This is 2020: Linux kernel Nintendo 64 sees a new port

It’s been a tumultuous year, and 2020 is definitely going to be an enjoyable place in the Linux / Open Source space … It’s not enough to see Sony offer a new official Linux driver for their PlayStation 5 DualSense controller to end this year. Is the new Linux port for the Nintendo 64 game console … yes, a new port for the game console that was launched two decades ago.

Larry Kasanen, an open source developer who contributed to the Mesa and Linux graphics stack, created a new Nintendo 64 port Announced This Christmas day. This is not the first time Linux has been sent to the N64, but previous attempts have not been aimed at making it a major upgrade over the Linux kernel.

Lorry’s mission is a new port for the Nintendo 64, which is not based on previous attempts. But Larry noted, “[Request for comments] Because I don’t know if it’s worth merging. Old, main and limited site.”

This new port for the N64 continued to be part of the port prototypes and to support frame-buffer or console games.

The binary of the Linux port is available Larry’s GitHub. Binary is a 64-bit MIPS architecture that can be loaded with a flash card on the Nintendo 64.

The port indicates that uClibc-ng was detected broken for MIPS N32, so the Muscle C library was used. Notably, Linux on the Nintendo 64 is still a big bug and “constantly flirting” [out of memory]. ”

The Nintendo 64 is powered by MIPS 64 NEC VR4300 at 93.75 MHz, while the SGI reality coprocessor graphics clock at 62.5 MHz, while 4 Mbps. Let’s see if this N64 port ends up upstream, but the game console has been limited in use for more than two decades since it first appeared. However, this new port is now available in both original and binary formats.