Project Unreality
Nintendo 64 emulator
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Project Unreality was a video game console emulator for the Nintendo 64.[1] It was notable for being one of the earliest attempts at Nintendo 64 emulation (predating UltraHLE by nearly a year), and the first Nintendo 64 emulator to successfully boot a commercial game.[2][3]
| Project Unreality | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Project Unreality version 0.4a -1 | |
| Developer | BlackBag |
| Initial release | February 27, 1998 |
| Final release | 0.4a -1
/ May 25, 1998 |
| Written in | C, C++ |
| Operating system | Windows |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Video game console emulator |
| License | Freeware |
History
Development on Project Unreality started in late 1997, just over a year after the launch of the Nintendo 64.[4] In its earliest days, Project Unreality had few contemporaries; at the time, emulators for current-generation consoles were often hoaxes[5] or "shells" with extremely limited emulation capabilities.[6]
By early 1998, Project Unreality could emulate homebrew games to some extent.[7] The emulator's initial release saw its ability to boot commercial games, a first for any Nintendo 64 emulator.[8]
Discontinuation
In May 1998, lead programmer Michael Tedder announced that Project Unreality would be "put on the back burner for now", though no future updates were ever released.[4] Slashdot later reported that one of Project Unreality's developers was hired to a game studio, leaving the emulator's development in limbo.[9] This news coincided with Tedder's hiring to Z-Axis, where he continued to work until early 2000.[10][11]
Though Tedder repeatedly claimed that Nintendo hadn't contacted him regarding Project Unreality,[4][6] the rumor that Nintendo halted the emulator's development spread throughout the emulation scene; it has been suggested that UltraHLE's development was carried out in secret directly as a result of this rumor.[12]