# Tristar 64

> video game accessory

**Wikidata**: [Q7844165](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7844165)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristar_64)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/tristar-64

## Summary
Tristar 64 is a third-party video-game accessory that snaps onto a Nintendo 64 console and lets the same machine also run Super Nintendo and Super Famicom cartridges. Because it adds a second CPU and separate video encoder, it is effectively a “console-within-a-console” rather than a simple adapter.

## Key Facts
- Classified as a video-game accessory (Wikidata Q-type)
- Marketed under at least two additional names: “X-Terminator” and “Memory Editor”
- Freebase ID /m/05qckj
- Covered in two Wikipedia language editions: English and Spanish
- No first-party affiliation with Nintendo; produced by an unlicensed third-party manufacturer

## FAQs
### Q: What systems can the Tristar 64 play?
A: When clamped onto a Nintendo 64, the unit adds hardware to run original Super Nintendo and Super Famicom cartridges through the N64’s video output.

### Q: Do I need separate controllers or power supplies?
A: No—the Tristar 64 borrows power, controllers, and AV output from the host Nintendo 64, so the same cables and pads are used.

### Q: Is the Tristar 64 officially licensed by Nintendo?
A: No. It is an unlicensed aftermarket product and was never endorsed or supported by Nintendo.

## Why It Matters
During the late-1990s “console wars,” gamers often owned libraries from earlier generations but had limited space under the television. Tristar 64 offered a space-saving, two-in-one proposition: keep your N64 hooked up and still revisit Super Nintendo hits without swapping cables or inputs. Although its build quality and compatibility list never matched Nintendo’s own hardware, the device became a cult curiosity—evidence of how strong demand was for backward compatibility years before manufacturers routinely included it. Collectors now value the Tristar 64 as a period piece that documents the grey-market ingenuity of 1990s accessory makers.

## Notable For
- One of the few unlicensed add-ons that embeds an entire second CPU rather than merely passthrough wiring
- Advertised multi-name strategy (Tristar 64 / X-Terminator / Memory Editor) uncommon for console peripherals
- Requires no external PSU—draws power directly from the N64 expansion port
- Supports both NTSC and PAL SNES/SFC cartridges, giving it broader regional compatibility than many clone consoles of the era

## Body
### Hardware Concept
The Tristar 64 is essentially a Super Nintendo motherboard condensed into a cartridge-shaped shell. When inserted into the N64’s top slot, a pass-through connector hijacks the console’s 5 V rail and AV lines. Internally, the unit contains its own Ricoh 5A22 CPU, PPUs, and CIC-lockout circumvention logic, allowing SNES games to run natively while the N64 merely acts as a power supply and video switcher.

### Physical Design
The device is molded in charcoal-grey plastic to visually match the Nintendo 64, with a top-loading slot for 60-pin Super Famicom cartridges; a small removable plastic tray adapts the slot for the slightly wider North-American SNES cartridges. Two spring-loaded plastic arms clamp around the N64’s vented sides for mechanical stability.

### Compatibility & Limitations
Because the Tristar 64 replicates SNES hardware rather than emulating it, timing-sensitive titles such as “Super FX” chip games generally boot, but special-cartridge add-ons (e.g., Super Game Boy, SA-1, or DSP-1) are hit-or-miss. Audio is routed through the N64’s multi-out port, producing mono by default unless the user supplies a proprietary SNES-style AV cable bundled with early units.

### Legacy
Production numbers were never published, but surviving boxed units are scarce enough to command collector prices. The Tristar 64 is remembered alongside the Super 8 (a similar N64-to-SNES adapter) as evidence of how enthusiast demand for backward compatibility was filled by third parties long before it became a standard console feature.