Alright, listen up, y’all. We’re gonna talk about playin’ them old Nintendo 64 games on that Linux thingamajig. You know, the one my grandson’s always fiddlin’ with? Yeah, that’s the one. He told me it’s called an “emulator” or somethin’. Sounds fancy, but it just means playin’ old games on a new thingy, far as I can tell.
So, first off, there’s this thing called simple64. Now, don’t go gettin’ all confused. It’s just a program, like a recipe for makin’ them games work. My grandson says it’s built on somethin’ called “mupen64plus-core” and some other mumbo jumbo. Don’t matter none to me, long as it works. This here simple64, it’s got all sorts of bells and whistles. It’s got pictures and buttons you can click on, instead of typin’ all that computer gobbledygook. And get this, you can play with other folks online, like playin’ cards but with video games! My grandson calls it “netplay.” Kids these days, always makin’ up new words.
And then there’s the settings. Oh boy, the settings. My grandson showed me, you gotta go into somethin’ called the “Core and Video Settings” and then find somethin’ called “ParaLLel Video”. It’s like lookin’ for a needle in a haystack, I tell ya. But once you’re in there, you gotta make the screen bigger, so you ain’t squintin’ like an old hen. He told me to set “Upscaling” to 4. Whatever that means. Then you gotta mess with the controller, so you can actually move them little fellers on the screen. It’s under “Controller Configuration.” Sounds complicated, but even this old lady figured it out, so you can too.
- First, find the settings, you know, like lookin’ in the cupboard for the sugar.
- Second, make the screen bigger, so you can see what’s goin’ on.
- Third, set up the controller, so you can actually play the darn game.
Now, if that simple64 thingamajig gives you a headache, there’s another one called Mupen64Plus. It’s like havin’ two different kinds of screwdrivers, you use the one that fits. This one, my grandson says, works right on Linux without havin’ to use somethin’ called “wine.” Wine? Sounds like he’s tryin’ to sneak booze into the computer! Anyways, this Mupen64Plus, it’s got all the important bits, the “emulator core,” he calls it, and some “plugins,” like little helpers. And it’s got a way for you to type in commands, like tellin’ the computer what to do. My grandson’s always typin’ away, like he’s writin’ a book or somethin’.
You know, back in my day, we didn’t have all this fancy technology. We had sticks and stones and our own two hands. But I gotta say, these video games are kinda fun, even for an old biddy like me. It’s like watchin’ a little story play out right in front of you. And it’s somethin’ I can do with my grandson, even if he does talk in riddles half the time.
So, if you’re lookin’ to play them old Nintendo 64 games on your Linux contraption, give these emulators a try. Don’t be scared, it ain’t rocket science. And if this old lady can figure it out, well, then anyone can. Now go on, git playin’!
And one more thing, these programs, they’re like recipes shared amongst folks. They call it a “GNU General Public License.” Sounds fancy, but it just means they’re free for everyone to use and share. Like sharin’ a good pie recipe with your neighbor. It’s the neighborly thing to do.
You can find the “source code” for Mupen64Plus on somethin’ called a “Git repository.” That’s like a big ol’ library where they keep all the instructions. My grandson showed me, it’s got all sorts of bits and pieces, like the core of the emulator and those plugins I told you about. It even has somethin’ called a “command-line user interface program.” Sounds like a mouthful, but it’s just another way to talk to the computer and tell it what to do.
So whether you choose simple64 or Mupen64Plus, just remember to have fun. That’s what games are for, ain’t it? And don’t let all that computer talk scare you off. Just take it one step at a time, like bakin’ a cake. You follow the instructions, and before you know it, you’ll be jumpin’ and runnin’ with Mario and Luigi.
And that’s all there is to it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I gotta go see if my grandson can find me a game where I can shoot some ducks. Always liked shootin’ ducks.
Tags: Nintendo 64, N64 Emulator, Linux, simple64, Mupen64Plus, Gaming, Emulator, Open Source, Retro Gaming, Configuration
