ModRetro CEO Torin Herndon unveils M64 console design on Black Friday, targets GamesDoneQuick with both Chromatic and M64

millions of consumers who use AI to discover new products and brands. No better day than today to check out Profound. Uh, up next we have Torren from Mod Retro, of course, the makers of theatic. Uh,

welcome to the show.

We've we Good to have you.

First time. First time.

First time on the show. Uh, thanks so much for taking the time. How is uh, Black Friday for you? You're obviously focused on the Chromatic this year. Are there other ways that you're uh, merchandising the product? How are you? Uh,

is this the best Christmas present ever? must be

like is this like it feels like it feels like you kind of made the perfect

Christmas present. It's it's this thing that we you know we on our checkout flow we have the postcheckout survey and I think the the biggest thing that we've been learning on this Black Friday is that it's just it's such a unique and perfect gift no matter if it's for a child or for somebody who is much much much older because everybody can just appreciate that that I have one right here that simple idea of just

turning it on

turn it on no

you're in the game I I I was I is experiencing this. I mean like there's so many tech products today and we talked to Palmer about this uh where just going from unwrapping it to setting it up to logging in with your create an account create add to factor like upload your DNA and all this other stuff and it's like can we just turn it on and have fun with it and it's like you can we know we have the technology but we've forgotten how to do it and we and and fortunately we can make things that just turn on and are fun in in this country.

Powerful stuff.

Um, so, so yeah. Uh, how is it going? Is, are are is it surpassing your expectations just financially? Are are you happy with how things are going today?

Yeah, it's it's been amazing. I I don't know if you guys been keeping up with this, but we also uh just unveiled the design of the M64.

That's right.

Today. Yeah. And so, um, we've seen a pretty massive spike in traffic and inevitably people coming to look at the design of M64 are the exact same types of people who want to play a chromatic.

Yep. Uh, yeah. Give me give me the rundown, the best practices for M64. I want it on day one. What do I have to do? And then, um, my uh, I I I obviously I I I want one as soon as I can get one. How do I do that? And then also, uh, should I be digging through old, uh, old crates of N64 cartridges and making sure that I have those ready to go on day one?

Yes, you definitely should be doing that. But we will also be announcing

our biggest launch lineup of games that are going to be published in house. And again, just like with Dromatic, we re-release [clears throat] classic games, we remaster classic games, and we also make

uh brand new games that are that are made by indie devs and things like that.

That's fantastic. Um, and then what is the what is the value prop like? Like like why M64? Why not just go on eBay, get something, get a bunch of adapters? Like like how are you positioning? I I you know I I've talked to Palmer about the the the mod retrochromatic many times and he talks about the materials and the the screen is all one sapphire glass. I don't understand how it works but uh it seems very impressive and I certainly enjoy it when I look at it. Um but what what are you most excited about with regard to the M64?

M64 is it it's just like the chromatic. Like with the chromatic, it is it is the only way to play one of these games the exact way that the game artist intended for it to be seen and for it to be played. That's because, as you said, it has the only pixel perfect resolution display that's ever been made for a Game Boy clone. Whether that's software emulation or hardware devices, it's the only one in the world that has a pixel accurate display. But it's a confluence of different factors that make it feel like this very authentically nostalgic experience. It's the exact same way with the M64. It's from the translucent colorways and and the way that the design is uh is made for the actual physical console itself, but also for the video output. We're doing a few things that uh that add to the authenticity of of the actual video out and what the game artists intend for you to see in those games that won't exist in any other piece of hardware. Is that because when the N64 was created, there was we were using much different televisions and now everybody has flat screens and so you need to actually like the video out needs to have a better understanding of like the final kind of like screen form factor.

That's exactly right. It the funny thing is that upscaling the video out to 4K, which the M64 will do, is actually the really easy problem. The hard problem is how are you going to have a modern N64 console video out to a CRT and to see the game exactly as in the way that you used to see it? And that's uh something that the M64 is going to accomplish with a lagless

uh analog video out as well.

Yeah, when we talked to Palmer, he talks a lot about the like pixel perfect jumps that like speedrunners do. It's a niche consumer in my at least I it feels like it is. Uh but it gives me a lot of uh it gives me a lot of uh confidence in the quality of the product. If it's good enough for the speedrunner, like I can't speedrun Mario 64, but if it's good enough for them, it's probably good enough for me. It's probably going to be a good uh experience. Um, do you think that there's actually a benchmark where you would like to see uh the M64 in in circulation at something like Games Done Quick, GDC, these like different uh speedrunning competitions? Is that sort of your internal benchmark? If it's actually good enough for the speedrunners, then it's good enough for uh for for everyone. The only benchmark is that it is at feature parody in terms of video out and lag and things like that with original consoles. That's the only

that's the only benchmark that makes any sense to compare against

and so that's what we compare against. I Yeah, Palmer talked about that pixel perfect jump and we have slow motion cameras that capture the chromatic versus the Game Boy Color and make sure that that is frame by frame accurate.

