THE RND2 here. The first N64 is done and I ran it on stream. Killer Instinct Gold through an RGB mod with a VDC-NUS chip and a GBS-C output chain. That is the best signal the N64 can produce.
Then I went design hunting. Pulled up the EverDrive, went through the library looking for a visual theme for the two giveaway consoles. Played some Diddy Kong Racing (Rare, 1997), tried to find a Contra N64 game (there isn’t one, which is genuinely sad), and ended up in SNES Contra 3 through emulation instead. Personal note: I had a son at 16. N64 games were expensive. I had a handful. Killer Instinct Gold was one of them.
The design decision out of all of this: companion consoles. Both giveaway N64 units get custom shells, built as a pair. Blue top with white bottom on one. Red top with smoke bottom on the other. WS2812B LED strips at 160 LEDs per meter going into both units.
Unboxed both replacement shell sets on stream. One pack came with no screws. The other came with no decals. Covered both from existing stock. Hardware accounted for.
The second N64 still needs its RGB mod. That’s next.
“I survived that mess of a heart attack. I’m here. I wanna revive these N64s like I’ve been revived. They don’t look good yet.. let’s make them look good.”
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
6:00 First completed N64 demo — RGB output running
12:00 Killer Instinct Gold — RGB quality showcase
20:00 Game library design hunt (Diddy Kong Racing, Contra, EverDrive)
30:00 Companion case design decision — blue/white + red/smoke
36:00 Unboxing replacement shells
42:00 WS2812B LED strip selection (160 per meter)
47:00 Closing and next steps
Watch live: twitch.tv/thernd2 — Tuesdays and Saturdays, 7pm Eastern
Enter the giveaway: edm4.us/BL
Rob streams live repairs and builds every Tuesday and Saturday at 7pm Eastern on Twitch. The Bonus Life N64 build — a complete custom Nintendo 64 being rebuilt from scratch and given away July 3rd, 2026 — is the current main series.