iQue Player

Welcome to Nintendo 64 Forever. We hope you enjoy your visit.

You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.

Join our community!

If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

iQue Player
Topic Started: Jan 25 2009, 02:46 PM (284 Views)
alxbly	Jan 25 2009, 02:46 PM Post #1
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	The iQue Player Released in November 2003, the iQue Player is a substantially different console from the Nintendo 64, with major revisions to the design, the way media is stored and sold, and the internal circuitry. Although the iQue Player can be called a console, it also has a lot in common with the many pirate DTV controllers produced in China. The central “console” of the iQue is housed within a controller, and this plugs directly into the television set via composite cables. Additional controllers can be plugged into a multitap-style converter. The iQue Player does not use games cartridges. Games are stored on a removable 64MB flashcart, which inserts into the controller, and this is used to download games from special vending machines called iQue Depots: Tickets of different values can be purchased from certain stores, and these are used to purchase games from the iQue Depots: The games that have been released so far are: Animal Forest Custom Robo Dr. Mario 64 Excitebike 64 F-Zero X Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Mario Kart 64 Paper Mario Sin and Punishment Star Fox 64 Super Mario 64 Super Smash Bros Wave Race 64 Yoshi's Story. These can all be found on: http://www.ique.com/game.htm And some of the games available are pictured on the rear of the iQue Player’s packaging: The controller has many of the features of the Nintendo 64 controller. The buttons, whilst not identical in shape and size, are basically the same layout as the N64 controller; A, B, four C directional buttons, Start, a D pad and L and R shoulder buttons are all present. The Z trigger has been moved from it place on the underside of the N64 controller and is now a shoulder button, sitting underneath the R button. The analogue stick is the same design as that of the N64 controller, which perhaps raises questions over the long term durability of the console. If the stick does wear out then replacing it could be tricky and/or expensive.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 25 2009, 02:46 PM Post #2
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	iQue Player - Startup and Menus Hit the power switch and the first thing you’ll see is the iQue logo shining brightly against the dark background (as you can see above). After this you’re presented with the main menu screen and from you here can choose to play games, change options, etc. I can’t read Chinese so there are some menus which are still a mystery to me. If you are able to translate these screens for me please get in touch, I’d love to know what they say. The main menu’s background picture changes each time you switch on the iQue Player. You can see the menu screen variations below, which feature artwork from Ocarina of Time, Mario Kart 64, Super Mario 64 and Wave Race 64. Also displayed here are screenshots of the various menus, most of which aren’t all that interesting. As you can see, you can set the date and time on the console so that night/day effects can be applied to games although the only iQue game which can really make use of this feature is Animal Forest. Click images above to see full sized versions. The games select screen is where we want to go, and you can see that five games are available to play straight away; Dr Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, Wave Race 64 and Star Fox 64. Of these only Dr Mario is the full version of the game, the rest are time limited demos.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 25 2009, 02:47 PM Post #3
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Dr. Mario 64 I’m afraid that I’m at a bit of a disadvantage when playing Dr Mario on the iQue as I’ve never played the N64 version and therefore can’t directly compare them. However, the game appears to run smoothly with no glitching, drop in framerate or other problems associated with emulation. Given that Dr Mario is a puzzle game which wouldn’t have pushed the original N64 hardware, this perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise. The screen above displays briefly whilst the game loads. ^ The "Press Start" screen. Notice the iQue copyright text that has been added. ^ Various menu screens. Now on to the demos. These all have an initial install time, which means you will need to watch a 10-20 second loading screen the very first time you access them from the menu. After the games are installed there’s barely any loading time (you can get through the menu screens and into the game in roughly the same time it would take to cycle through the equivalent N64 cartridge menu screens).
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 25 2009, 02:48 PM Post #4
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time The first available demo is The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. This seems like a pretty decent conversion of the game and the only changes are the addition of iQue copyrights in the menus screen and Chinese text throughout the game. None of the main character voices have changed (I’m unable to confirm if the later characters have been revoiced due to the time restriction on this demo). The textures don’t seem to be any different from the N64 version and the draw distance appears to be the same. All in all, it’s pretty faithful to the N64 original. The installation screen is shown above. When the green bar reaches the end the game has been installed, ready to play. The Ocarina of Time start screen. Pretty much the same except for the Chinese text and iQue copyright notice. File select screens. English characters are available if you prefer your name to appear in English. The beginning of the game is unchanged. Notice that you still get borders during cinematics, just as in the N64 version. Saria's still your best "friend". The graphics are faithfully recreated and there's no noticable difference from the N64 version. The menus screens are also the same.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 25 2009, 02:49 PM Post #5
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Super Mario 64 Unfortunately not all the demos are converted as well as OoT. Super Mario 64 plays quite smoothly but Mario himself looks terrible. For some reason he’s much fuzzier than the N64 version when using the same standard (composite) AV connection… not that you have any choice in what cable to use as the iQue Player’s power cable is also it’s AV cable. Apart from the fuzziness of Mario the conversion seems to be fine, but it’s disappointing to see Nintendo’s mascot looking badly reproduced. The screens here don't convey the fuzziness of Mario so you'll just have to take my word for it. There are some interesting minor differences in the iQue Player version of Super Mario 64, most notably the revised start screen where you can manipulate Mario’s head because there are now lots of iQue logos in the background. Apart from the iQue logos and the Chinese text there’s not much difference. The character voices are unchanged. Super Mario 64 first time load screen. Revised title screen in Chinese. You can still play with Mario's head. Notice the iQue logo's in the background. She's baked you a cake. Run, before it gets cold! Inside the castle. Ba ba ba ba ba ba! No stars yet. Everything looks the same.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 25 2009, 02:50 PM Post #6
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Wave Race 64 Wave Race has undergone more distinctive changes than some of the other demos. Like Super Mario 64, the title screen has been changed to incorporate the iQue logo and there’s Chinese text throughout. The announcer has been re-voiced in Chinese which is a significant change given that in the Japanese version of the game the voicing is in English. Gameplay remains the same and there doesn’t appear to be any issues in the emulation. The installation screen. Wave Race 64 title screen, now with iQue logo! Note the differnce between this and the Japanese N64 version of Wave Race 64. With the "64" changed to "iQue" for the iQue version perhaps it's name has also changed? Wave Race iQue may be it's official name in China although I've no way of confirming this. Various menu screens. Notice the slight borders. The game in action.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 25 2009, 02:52 PM Post #7
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Star Fox 64 The changes in Star Fox aren’t as visually obvious as some of the other demos. Although the iQue logo appears in the startup sequence it doesn’t feature in the title screens, except for the copyright text. The most obvious change is the Chinese voiceovers which change the way that the characters sound. See the video below to see and hear them. The transition to the iQue seems to have been quite successful and there’s no emulation problems. See a video of Star Fox 64 on the iQue by clicking the image above. The installation screen. The iQue logo. No big changes here... And Slippy still won't shut up.:lol:
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 25 2009, 02:54 PM Post #8
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	So should you try to track down an iQue Player? Well, that depends on if you can read Chinese or not. If you can’t then the iQue Player will be little more than a collectors piece. The games that come with it don’t justify the price of importing an iQue, especially since all of them are demos except for Dr Mario 64. Obtaining games may also pose a problem. There are no iQue Depots outside of China and although you may be able to download games from the iQue website, my understanding of Chinese is not good enough for me to be able to confirm this. Or download any games. The iQue Player isn't all that portable either. The device itself is small enough but unless you live in China then you'll need to carry around a power converter as well. I used a Maplin 5Vdc Switched Mode Power Supply Adaptor, order code L45BL but that's because I live in the UK. If you live elsewhere you'll need to find an adaptor that's suits. The cable supplied with the iQue is a power and A/V cable, which means that your power source needs to be near your TV. The iQue Player is quite comfortable to hold and works as well as a N64 controller for playing games. As I mentioned previously, the analogue stick is the same design as that used in the N64 controller and this may mean that the stick wears out over time, making the iQue Player useless unless you're willing to open it up to replace or repair the control stick. If this is the case, it's a major flaw in the iQue's design. If the iQue Player is remembered by people outside China it will probably be as an interesting footnote in the Nintendo 64's history. It was released after the N64 had died commercially and is unique in that it's the only major N64 revision. But it's also so different from the N64 that it's a stretch to say that it's a Nintendo 64 console. You certainly won't be playing any N64 cartridges in this without doing some major alterations to it first. There doesn't appear to be any big revisions to any of the games I've played and the changes I did experience were either region specific (Chinese text and voicing) or rebranding (iQue logos). In short, there's not much here that's new so the iQue is really only of interest to dedicated collectors.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 25 2009, 02:54 PM Post #9
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	Photos of the iQue Player Click the thumbnail images below to see the photos at full size.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 25 2009, 02:55 PM Post #10
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 25 2009, 02:55 PM Post #11
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 25 2009, 02:56 PM Post #12
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


