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Project 64 is one of the most well known emulators for the N64 system.  Project 64 is flexable and uses various plugins. These plugins make a dramatic difference on how well the emulator plays. Using the right combonation of plugins and a fairly fast computer (Duo Processor and Up), you will be able to play a majority of the N64 games flawlessly.

Rating: 10/10

Latest Version: 1.7

Website Link:  www.pj64-emu.com

Download Project 64 / PJ64 - N64 Emulator

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PJ64 Tutorial

PJ64 was started as an exercise by the authors to see if they had the ability to be able to program an emulator for the N64. The way PJ64 was created is very technical, and to try to explain it within the confines of an opinion would be both irrelevant and too lengthy. 

Next bit is a little technical, so feel free to skip it: 

The main parts that needed to be coded for the emulator was something called the Core. The core is the main part of the console, and the part that instructs the machine what it needs to do. Once this was done several other parts were added, including something called RSP (Reality Signal Processor) emulation. This is another major part of the N64, and it is testament to the skills of the programmers that virtually every game will run using the core and the RSP they have made. 

So how come I said that all games weren’t playable if the Core and the RSP emulation are so good. The problem lies in the system this emulator uses. Basically it is made in such a way so that other coders can make plug-ins for it. These plug-ins control how the sound works, what the graphics look like, and your controller settings. 

Unfortunately non of these plug-ins are perfect for varying reasons, mainly due to the fact that to make these plug-ins they have to code them in incredibly complex ways. The authors have to emulate specialized hardware chips that were used in the console via software manipulation. This means that for perfect emulation a very powerful PC would be needed (conservative estimation rates this as around 5ghz or higher!). 

So every plug-in has to be highly optimized and efficient, the problem is that optimizations that make one game run faster/more compatible could have adverse effects on other games, and even stop them working completely. Slowly though the quality of the Plug-ins are getting better.