Super Mario 64 online multiplayer running between a Nintendo 64 and a PlayStation 2 sounds like schoolbus malarkey. But YouTuber Carl Does Tech Things has hacked together a wild setup that lets Mario romp around in co-op across two rival machines, with a Raspberry Pi Pico acting as the man in the middle.
The whole thing relies on the PS2 decompilation of Super Mario 64, which means Carl had to solve issues like getting two separate Marios to animate independently, preserving their full movesets, and then syncing all of that over a homemade online server that both consoles can talk to. Not only that, but Carl makes use of the CPU components from the PlayStation 1 in order to handle the networking required to get this working over USB.
If you are reading this and wondering, “Why?”, then maybe this isn’t the site for you!
This cursed console crossover is very much a proof-of-concept rather than something you’re going to casually set up in your living room, but as a technical flex, it rules. Retro gamers never cease to amaze me, whether it’s reviving servers for dead games, simulating moon landings on ancient hardware, or taking on the entire industry’s murderous appetite head-on. Projects like this offer a breath of fresh air in a scene that continues to deal with nonsense from corporate overlords trying to squeeze every penny they can out of the community.
The Retro Dodo writeup describes it as “retro gaming splicing,” which is honestly about right: a little unholy, a little brilliant, and very fun to watch from a safe distance while someone else does the hard work. If nothing else, it’s a neat reminder that while platform holders are busy selling us subscription access to 25-year-old ROMs, the hobby scene is out here quietly reinventing how those games can even be played in the first place.
Source: Carl Does Tech Things via Retro Dodo
