i'm going to buy a Nintendo 64 lads.

43 replies [Last post]
Alij
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Joined: 05/07/2012

So what about it? i think they are pretty good consoles and no need software upgrade so....im going for getting one.

onpon4
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Joined: 05/30/2012

In addition to all of the software that could possibly run on them being proprietary, most dedicated video game systems since the "third generation" (starting with the NES) are jails. The Nintendo 64 is not one of the few exceptions, nor are any of Nintendo's "home consoles". Besides, the Nintendo 64 is an ancient, not especially capable system; most modern PCs can emulate it in software more or less perfectly. See Mupen64Plus, for example. So even if there is libre software for the Nintendo 64, you can run it that way. (I doubt there is; I haven't looked at the way Nintendo 64 games are developed specifically, but I know that development for the SNES involved various proprietary programs running on Windows. I would expect the Nintendo 64 to be similar in that regard.)

Embracer245
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Joined: 08/24/2015

Of course, Game consoles are Jails. First off, You have A diffrent CPU. Secondly, Special connectors not found anywhere else (sometimes) Thirdly. Digital Restrictions Management (What the FSF calls DRM). You might as well play them on an emulator.

bluzeo
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Joined: 08/27/2015

@onpon4- please dont say nothing bad about the 64 - it is the best system for gaming. i cant stand the bogus crude nintendo been doing lately but they built the system perfectly

onpon4
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Joined: 05/30/2012

I don't know about that. But even if it were the greatest system for gaming in the world when it was released, it certainly isn't now. As I said, the system is so weak today that any modern PC can emulate it in software.

And if no libre games run on it, which I think is probably the case, then the system is completely worthless as a system for freedom-respecting gaming, regardless.

tomlukeywood
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Joined: 12/05/2014

"And if no libre games run on it, which I think is probably the case, then the system is completely worthless as a system for freedom-respecting gaming, regardless."

you can program your own software for it with free software

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/N64_Programming/Compiling

but apart from the fun and nostalgia factor
its not that useful

but it has a max of 8mb of ram so getting gnu/linux
to run on the n64 would be pretty awesome if anyone’s up to the task!

JadedCtrl
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Joined: 08/11/2014

I'm on the fence as to whether or not this a freedom issue.
If it is, there are third-party flash-carts that can run homebrew software, although there is very little homebrew software for the N64.

I'd recommend the Nintendo GameCube over the 64-- the GameCube can run a pretty good amount amount of free software, such as GNU/Linux. (Most homebrew software just runs with the Linux kernel, without GNU utils. There are a couple of GNU/Linux distros made for the GameCube, though. You can hook a keyboard up to one, and have an OK computer or net-server-- so I've heard.)
I use my GC with GameCube Linux as a media center (Not HD, however... ;c) from time to time.

tomlukeywood
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Joined: 12/05/2014

"the GameCube can run a pretty good amount amount of free software, such as GNU/Linux. "
i looked at the source code (git clone http://git.code.sf.net/p/gc-linux/gc-linux-2-git)

and there are quite a few non-free firmwares as ihex files
so its mostly free but still a lot of non-free firmware

but i guess as the gamecube has no internet access this maby not bother you too much as its not a privacy issue

JadedCtrl
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Joined: 08/11/2014

The Gamecube (with an add-on) can be hooked up with ethernet.
GC-G/L (http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/Main_Page) is the GNU/Linux I'm running on my GameCube.
In this case, firmware isn't a privacy issue-- it's a freedom issue.
Even if you hook up your GC to the internet, it's very unlikely there is any sort of "phone-home" backdoor in it's firmware.

The GC has non-free firmware, but if you want an old console with GNU/Linux, it's probably the best.

The better option, of course, would be to just hook a PC up to your TV-- a nice console-like one is the TP Wee Penguin.

bluzeo
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Joined: 08/27/2015

for me the 64 is from my childhood and the games need to go back to that atyle of gameply-it would be nice to see a linux os into an game console though- possible to use Debian Repos and play free games or steam.

onpon4
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Joined: 05/30/2012

Simple matter: take a computer suitable for playing games and plug it into your TV. There you go, you've got a "video game console", except without the jail. Just add controllers (and there are a lot of controllers to choose from -- including most controllers for dedicated video game systems, via adapters). You can even use QJoypad to use those controllers with games that don't support them natively.

bluzeo
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Joined: 08/27/2015

for me dude that kinda cover it but not quite

davidnotcoulthard (not verified)
davidnotcoulthard

Why not just get a USB controller for it and download an emulator?

bluzeo
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Joined: 08/27/2015

because man it not the same to me like it use be- i went through a phase and i am done with consoles but i got a soft spot for the 64

Embracer245
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Joined: 08/24/2015

Well, At least the Nintendo 64 does not spy on you. Unlike the consoles of today

Jabjabs
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Joined: 07/05/2014

This is true but spying is only one of many issues that Free software solves.

Embracer245
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Joined: 08/24/2015

and nothing beats the real thing, as i say to myself a lot. But when it comes to free software, You might want to go with an emulator

tomlukeywood
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Joined: 12/05/2014

"and nothing beats the real thing"
what about higher resolution texture packs for the legend of zelda!?