Yep.

It's the exact same thing with M64. In fact, we will be at Gamestone quick um with chromatics and M64.

Amazing.

Yeah. So, it's already in process. We have

chat wants to know any plans to do a clear case chromatic. Is that you keeping that uh in the chamber?

Yeah, it we get a lot of requests for it. That's what I'll say.

What about uh reaction to uh more modern hardware? Valve just released the the Steam box, the Steam frame. uh what was your initial reaction? Uh are you chomping at the bit? 25 years you're going to be making one or uh are there any other uh kind of uh takes or opinions or thoughts that you can share about what that maybe means for the gaming ecosystem broadly?

I'm I'm a huge fan. I'm a I'm honestly a fan of all gaming harbor and I think Palmer would say the same thing.

Yeah. for Mod Retro specifically, what we try to do is is kind of dig into the past for these threads that are still relevant today. So like

in the case of Chromatic, it's this idea that

you can pick up a game and play it and the game doesn't ask anything of you after you're playing it. Most modern games, they're constantly trying to get you [sighs]

to to pay more money after you've already bought the game, for example. this

it you know this it's the same reason that you can pick up a Game Boy game that was left in your parents closet today stick it into a chromatic and have the exact same experience that that is the thread that we wanted to pull on for chromatic. So I think

with Mod Retro a lot of the hardware that we're going to make is have these these elements of the past that are still valuable today that have just been kind of steamrolled by by by modern times. It's not to say the devices aren't modern in their technology stack. It's just that it gives you an experience uh that isn't common in in modern hardware ecosystems. And so,

yeah,

you know, all the stuff by Valve, I'm I'm obsessed with it. I love it. I'm a customer of it. Um but the types of experiences that Mod Retro creates live alongside that for somebody who is interested in gaming. Yeah.

And they're also better for people who actually just don't consider themselves to be a hardcore gamer. But

Sure. um

want to play a round of Tetris on an airplane or something like that.

Yeah. What uh obviously with Palmer um he can draw a ton of attention to the company to the category. Um but uh what's what else is working on the growth side in 2025? Have you gotten into performance marketing doing uh paid partnerships with other influencers? Like what what does the growth engine at the company look like these days? Yeah, we're we're just starting to scratch the surface of that stuff because the product with no growth engine behind it at all

does pretty well. And what we find is that

the biggest thing for Chromatic, for example, is to get it into somebody's hands. And when you have it in your hands, it's

it it creates a network effect of other other people buying it. Especially just Yeah. you can't fully communicate that feel, that click of the cartridge,

the

And it's also a forgotten it's like a forgotten feel. Like I think that people remember abstractly liking the Game Boy, liking, you know, physical handheld gaming. Um, but they don't quite remember what it actually felt like to feel it. So,

it's too good. Uh, last question. Anything you can share around the time horizon for the M64 pre-order?

Know when they can pre-order? They're excited. Chad is going crazy.

I know. Um I'm sorry, but not right at this moment, but very, very soon. Very soon.

But but there is something that you can do today, which is drop your email and you'll be the first to know if you're on that email list. Correct.

Drop your email on the weight list, which is onro.comm64. You will be prioritized in terms of shipping timelines. uh and and you'll know the second that the that the pre-order is ready.

Okay.

It it you know we're we're in the early stages of production on M64. It's just that we we don't like to jump the gun too much with taking your money ahead of being able to ship the product. And so that's

I mean Palmer lived that with the first Oculus. I you know he he delay he was probably the most successful Kickstarter campaign in history. And still months of delays of course it's heart it's heart-wrenching going through that. Uh, and yeah, uh,

yeah, I think a lot a lot of other companies would have launched the pre-order today and it's very mature to say we'll take

they wouldn't even call it a fixed timeline.

Yeah, it's going to ship next week. Who knows? But subject to delays.

Yeah.

Yeah. We we don't have the need to take your money ahead of time. We can shoulder the burden of the development and be confident that that uh that you're going to love the M64. So,

well, thank you so much for joining the stream. Congratulations on all the progress.

Yeah, great great to have you on. Finally,

have a good one to congrat. Cheers.

Goodbye.

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