Super Mario 64 runs natively on Microsoft's Zune HD via homebrew port
A programmer has released a native port of Super Mario 64 for Microsoft's Zune HD media player, using the OpenZDK homebrew toolkit. The port runs on the Zune's Nvidia Tegra hardware and includes touchscreen controls, sound, and save support, but no ROM is bundled. According to the developer, it plays mostly at full speed and does not require modifying the device's firmware.
The Zune HD arrived in 2009 as a Microsoft media player with an Nvidia Tegra APX 2600 chip, a 3.3-inch OLED touchscreen, and a Windows CE-based OS. It originally sold for $219.99 to $289.99 and was discontinued in 2011. An exploit later enabled OpenZDK, allowing homebrew software.
This port builds on sm64ex and a 2019 fan decompilation. It uses native ARM code, an OpenGL ES 2 renderer adapted from Fast3D, and shader workarounds because the Zune's driver cannot compile GLSL. Game logic runs at 30 ticks per second; audio has a separate higher-priority thread. It renders at 480x272 in landscape and has only been tested on firmware 4.5.
This project may mainly affect retro gaming fans and homebrew developers, showing that discontinued hardware can gain new life through community efforts. It could encourage similar ports to old devices, extending their usefulness and reducing e-waste. However, because it requires a user-supplied ROM and carries risk, its broader reach may stay limited to hobbyists. Rights holders could view such projects cautiously, though no ROM is distributed.