Multi region N64!

[kryss]

I think he means 512 to 480.

[S3M]

How about optimised PAL games? Is the increased resolution ever worth dropping to 50hz?

No all PAL games have letterboxes even the optimised versions, I finished my PAL set earlier in the year getting all the games I was interested in buying with Mario Party 3 being the last.

Since about 2005 I've also been upgrading all my N64 games to NTSC have most now and not one PAL version is better than it's NTSC counterpart. My PAL N64 is just window dressing these days, I rarely play it.

[lilock]

No all PAL games have letterboxes even the optimised versions, I finished my PAL set earlier in the year getting all the games I was interested in buying with Mario Party 3 being the last.

Since about 2005 I've also been upgrading all my N64 games to NTSC have most now and not one PAL version is better than it's NTSC counterpart. My PAL N64 is just window dressing these days, I rarely play it.

Hi, been along time since I visited, let alone posted in these forums.

I have to disagree slightly with this. I find the difference in both resolution and frame rate to be very noticeable between PAL and NTSC N64 games (240@30fps vs 288@25fps ?) whereas it's virtually indistinguishable for the PS2 generation (480@60fps vs 576@50fps ?). Comparing my PAL and NTSC versions of Ocarina of Time, I find I much prefer the PAL version for the extra resolution. The drop in frame rate doesn't bother me, there is no noticeable speed difference and the game runs full screen. The extra resolution is also of benefit in Lylat Wars, which is also full screen, although it is noticeable slower than Star Fox 64 (check the YouTube comparison video by taz0604). I've also heard Perfect Dark fans say that the PAL release is their version of choice, but I never liked the game myself so can't say first-hand.

Don't get my wrong, the early PAL N64 releases were dire, as most 3rd party releases were pants, but I think later 1st and 2nd party games were actually handled very well. Ultimately though it was the N64 that convinced me to import every Nintendo console from the GCN onwards. If in doubt, I would say always go NTSC, but the rushed PAL versions of games like Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 have given people an impression that things were a lot worse on the PAL N64 than they often were.

[charlesr]

Welcome back!

[nakamura]

That doesn't make any sense no matter how many times I read it! If I change smooth to smoother then that makes the first statement make sense but that second one!?

I will post it better again later on a PC and not a mobile. Than it might make sense.

[egparadigm]

Not being able to switch PAL games to 60hz is probably no great loss, if SNES and NES releases are anything to go by -- often causing graphical glitching.

[S3M]

Hi, been along time since I visited, let alone posted in these forums.

I have to disagree slightly with this. I find the difference in both resolution and frame rate to be very noticeable between PAL and NTSC N64 games (240@30fps vs 288@25fps ?) whereas it's virtually indistinguishable for the PS2 generation (480@60fps vs 576@50fps ?). Comparing my PAL and NTSC versions of Ocarina of Time, I find I much prefer the PAL version for the extra resolution. The drop in frame rate doesn't bother me, there is no noticeable speed difference and the game runs full screen. The extra resolution is also of benefit in Lylat Wars, which is also full screen, although it is noticeable slower than Star Fox 64 (check the YouTube comparison video by taz0604). I've also heard Perfect Dark fans say that the PAL release is their version of choice, but I never liked the game myself so can't say first-hand.

Don't get my wrong, the early PAL N64 releases were dire, as most 3rd party releases were pants, but I think later 1st and 2nd party games were actually handled very well. Ultimately though it was the N64 that convinced me to import every Nintendo console from the GCN onwards. If in doubt, I would say always go NTSC, but the rushed PAL versions of games like Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 have given people an impression that things were a lot worse on the PAL N64 than they often were.

The resolution is not anyway improved in any PAL version I own both versions of Starfox, the PAL version is distorted as it's not displayed correctly in 576i as the game was only designed in 480p. It's hard to see certain enemies in the PAL version as a result.

I'm guessing anyone who claims otherwise has never played both versions of starfox 64 the same TV or is playing the game on emulator which removes the PAL 50Hz border issue.

All PAL games stuff from poorer visuals due to the border compression,I've directly compared over 30 NTSC games to their PAL counter part there is no plus. At least not on a real N64.

[lilock]

The resolution is not anyway improved in any PAL version I own both versions of Starfox, the PAL version is distorted as it's not displayed correctly in 576i as the game was only designed in 480p. It's hard to see certain enemies in the PAL version as a result.

I'm guessing anyone who claims otherwise has never played both versions of starfox 64 the same TV or is playing the game on emulator which removes the PAL 50Hz border issue.

All PAL games stuff from poorer visuals due to the border compression,I've directly compared over 30 NTSC games to their PAL counter part there is no plus. At least not on a real N64.

That's weird because it doesn't back up my experience at all. I'm definately running real N64 hardware, I'm not a fan of emulators! Maybe it's just the way our different TVs handle PAL vs NTSC? I've tried to take a few off screen photos and video caps to show you what I'm seeing.

Neither PAL and US Ocarina of Time display a border on my TV (no difference in visible space between the bottom of the picture and the glint of the TV bezel). Whereas both PAL and JPN StarFox 64/Lylat Wars would have a very slight border for me.

NTSC (showing the OOT V1.0 swordless Link glitch)


PAL


These next ones are video caps of StarFox/Lylat via S-Video to an old PC of mine (sorry the capture card can't do NTSC colour decoding!), which should eliminate any overscan on the TV's part. They both show borders whereas caps of OOT don't (see links below). Admittedly, the borders are slightly larger on PAL, but not so much as I noticed on the TV.

NTSC


PAL


You can take a look at all the images I took of OOT here: http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/li...na%20of%20Time
StarFox64/Lylat Wars here: http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/li...L/StarFox%2064
And some that show off the huge difference in Mario 64 here: http://s1289.photobucket.com/user/li...PAL/Mario%2064

Viewing them one after the other on my TV, the NTSC images definately appeared more pixelated, but perhaps that's just because as a european TV it's better at upscaling 576i rather than 480i images? However, the lower resolution was something I noticed from the moment I first loaded up NTSC OOT and that would be 10+ years ago and on a CRT TV.

I can only pass on my own experience of PAL vs NTSC on the N64, if that differs to yours then fair enough. Maybe there are differences in our TVs or PAL N64s that account for any distortion you see that I don't. I know the S-Video output on the PAL N64 is awful unless you get the right cable!

As I said before, if in doubt I would always go for NTSC, but I do think that once you get past the launch window titles then the PAL N64 often gets more flak than it really deserves!