked too blocky to me. And this is a setting that I don't touch from its value where it doesn't affect the image 99% of the time.
So, to me, I asked for more blur to make it enjoyable ^^

But, it's just a fast impression I got, you may very well be right. Plus, I didn't tried any other game for comparison purpose, which is needed to have a point of view :p

EDIT: The picture posted above is taken with the sharpness setting put to a very low value, to blur things.

[Trevor]

I notice that most TVs come with the sharpness all the way up.
I callibrated my screen and found the 'correct' value to be 2 (tv having a scale 1 -5)
(callibrating sharpness is via a grid of greys that should blend, sharpness exagerates contrast and so produces a bad image)

I feel I must be very lucky with my LCD 48".
When we play GEx at a freinds house its displayed badly...

I would love more contrast and hope that when OLED TVs become flat and cheaper I can still run my N64 through it as I do now.
(I hate curved TVs, they dont look right hanging on a wall and they dont increase viewing angle. if your in a corner you wont see half the image)

Trev
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