Ninjalerts Team Embeds Nintendo 64 Emulator in Bitcoin Blockchain

Developers from the NFT platform Ninjalerts have integrated a Nintendo 64 gaming console emulator into the blockchain of the first cryptocurrency using the Ordinals protocol.

I’m happy to share that Pizza Ninjas just inscribed a Nintendo 64 emulator on Bitcoin! ??

We didn’t think this would be practical initially, but thanks to the new Brotli Compression on Ordinals

Inscribing a larger system like N64 and its games is more realistically feasible… pic.twitter.com/XcEAAqR04A

— trevor.btc — b/acc (@TO) February 22, 2024

In January, the team implemented a similar solution for the 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) as part of the dynamic non-fungible token project Pizza Ninjas, inspired by the “nostalgia of the 1990s” theme.

Another motive cited by Ninjalerts CEO Trevor Owens was the threat of old games disappearing, which would live forever on the blockchain.   

At that time, in a comment for The Block, he noted that “a 16-bit system like the SNES is probably the largest we can practically use” in terms of file size. Most games are 1-4 MB, which compresses to less than 1 MB. However, the 32-bit Game Boy Advance files reach 32-64 MB, Owens reminded then.

However, the recent implementation of the Brotli compression algorithm in the Ordinals protocol has allowed for storage reduction of about 80%, he wrote. For instance, the popular GoldenEye 007 for Nintendo 64 occupies 12.4 MB uncompressed but reduces to 3.15 MB.

“This is enough to fit it into one Bitcoin block (4 MB) or split it into eight transactions of less than 400 KB each. Currently, network fees are the lowest since the launch of Ordinals. The inscription will cost only $6000. Quite reasonable for a gaming community keen on preserving these classic games forever,” said the head of Ninjalerts.

According to him, the choice of Nintendo 64 is also due to it being the only early console without technical copyright protection and it supports up to four players simultaneously.

Owens added that the team will need “some time” to create a user interface for the emulator and implement multiplayer functionality.

Earlier, the National Vulnerability Database of the United States marked the “inscriptions” created in the Ordinals protocol as a cybersecurity threat to the Bitcoin network.