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simple64 – N64 Emulator

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Simple64 is a user-friendly Nintendo 64 (N64) emulator, enabling you to play their favourite N64 games with enhanced graphics and performance. It supports a wide range of controllers, making it easy to customize your gaming setup. Simple64 is compatible with various operating systems and is in active development, receiving updates to ensure compatibility with the latest hardware and software advancements.

simple64 Download

Select which version you require below to be taken to either the official website or app store for your device where you can download:

Windows
Linux

simple64 Setup Instructions

This step-by-step guide will walk you through the process of setting up Simple64. This guide will help you download, install, and configure Simple64, including setting up your controller and optimizing video settings.

Step 1: Download Simple64 Emulator

  1. Visit simple64.github.io or click the download links above.
  2. Scroll down to the “Assets” section.
  3. Click on “simple64-win64” to download the Windows version of the emulator (Links to the Linux version can also be found on this page too).
  4. Save the downloaded file to your desktop.

Step 2: Extract Simple64 Emulator

  1. Right-click on the downloaded file on your desktop.
  2. Select “7-Zip” > “Extract to ‘simple64-win64′”.
  3. A new folder containing all the extracted files will be created. Delete the original zip file to save space.
  4. Open the new folder.
  5. Scroll down and double-click on the “simple64” executable to launch the emulator.

Step 3: Controller Setup

  1. Go to “Settings > Controller Configuration” in the emulator menu to access controller setup settings.
  2. The emulator should automatically detect your connected controller. For example, it might display “Xbox 360 Controller” next to “Gamepad”.
  3. Click on “Manage Profiles” and select “Create Profile”.
  4. Begin mapping your controller buttons by clicking on each box next to the corresponding N64 button (e.g., A, B, Z trigger, Start, Left Shoulder, Right Shoulder, D-pad, and C stick).
  5. Press the appropriate button on your controller when prompted. You have five seconds to do so.
  6. Once all buttons are mapped, give your custom layout a profile name (e.g., “My Xbox Controller”).
  7. Click “Save and Close”.
  8. Back in the “Controller Configuration” menu, set “Controller 1” to your newly created profile.

Step 4: Configure Video Settings

  1. Go to “Settings” in the emulator menu.
  2. Select “Core and Video Settings”.
  3. Leave the “Core Settings” at default.
  4. Go to the “Video” tab.
  5. If you want to play your N64 games full screen, check the box for “Full Screen” to ensure games start in full screen mode.
  6. Ensure “V-Sync” is checked to prevent screen tearing.
  7. Leave the screen width and height at default unless you want to customize them and play games in windowed mode.
  8. Check “Widescreen Stretch” if you prefer to play games in widescreen, though this may stretch the image.

Step 5: Upscaling

  1. Simple64 upscaling works by changing the upscaling value found in the “Core and Video Settings” and “video” tab.
  2. Whilst you can type in any value, if you hover over where it says ‘Upscaling’, you will see it explains the following:
    • 1 = No Upscaling
    • 2 = 2x Upscaling
    • 4 = 4x Upscaling
  3. Enter ‘4’ for the highest fidelity, but be prepared to reduce this should you experience performance issues such as lag or stuttering in gameplay. Using any value beyond 4x will just result in upscaling still only being applied at 4x.

Step 6: Load a Game

  1. Go to “File” in the emulator menu.
  2. Select “Open ROM”.
  3. Navigate to the folder on your PC where your N64 games are stored.
  4. Select the game you want to play (e.g., “Banjo-Kazooie”).
  5. The game should start in full screen mode.

Step 7: Save States & Save Location

  1. Save states allow you to take a ‘snapshot’ of your position in a game and save it to a file, so that it can be loaded and recalled at any point.
  2. The default Simple64 save location (on Windows) is typically set to save in the following location:
    • “C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Mupen64Plus\save\”
  3. Within this folder you will find any save state files you have saved whilst playing games in Simple64.
  4. Alternatively, you have two options:
    • Manually choose each time where you save your save state file to in Simple64 by selecting “File > Save State To”, and then selecting where you wish to save your save state file.
    • Reconfigure the default Simple64 save location by doing the following:
      • Select “Settings > Input Plugin and Config Path Selection”
      • Click ‘Set Path” and choose where you want Simple64 config files to now be located (simply click “Use Application Path” to select the Simple64 app folder.
      • Next go to “Settings > Core and Video Settings”, and on the “Core” tab, change the save state path to something such as “savestates”.
      • Now restart Simple64, when you next click “File > Save State”, your save state files will now be saved in the new save location.