N64 emulation on the raspberry pi is difficult due to the pi's under powered GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and lack of certain GPU features found in more modern devices. If you are looking for a more perfect N64 emulation experience you should seriously consider different hardware first (i.e. a desktop computer, modern mobile phone/tablet etc.).

At least a Raspberry Pi 2 is required for viable Nintendo 64 performance, but performance is variable across all Pi hardware. High resolutions can impact performance greatly, so most emulators default internally to the low native N64 resolution. lr-mupen64plus was abandoned some years ago, so is quite outdated.

Mar 11, 2020 · @George-Spiggott said in Getting the best N64 experience on a Pi 4: @quicksilver Will check the audio settings. TV is 1080p. Mupen is running in 320x240. I don't understand why the audio cuts out when there is so much spare processing time. I assumed that audio is processed by the CPU.

Dec 27, 2018 · Gpu_freq sets core_freq, v3d_freq and the other blocks of the GPU. So while listing it out like you have doesnt necessarily hurt anything, its redundant and not needed. Core_freq sets the core clock speed of the GPU and is the bottleneck for N64 gaming on the raspberry pi. Increasing the V3d_freq does not boost N64 performance on the Pi.

Apr 29, 2020 · (See also my PSP compatibility list.). I've been testing a ton of N64 games since slightly before the Retropie 4.6 launch up until today, so I thought I might as well share my findings so far (as well as incorporate some community knowledge), as this is the problem platform for Pi 4.

In addition, N64 emulation is generally restricted by GPU speed -- not CPU. Memory splitting used to be necessary on the Raspi2 for N64 emulation. Basically, you can set assigned amounts to be shared between the GPU and programs. As of the Raspi3, N64 emulation doesn't come close to maxing out the GPU RAM cache.

@roslof said in Getting the best N64 experience on a Pi 4: Oddly, lr-mupen64plus typically outperformed lr-mupen64plus-Next with optimized settings. Not always, but more often than not. In the list, you'll note I recommend "plus" more often than "next". This isn't a personal bias, rather from observation on what provided a better gameplay ...

Apr 6, 2022 · I’ve got the urge to get into the N64 catalog after 20 some years but the console + cables + scaler + controllers cost an arm and a leg. How does the Pi 4 handle N64? I know some games don’t run well in general but I’m not speaking from experience (only anecdotes).

After trying to get n64 and gc games to run smoothly on a pi4 and reliably use my 8bitdo controller, I gave up and got a nvidia shield. After all was said and done it was about the same price (I had an argon case and SSD).

Pi 4 can handle N64 at full speed. But the N64 had a TON of games that run at a low framerate (Ocarina of Time is particularly heinous). The Pi 3B+ was just powerful enough and the Pi 4 outperforms it.