Vigilante 8 (Actual N64 Capture) - Ultra Resolution Mode

This is a capture of the hidden ultra resolution mode in Vigilante 8 on the Nintendo 64. This is not an emulator. This footage was captured directly from my Nintendo 64 using an actual Vigilante 8 cartridge.Show more

I've already uploaded several multiplayer videos of Vigilante 8 showing off the high resolution mode that can be enabled through use of the Expansion Pak. However, there is also a hidden "ultra" resolution setting that can be activated by entering MAX_RESOLUTION on the password screen. This video shows that hidden setting.

One of the neat things about the Nintendo 64 was that it offered a so-called high resolution of 640x480 for several games. This mode typically required use of the separate Expansion Pak which upgraded the system's RAM to 8mb total. However, one game, World Driver Championship, offered a letterbox high resolution mode without the Expansion Pak.

Vigilante 8 has one of the best high resolution modes I've seen in a Nintendo 64 game. It runs incredibly smooth for a 640x480i resolution, even in split screen multiplayer. As a result, I always enable the standard "high" mode when playing this game. Also, interestingly enough, the menu screens in this game automatically run at 480i by default (there are no scan lines present), but the game quickly switches to 240p mode during the animation where the screen image flies away from you. The next menu screen then reverts to 480i again.

For some reason, the developer included a hidden "ultra" resolution setting that you can activate with a password. Although neither the Nintendo 64 nor a standard CRT TV can exceed a 480 resolution, I suspect that this mode simply increases texture detail while using the same 480i mode. This is probably similar to Shin'en stating that FAST Racing Neo has 4K textures even though the game itself displays at a native 720p resolution.

I typically don't use the ultra resolution mode because it drops the frame rate too low without much of a graphical improvement. However, it is a neat feature.

Recorded with the Hauppauge HD PVR and the official N64 S-video cable. I used a Toshiba model D-R550 DVD Recorder to standardize the N64's native 240p/480i signal so that the Hauppauge could capture the console's audio/video signal.

I'm using a standard Nintendo 64 controller.