General iQue FAQ

I decided to make this, a general iQue FAQ/info thing to hopefully help some people get a better understanding of what the iQue is.

Q: What is an iQue?
A: An iQue is the Chinese Nintendo 64 made by iQue and Nintendo. The iQue came out in 2003.

Q: What games are on he iQue?
A Not many but you can look at this list here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQue_Player#Games

Q: Does the iQue use cartridges?
A: No, iQue games are basically ROMs you download and put onto the systems's memory card

Q: Can you hack an iQue?
A: No, the system basically went unnoticed so no real hackers even bothered with it.

Q: How do you get games on iQue?
A: iQue games can be bought using kiosks in China in popular malls or you can buy special cards in marts and use a program called iQue@Home to buy the games at your own computer.

Q: Is there an iQue emulator?
A: No there is not. There has been talk about it but no one has dumped anything from the iQue.

Q: Can you dump iQue ROMs?
A: Maybe. I'm looking into it and I'm planning to hopefully supply the necessary files for someone to make a working iQue emulator. No promises though.

Q: Where can I get an iQue?
A: You can usually find them on eBay though they are expensive, around $100, sometimes cheaper.

Q: Why would you use the iQue for speedruns?
A: Chinese text much like Japanese use less characters for words and the Chinese alphabet actually uses less characters for words then Japanese so most conversations will have less characters in them, in causes of RPGs or games like Ocarina of Time, the text boxes finish quicker and can be skipped faster.

Q: Can the iQue play anything other than N64 games?
A: No, it was planned to also have SNES games but the system became a failure and it never happened.

Q: Isn't the controller huge?
A: No actually. People call the controller large but it's about as big as a Playstation 3 controller.

Q: Are iQue games just patched ports?
A: Not all. Games like Ocarina of Time are just translated ports of either the Japanese or English 1.2 versions. But Super Mario 64 however is patched on iQue, BLJs aren't a thing.

Q: Do iQue games lag?
A: Some do, some don't. The iQue had a better processor and could handle more objects on the screen so certain spots that would lag on N64, might not lag on iQue. But at the same time, iQue generates random lag in certain games in certain areas.

Q: Are iQue's legal for speedruns?
A: Yes. An iQue is a console no matter how you look at it.

Q: Is an iQue an emulator?
A: Yes and no. Emulators run games using ROM files, ripped games basically. The iQue operates by reading and loading a ROM into memory then playing that game. So in the sense of running off ROMs, it's an emulator, but at the same time, it's a console.

Q: Will the iQue work in places like America?
A: Yes but you will need a special power adapter for it to work. Voltage in China is different than it is in America.

Q: Can I buy iQue games outside of China?
A: Yes but you will have to have a card mentioned earlier imported.

Q: Can I play iQue games without buying them?
A: You can download demos of the games though they are timed.

Q: How do you use the iQue@Home software? I can't read Chinese.
A: I made a simple guide to using the software for those who don't understand Chinese, you can view it here: http://bombch.us/PSr

I personally bought my iQue from someone in my town for $60 so I could not get games with the system. If you buy an iQue on eBay from someone in China, you might be able to request to have games added to the iQue but it might cost extra. If you have any extra questions that aren't addressed here, you can contact me on Twitter: @MHFsilver and I'll answer ASAP.