Krikzz Launches the EverDrive-64 PRO With a Dedicated 64DD Core

A Real Successor

Krikzz has released the EverDrive-64 PRO, the first substantial redesign of its N64 flash cartridge line since the X7. The headline feature is native 64DD support through a dedicated FPGA core, a first for Krikzz on this platform, complete with a physical button on the cartridge shell for swapping 64DD disks. The 64DD was Nintendo's Japan-only magnetic disk drive add-on, sold to fewer than fifteen thousand subscribers, and its software has been among the most awkward N64 content to run on original hardware.

The Specifications

Internally the PRO moves from a Cyclone IV to a Cyclone 10 FPGA and doubles SDRAM to 128 MB. USB Type-C transfer speeds jump to roughly 20 MB/s against the X7's approximately 1 MB/s, which turns ROM loading from a wait into an operation. The menu system gains custom themes with box art and cheat support. Pricing is 169 euros, roughly $169, with orders dispatching within three weeks. Grey, Transparent Clear and Ice Blue shells ship first, out of seven transparent colour options.

Timing

The PRO arrives in the same window as Analogue's 3DOS 1.5.0 upscaling update and Epilogue's 64 Operator announcement, which makes this the busiest stretch for N64 hardware in years. Thirty years after launch, the console has a modern FPGA clone, a new flagship flash cart with 64DD emulation, and a cartridge dumper designed to authenticate the increasingly common fakes. None of that existed as a coherent ecosystem five years ago.

Who It Is For

The X7 remains a perfectly good cartridge and the PRO does not obsolete it for anyone whose needs stop at loading ROMs. The case for upgrading is 64DD, the transfer speed, and the headroom that 128 MB of SDRAM buys for whatever cores Krikzz adds next. That last point is the interesting one: a flash cart with a general purpose FPGA and doubled memory is not just a storage device, and Krikzz has a long history of finding uses for headroom after the fact.

Sources: Time Extension, Krikzz