Screenshot from 2015-11-02 09:53:02.png
quantumgravity
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Joined: 04/22/2013

Free software is about _control_ over your _computing_.
In my view, retro gaming consoles may technically be computers, but I don't use them that way; i don't do "computing" with them - i don't do any tasks besides playing the game like an interactive movie.
RMS once pointed out that nowadays, some microwave ovens may be computers in a technical sense, but they are not used as a computers, neither can you upgrade the system or install software on it, so in his view it's not a problem.
I think the same holds for retro consoles.
You use them like a dvd player - you put in the game, press start, that's it.
If I see the games as pieces of media (why wouldn't I?), it is perfectly possibly nowadays to copy and share the games in the community, though it's maybe not legal, just as with dvds.
The consoles have no way to work in a malicious way, they have no camera, no internet connection, no data of mine, not even a harddisc.

For me, the remaining freedom issues are so theoretical and minor that it's out of question to give away a world full of excellent masterpieces of game-history for that.

onpon4
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Joined: 05/30/2012

The way these old video game systems work is the cartridge has a program which is loaded into the system's RAM and then executed. This is installation. Temporary installation, but installation nonetheless. It's pretty much exactly the same as running a live system from a CD or DVD.

DVDs work differently. What is on the DVD is primarily data, although video DVDs do have some instructions on them; I don't know for sure how much of a problem these instructions present. But the main software is whatever OS is running on the DVD player.

In fact, if you talk to RMS, the only reason he pretty much completely ignored video games is because he (incorrectly) assumed that it was a minor, unimportant activity. Every correspondence I have had with him on the topic of these video games has shown quite clearly that he considers these old video games to be just as unethical as any other proprietary program.

Jabjabs
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Joined: 07/05/2014

That would be because they where/are truely awful machines interms of the lock down they provide - Nintendo is one of the worst as well in terms of the control they put on every single element in the most extreme fashion. They have been doing that since the early 80's.

I suppose the idea that it is importaint or not is merely an opinion of each person.

quantumgravity
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Joined: 04/22/2013

Again, you argue from a technical point of view, i from a practical point of view.

I guess, in the free software movement, there are a lot of different camps.
For me, software should be free so that it can't act nasty towards people, i.e. spying, refusing to work etc
and also for security's sake.
There are people who have more of the "hacker spirit"; like: they won't accept anything that doesn't let them play their own programs on it, if it's a pc.
I'm not one of those; i'm not a hacker.

That said, one always has to see that there are different degrees of restriction and it depends on each person if the situation is acceptable or not.
For me, the n64 is a device that should play my old n64 games, and it does so without complaining. It does not impose drm in the sense that it refuses to play games that i lend from somebody. I don't have to enter my data or anything.
It does what it should: play the game. And at the same time, it's not a privacy or security risk, and it's also not a potential computer for me (just too old).

And I really don't think that old video game console are "as unethical as any proprietary program".
Just think about how a recent proprietary program can harm its users; spying, drm, refusing to do a practical work etc
compared to that, old video game consoles don't harm me personally at all.

ADFENO
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Joined: 12/31/2012

Problem is, if the software there is replaceable, or software can be
made for it from scratch, then there's room for software freedom. It's
OK in cases where the software isn't replaceable or can't be made from
scratch for a particular case, like the very old non-upgradable BIOSes.

However, games can be made from scratch for such video game consoles, or
can be even modified, and as such, software freedom mustn't forget this
possibility.

Also, I do understand that you're only solving an ethical dilemma by
using non-free software at a video game console, and that you'll
probably solve ethical dilemmas that arise when being asked to share the
non-free software, and I don't oppose such practice. What I'm saying is
that it doesn't solve the issue from the root, but anyway, I'm not
opposing you.

tomlukeywood
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Joined: 12/05/2014

"i don't do \"computing\" with them"
but you can do computing with them as they are computers technically and practically

someone got unix to run on the GBA!(non-free but with src):
http://www.kernelthread.com/publications/gbaunix/

and there was a BASIC Interpreter for the Atari 2600(non-free):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP1M2bgsSWg

and a home-brew basic interpreter for the Gameboy(non-free with src):
http://www.devrs.com/gb/files/gbb210.zip

*these examples are all non-free but free replacements could definitely be made

I think if its possible to make my floppy drive controller run a space invaders clone then the owner should beadle to do so!

and the same gose for microwaves, toasters, games consoles, Punch Card Controllers, Digital Radios, SD cards etc

pizzaiolo
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Joined: 03/12/2015

"and the same gose for microwaves, toasters, games consoles, Punch Card Controllers, Digital Radios, SD cards etc"

That's a wild thought. I love it! I'd like to see some microwave hacking!

andermetalsh
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Joined: 01/04/2013

"That's a wild thought. I love it! I'd like to see some microwave hacking!"

