AMD FPGAs Help ModRetro Bring Retro Gaming Back to Life with M64 Console

Jun 01, 2026

Transparent retro-style gaming console with visible internal components, four controller ports, and a red power button.

An M64 gaming console which is compatible with Nintendo N64 gaming cartridges. Image courtesy of ModRetro.

ModRetro is bringing an authentic Nintendo N64-compatible gaming experience to a new generation of gamers by leveraging AMD Artix™ UltraScale+™ FPGAs in its new M64 console.

ModRetro manufacturers high-quality, FPGA-based retro gaming consoles that support original physical cartridges and strive to replicate the gameplay experience down to the hardware level. Following its launch of Chromatic, a handheld gaming console designed to play original Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges, ModRetro is developing the M64 console allowing users to play Nintendo N64 cartridges.

Silver AMD Artix UltraScale+ FPGA chip package with product name displayed on a black background.

At the heart of M64 is an AMD Artix UltraScale+ FPGA. It helps re-create classic gameplay by directly emulating original hardware chip logic. Unlike traditional software emulation, this hardware-based approach can deliver greater accuracy and lower latency, bringing players closer to the experience they remember.

Retro gaming is about more than nostalgia. It is about preserving the original experience that made these games memorable. From the controller input to on-screen response, the FPGA-based design helps mimic the behavior of the original system in a way that is true to the original and its era of gameplay.

“AMD Artix UltraScale+ FPGA technology is helping redefine what is possible in retro gaming by enabling developers to re-create original hardware behavior with extraordinary precision,” said Sumit Shah, head of product management and marketing, Adaptive and Embedded Computing Group, AMD. “By emulating chip logic directly at the hardware level, ModRetro can preserve the authenticity of classic play while bringing these iconic experiences forward for a new generation of gamers.”

More: Read ModRetro’s blog, “The M64, and Why We Chose to Build It with AMD.”