Analogue 3D Funtastic Watermelon: Our Pick for the Best Retro Gaming Gear for 2026

Every few years somebody announces a box that plays your old games, and every few years you plug it in and something’s off. The colors are weird, the audio stutters, and one game you care about just doesn’t boot. I’ve been burned enough times to be suspicious. Anyway, I’ve got to read this, so let’s read it.

Here’s what’s different. Analogue 3D doesn’t run software emulation. It uses FPGA hardware, which is a chip configured to behave like the N64’s original circuits, so your real cartridges go in the top and the console treats them like the 1996 machine did. Analogue says it’s compatible with the entire N64 library, and it’s region-free, so imported carts work too. No ROM files, no setup menus, no hunting for settings. Cartridge in, power on.

Then it brings those games into this decade. It outputs up to 4K over HDMI through a purpose-built upscaler. If you miss the old look, Original Display Modes recreate classic CRT TVs and professional video monitors, scanlines and all. It runs Analogue’s 3D OS, has dual-band Wi-Fi for system updates, and Bluetooth LE for wireless controllers. You also get four original-style controller ports, so the pads and accessories from your childhood plug right in.

And then there’s the color. The Funtastic Watermelon edition is translucent red, matched to the see-through plastics everybody was obsessed with in the late 90s. Analogue’s own bundle comes with a pre-loaded 16GB SD card, an HDMI cable, a USB cable and a worldwide power supply. This listing is from a third-party seller, though, so check the listing to see exactly what’s in the box. It’s the console your 12-year-old self drew in the margins of a notebook, and it sits under the TV you actually own. That’s it, that’s the read. Link’s right there.