Stupid question about the N64 expansion pack

Post by **Scooter** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 1:40 am

I know the expansion pack is required for a few games such as the Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask. Well, I recently acquired an N64, my first Nintendo machine ever. I also have Zelda MM. My N64 came with an expansion pack.

My question is, what happens if I remove the expansion pack and try to start up Zelda MM? I didn't want to just try it for fear it might jack up the cartridge or something.

Also, I know there is no reason to remove the expansion pack, but what is this Jumper Pack I've read about? Is the N64 inoperable without an expansion pack installed? I didn't get a jumper pack with my machine but I don't know why I would need one if I just leave the expansion pack in there all the time (right?).

Lucky for me the expansion pack is a Nintendo brand version, I hear the 3rd party versions aren't often very reliable.

Post by **nocturnalnerd** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 1:50 am

The N64 will not work without either the expansion pack or the jumper pack.

Post by **vlame** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 2:43 am

if the jumper isnt in but the jumper i. it gives you an incompat screen.

Post by **Anayo** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 9:12 am

I used to have MM without an expansion pack back in 2000. It just brings up a screen in Zelda-ish font reading something to the effect of, "This game cannot be played without an N64 Expansion Pack (tm)." I'll digress to say that's a really tantalizing thing to have to look at for a week before you're able to go out and buy a $30 piece of plastic and silicon to make your actual game cartridge work.

Post by **philipofmacedon** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 10:02 am

I don't have the jumper either, just the expansion pack. I think the jumper pack doesn't do anything besides complete a circuit, which is integral for running your N64. So you've got to have something in there.

Post by **movax** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 3:33 am

IIRC, the N64 used some variation of Rambus; jumper pak probably acts as the terminator for matched pairs of memory like the old Intel 850E systems that used Rambus.

Post by **D.D.D.** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:54 am

movax wrote:IIRC, the N64 used some variation of Rambus; jumper pak probably acts as the terminator for matched pairs of memory like the old Intel 850E systems that used Rambus.

Ding ding ding. Rambus did provide the RAM hence the need for the terminator. I thought I was the only one screwed with that Intel mobo and its super expensive RAM~

Post by **ubelaffe** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 11:56 am

yeah, so basically to conclude. You don't need a jumper if you have an expansion pack. The expansion pack is better than the jumper pack and will allow you to play all the games, whereas the jumper is not sufficient for others. You just have to have one of them in the system.

Post by **Jubal** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:55 pm

and while some games require the expansion pak to play, other games that work with the jumper are improved by the expansion pak.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expansion_Pak

the jumper pak can be hard to get out unless you know how to do it.

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/system ... ionpak.jsp

I wouldn't consider owning a N64 console without expansion pak, I think its a must have

Post by **D.D.D.** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:49 am

Jubal wrote:and while some games require the expansion pak to play, other games that work with the jumper are improved by the expansion pak.

As soon as I got mine with DK64, the terminator was thrown into a box and never put back in my 64.

Jubal wrote:the jumper pak can be hard to get out unless you know how to do it.

Wha?

The tool it came with made it as simple as opening a door. Even if you don't have the tool, a screw driver, a butter knife, long fingernails, or anything flat will work. Even before the expansion pack was known about, the day I got my N64 I took out the terminator because I wanted to look at it.