Two Kickstarters: Wireless Retro Fighters Controller and Warrior 64 Console

We’ve got two exciting new Kickstarter projects this month – a new controller and a new N64 console.

Retro Fighters Wireless Controller

Let’s start off with the new Retro Fighters controller. I made a post about their original controller being released and the new coloured versions, so I suppose that it’s appropriate that I cover this one as well.

The Kickstarter was launched earlier this week, and it has already reached its goal by over three times. The controllers will be functionally the same as the old ones, it looks like they’ll be sharing all the same components with each other. So if you’re used to playing with the old one, you’ll feel right at home.

The main difference is that these controllers are wireless, meaning that their cable will be replaced with a wireless dongle (pictured above in clear blue), and they’ll include a built-in rechargeable battery. All you need is a Micro USB charger cable and you’ll be good to go.

The Controller Pak port is located on the dongle so while you’ll be able to save data to your memory/Controller Pak, you can’t use a Rumble Pak or Transfer Pak. I don’t really mind since I really hated the extra weight they provided, I always put my Transfer Pak on Controller #2.

Speaking of weight, the controller will be 11.5% heavier due to the included battery. However, that doesn’t make it a drawback since the cable itself is probably a lot heavier than those 16 grams.

Personally, I’ve backed the previous two Kickstarters and got both controllers, a grey one and a transparent blue one. The grey controller is used for emulator play, and the transparent one is still sealed since I already have other controllers I use for the real N64 console. The controller works and feels great, the only issue I have with it is that the thumb stick yellowed very quickly, and it can get confusing when the Z-trigger is on both shoulders but otherwise it’s a very good controller.

I already backed this Kickstarter, so I’m looking forward to what Retro Fighter’s new wireless controller can do.

Warrior 64 console

The other Kiskstarter project this week is for the Warrior 64 console. This is a bit of a first – it’s a Nintendo 64 console that’s homebrewn.

Well to an extent. The warrior 64 has a few components to it so let’s break it down.

Controller

The controller appears to be a replica of the Hori Mini controller for the Nintendo 64. It looks great but if it’s anything like the Hori Mini, it might be a bit uncomfortable for larger hands.

Console Chassis

Another part of the Warrior 64 kit is a new chassis for your old Nintendo 64. The makers, IntecGaming, said that this is because an old Nintendo 64 can suffer a lot of wear and tear after being in storage for twenty years, so they went and made their own shell for this Nintendo 64 kit.

[T]he brand new shell […] makes the modified “N64” look like a sports car engine or a warrior helmet.

Video upscaler

The Warrior 64 also comes with a video upscaler kit, similar to the UltraHDMI. You’ll need to solder it in in order for it to work.

It takes the console’s natural RGB signal and converts it directly to HDMI without going through the blurry composite signal.

Warrior 64 Kits

The kickstarter allows a fewdifferent ways to enjoy your Warrior 64 (in USD):

• Controller only: $25 will get you the controller on its own.
• DIY kit: $75 will get you the console shell, DIY kit for the video upscaller and the controller.
• Console Kit: This will give you a pre-modded Nintendo 64 console ready to go.

As of now, the Warrior 64 is only compatible with NTSC games (USA & Japan).

Conclusion

These are two great projects. The wireless N64 has been done before, but I’d like to see what the lads at Retro Fighters can do with it. The Warrior 64 console kit also looks great and is a much cheaper alternative to the UltraHDMI that comes with some bonus stuff as well.

As of now, I’ll be backing the wireless controller since I’m happy with my previous backings, but not the Warrior 64 because I work primarily in PAL and it’s not compatible.

Happy backing!