The UltraJewel64 mod replaces the stock plastic logo jewel on a Nintendo 64 with a Waveshare ESP32-S3 round LCD screen running custom animated graphics. The jewel on the N64 has always been a painted piece of plastic — this turns it into a living, animated centerpiece. Full walkthrough, 8 minutes.
What’s Going On Here
The mod uses a Waveshare ESP32-S3 1.69″ LCD mounted inside the N64 shell via a custom 3D-printed bracket. The display runs a precompiled binary — no coding required on your end. Internal ambient lighting is handled by a separate ESP32 running WLED, which coordinates with the jewel display to tie the whole build together visually.
This is part of the Bonus Life N64 build — a complete custom Nintendo 64 being rebuilt from the ground up and given away on Twitch on July 3rd, 2026. The idea started with @MundoYakara, who proved the concept could work. The execution here takes it further with a 3D-printed mount designed specifically for the N64 shell geometry.
What You’ll Need
- Waveshare ESP32-S3 LCD 1.69″ display
- Dremel rotary tool (for cutting the jewel opening)
- 3D-printed mount — STL on Patreon (free membership)
- Precompiled binary — also on Patreon (free membership)
- Second ESP32 running WLED for internal lighting (optional but recommended)
Resources
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.