How To: Play Super Mario 64 and Other Popular Nintendo 64 (N64) Games on Your Nexus 7 Tablet

Back in 1996, the Super Nintendo had pretty much reached its end of life, since everyone in the Mario club began switching from 2D to 3D gaming. The third home console by Nintendo, the Nintendo 64 (N64), ushered in the new 3D gaming generation of Nintendo fanatics, paving way for the Wii.

But there was some stiff competition for cartridge-based N64, including more advanced disc-based consoles such as the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn, which were actually both released before the N64.

Third-party developers complained about the lack of storage for games, versus CD-based consoles, but Nintendo's flagship titles still won over their dedicated fan base, making the system a success overall.

Playing Old-School N64 Games on Your Nexus 7 Tablet

Even though it's long been discontinued, many gamers from this time, like myself, want to relive the glory of the N64—but not with a huge and clunky home console. So in today's softModder guide, I'll be showing you how to play your old N64 games on your Nexus 7 tablet.

Step 1: Download and Install SuperN64

To get the best emulator experience, I recommend downloading SuperN64 from Google Play. It's free, has many 5-star reviews, and is compatible with most smartphones and tablets.

Step 2: ROMs and Games

And of course, you will need games to use this emulator. Games, or ROMs, as they are called when used with emulators, are the game data originally stored on cartridges. ROMs are made by reading the game data off the cartridges with a special machine and software, then having it saved as a file.

ROMs are illegal to download unless you own the original game (e.g. downloading the Super Mario 64 ROM means you should also own the cartridge). Many sites offer links to download a complete set of N64 ROMs, and some will argue game companies don't lose money on old games, so just keep all of this in mind.

When you find and download the games you want, make sure to put the files in a folder on your Nexus 7 tablet named N64 ROMs, to stay organized.

Step 3: Game On!

Now, just launch SuperN64 from the app drawer, load up a game by browsing to the game folder, tap the icon for play, and enjoy!

That's it! All of the N64 games have great compatibility and speed with SuperN64. Saving is not limited with this free emulator, so there's no need to worry about RPG games. There are also no annoying ads like some free or lite emulators in the Play Store.

This emulator is a winner, so be sure to give it a try and let us know what you think. And if you're looking for more retro-gaming on your Nexus 7 tablet, be sure to check out our Gaming section here on Nexus 7 softModder.

Console photo by Aurélien POUZAT, Game cartridge photo by Evan-Amos