ModRetro's M64 Launches July 28: What Resellers Should Know

ModRetro is a retro gaming hardware company best known for the Chromatic, a modern take on the original Game Boy that plays cartridges and comes in multiple colorways.

The M64 is their follow-up: a console designed to play original Nintendo 64 cartridges with modern hardware under the hood, including a 16nm AMD FPGA chip, fanless thermal design, 5-second boot times, and 4K-capable output. It launches in four colorways: purple, green, clear, and red.

The M64 Pro Controller sells separately at $90, and ModRetro has made clear this isn’t an afterthought. The controller features a TMR analog joystick, aluminum back shell, swappable rechargeable and AA battery packs, built-in rumble, and Bluetooth compatibility with the M64, PCs, and Android devices.

It’s also wired-compatible with original Nintendo 64 hardware. ModRetro says the controller supports “SCI” (shorter connection intervals), a new Bluetooth standard that promises significantly lower wireless input latency than any other N64 controller on the market. Given how much went into it, expect most buyers to want the console and controller together.

The Analogue 3D is the obvious comparison here. Analogue makes premium FPGA-based retro consoles, and their N64 clone retailed for $250 and sold out fast during preorders.

By the time units shipped last November, resellers were clearing $250 to $350 in profit after eBay fees on secondary market sales of $500 to $600.

ModRetro is walking a similar path. They have an established audience, a reputation for limited runs, and a history of collabs that drive serious secondary market demand.

We covered the Anduril x Chromatic bundle earlier this year, which sold out twice and is now trading above $1,000 on eBay. The M64 is a bigger product targeting a broader audience, but the same dynamics apply: limited colorways, a single manufacturer, and a dedicated collector base.

At $199 for the console and $90 for the controller, a bundle comes to $289 before tax. If demand tracks anywhere near what we saw with the Analogue 3D, resellers could be looking at strong returns on day-one inventory.

This is where we pump the brakes a little. The M64 looks promising, but there are several unknowns that should inform whether you commit money on launch day.

The biggest is the return and refund policy. ModRetro has not publicly detailed their policy for M64 orders. We don’t if they will allow returns or offer refunds, which can change the calculus for resellers looking to evaluate risk.

Production volume is also an open question. If ModRetro produces tens of thousands of units and keeps restocking, secondary market prices will stay flat. If this is a limited first run with slow follow-up batches, the Analogue 3D playbook becomes more relevant. We’ll likely never get exact numbers on how many were made, but the fact that ModRetro has not opened preorders yet is an indication that supply may be constrained. The company has likely stockpiled a limited number of consoles, and may expect them to sell out on launch day.

The M64 is a legitimately impressive piece of hardware, and the parallels to the Analogue 3D are real enough that resellers should be watching this one closely.

Sign up for ModRetro’s M64 update list today to lock in the early bird pricing. When the sale method, return policy, and production details become clear, we’ll update our read on whether this is a buy.