Super Mario 64 Comes to the Microsoft Zune

As a portable media player, Microsoft’s Zune simply couldn’t compete with Apple’s juggernaut iPod — the latter essentially becoming the de facto personal media player until smartphones took over. Super Mario 64 Comes to the Microsoft Zune. But in 2026 it might be Microsoft that gets the last laugh, as thanks to [rsheldiii] the Zune can now play Super Mario 64.

The software is based on sm64ex, and notably doesn’t include the ROM file necessary to actually run the game. But presuming a legal dump of a cartridge has been done, building and loading it onto a Zune HD is straightforward enough. From there the player is presented with a controller interface on the device’s touchscreen overlaid with the video output from the game.

Some interesting things are happening in the background here as well, like using NVIDIA’s Tegra tools to pre-compile shaders so the 2009-era processor can handle the rest of the gameplay. Although it didn’t enjoy the mainstream success of the iPod, the Zune was actually a pretty solid device, and even though the last of them rolled off the assembly line back in 2012, there’s still a fairly active userbase for it. Modern improvements have added Bluetooth and solid-state drive upgrades for them have been available almost since they were first released.