alxbly	Jan 25 2009, 02:56 PM Post #13
Alxblymus Primus Posts: 8,722 Group: Admin Member #168 Joined: October 18, 2008	The iQue Company Established in 2002, iQue Limited is a joint venture between Nintendo and Chinese scientist and businessman, Wei Yen. The main reason for Nintendo entering into this partnership was the law which dictates that only Chinese companies, or businesses working with Chinese companies, may trade within China. Prior to establishing this partnership, Nintendo had been wary of entering the Chinese games market, mainly because of the high levels of piracy in the country. However, it appears that they also did not want to miss out on the substantial revenues which could be achieved from selling to the Chinese population. Since the introduction of the iQue Player (and the even more succesful iQue handhelds), a number of other products have been released under the iQue name; the iQue Game Boy Advance, the iQue Game Boy Advance SP, the iQue Game Boy Micro, the iQue DS and, most recently, the iQue DS Lite. Although the iQue Player is substantially different from the Nintendo console it’s based upon (the Nintendo 64), the others are simply rebranded Nintendo products. Nintendo recently announced that they were considering releasing the Wii in China and this is likely to be done under the iQue name.
	Xbox Live: alxbly \| PSN: alxbly \| Wii friend code: 2326 4589 7536 6941


« Previous Topic · Nintendo 64 Guides and FAQs · Next Topic »