Russian crazy guys playing with the magnetron do not count. Also, it's highly dangerous.

pizzaiolo
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Joined: 03/12/2015

[delete this]

tomlukeywood
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Joined: 12/05/2014

"i'm going to buy a Nintendo 64 lads"

this implies that there are no women on this forum which is untrue

Definition of lad

onpon4
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Joined: 05/30/2012

That's probably over-thinking it. We don't commonly use the word "lads" where I live, but it's commonplace for us to say "guys" to just refer to a group of people we're talking to, and there's no implication at all that everyone in that group is male. I get the impression that "lads" is being used here in exactly the same way.

tomlukeywood
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Joined: 12/05/2014

maby its being used in a different way here.

in the UK i have never know it to mean anything but referring to a male but its a world wide web.

onpon4
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Joined: 05/30/2012

Wiktionary suggests that the meaning I interpreted is one meaning of "lads" found in Ireland, Northern England, and Geordie:

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lads#English

(Note: this just applies "lads", not "lad". It looks like "lad" always refers to a boy or young man. A bit weird, but hey, language is weird sometimes.)

t3g
t3g
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Joined: 05/15/2011

If it is a one function device and cannot go online to potentially share your info and habits, who cares if it is a jail? It's like me complaining about my toaster or microwave.

tomlukeywood
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Joined: 12/05/2014

"who cares if it is a jail?"

it would mean a lot of otherwise wasted machines like old microwaves, dead hard-drives or broken toasters could be reused as for example simple video games consoles or reused in other machines like toasters, CD players etc

its wasteful, annoying and unethical to lock down other peoples hardware

t3g
t3g
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Joined: 05/15/2011

I understand the concept of tinkering with hardware you own. I just don't understand how someone would benefit from trying to shoehorn functionality on an N64 considering it has no hard drive, network access, USB ports, and the cartridges the games it came on weren't off the shelf.

I'm aware of devices like the EverDrive, but that would be unethical as it is another device to allow non-free games illegally downloaded from ROM sites.

If you are into making a homebrew or indie game, why not just make it with Trisquel 7 on modern hardware in a language like C or Python?

tomlukeywood
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Joined: 12/05/2014

"I'm aware of devices like the EverDrive, but that would be unethical as it is another device to allow non-free games illegally downloaded from ROM sites."

just about any computer can play illegally downloaded ROMS
by your logic the computer your posting this on is unethical for this reason.

"I just don't understand how someone would benefit from trying to shoehorn functionality on an N64 considering it has no hard drive, network access, USB ports, and the cartridges the games it came on weren't off the shelf."

its definitely not the most practical computer for modern uses and so apart from the fun of making it do stuff someone will probably not benefit too much from the n64 unless there rely good at programming it.
but with its 8MB of ram you should be able too run a modern operating system on it(and maby even with a basic window manager)

t3g
t3g
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Joined: 05/15/2011

Run a modern operating system on 8 GB of RAM? WHICH?

tomlukeywood
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Joined: 12/05/2014

"Run a modern operating system on 8 GB of RAM? WHICH?"
umm... all of them...

assuming you meant 8MB of ram

you can run a fairly modern gnu/linux distro on less than 8MB of ram

and with older gnu/linux versions you can run it on 2.5mb of ram(i tested this in a VM)

[Someone asking about running a new gnu/linux distro with less than 8MB ram]
https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/127869/a-linux-distribution-under-8mb-ram

an old slackware version running on 4MB ram and a 386DX cpu!:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-VlIZaLxVE

its not too easy but can be done and with some optimizations for the N64 a gnu/linux distro could run quite well on the N64

also Window$ 95 had a minimum system requirement of 4MB of ram
just to give an example that you can run graphical desktops with this much ram

alucardx
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Joined: 02/29/2012

What a strange place for this topic. There really is no way to enjoy N64 games in true freedom is there?

One positive aspect of using an old used console is that you're not financially supporting the company that made it, as it is used. Secondly, you won't be breaking any laws by legally obtaining cartridges.

There are obviously far-reaching implications for one's freedom in terms of creating software for the device or changing the software you obtain.

Ultimately each person has to make their own choice on where they will compromise.

tomlukeywood
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Joined: 12/05/2014

"There really is no way to enjoy N64 games in true freedom is there?"
well you can run some free as in freedom programs on it.

andermetalsh
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Joined: 01/04/2013

You can attach a Scummvm ROM with a concatenated game on it.

Alij
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Joined: 05/07/2012

Or maybe get one of these > http://hyperkin.com/Retron5/ (kidding)

ADFENO
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Joined: 12/31/2012

Right now, I'm replying to the entire topic, it's just that I was lazy
and didn't want to log on my forum account to reply to the original post.

However, with this video game consoles, we still have a problem: Games
can be made for them, despite the publishers (Sony, Nintendo, and so on)
not accepting this. So theoretical and technically one can exercise
software freedom there, see for example, Escape from Pong (the efp
package) and also the efforts of the PCSX-R/PCSX-Reloaded team to make a
free PlayStation BIOS (which I don't know for which region it serves well).

Practically, however, there are not so many free software games for
these video games.

lembas
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Joined: 05/13/2010
vita_cell
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Joined: 07/19/2015

+GNU/Linux cap on PS3 (the first premium one 600€).