NTSC N64 to PAL

Stoner

apart from a difficult sounding mod, does anyone know if there is a converter to allow PAL games to play on an american N64. I haven't seen much on google about one, I suspect that one does not exist and that I'll have to buy the games I want to play in the correct format. I've picked up a boxed US N64 and from what I learned it can output to RGB.

Retr0gamer

There are some pass through carts but I hear they are all less than perfect with bad compatibility and glitching from what I hear. There's no way to get PAL games to work on a US N64 and there are no mods that will allow you to do it so you are kind of out of luck unless you want to try one of the convertors which are very rare.

Stoner

I've read about a couple of mods, they seem tricky
http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/3741/n64securitychipmodmm6.jpg

I also saw this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N64_Passport

N64 passport, might try to get one as i dont want to butcher my new console.

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-k6-49-en-70-2q.html

I note that the action replay for the sega saturn that I got for 5 euro last week is for sale on the same page

Retr0gamer

Passport seems to be the best bet but it's far from perfect I've heard. According to mmmonkey the only thing you can do to an NTSC N64 is to mod it to a universal NTSC machine but it still won't play PAL games.

Stoner

I'll get one and let you know, the games it cant play that are listed on the wiki are not great anyway IMHO anyway. At least I will still have a console of the unit does not work.

Yes it seems that the PAL consoles can't be modded for 60 Hz operation and vice versa. I read before that it's the internal firmware that dictates the region and this can't be changed short of swapping the ROM chip.

Myrddin

Karsini wrote: »

Yes it seems that the PAL consoles can't be modded for 60 Hz operation and vice versa. I read before that it's the internal firmware that dictates the region and this can't be changed short of swapping the ROM chip.

It can be done, but it looks like a very difficult, very elaborate way of doing it. Basically you need two consoles, one from both regions. Desolder the chip that controls the region (CIC) from both units, piggy back the two chips together, soldering certain legs of the chips together, and seperating the others. Build a switching circuit that will enable you to have one chip powered & active while the other is disabled, and vice versa.

It's a messy, horrible way of doing something & I'd advise against it. If you absoloutely must have dual regions, buy a PAL & NTSC N64, it won't be too big a prob as the PAL psu will work on the NTSC console here, so it's just a matter of swapping out the console while leaving the wiring in place.

Link to mod diagram (Stoner has it above), there's also another link on that page to a photo of one with a PAL/NTSC switch

Myrddin

Retr0gamer wrote: »

There's no way to get PAL games to work on a US N64 and there are no mods that will allow you to do it

Well it's a difficult mod, but never say never