1996
LAUNCH
388 GAMES
OFFICIALLY RELEASED
33 MILLION
UNITS SOLD WORLDWIDE
nintendo 64
1996
The Nintendo 64 was the successor to the Super NES, the N64 released on June 23, 1996, in Japan and on September 26, 1996, in North America.
Development started under "Project: Reality" as a collaboration between Nintendo and Silicon Graphics (SGI) in April 1993 to create a next-generation 3D console. Eventually the Nintendo 64 would be known as the Nintendo Ultra 64 before finally becoming the Nintendo 64.
The Nintendo 64 controller is "M" shaped with 10 buttons, one analog control stick, and a directional pad. The Nintendo 64 also one of the first consoles with four controller ports.
In 1996, Time named the Nintendo 64; Machine of the Year stating that it was "the most realistic and compelling three-dimensional experience ever presented by a computer".
The Nintendo 64 was
eventually discontinued in 2002 following the 2001 launch of the GameCube. In total there was 33 million Nintendo 64 units sold worldwide making it the
Legendary Library
The Nintendo 64 was known for it's wide array of platformers and multiplayer games. The Nintendo 64 library is filled with classic like Super Mario 64, Zelda Ocarina of Time, Banjo Kazooie, Goldeneye, Donkey Kong 64, Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart 64, Pokemon Stadium, Mario Party and the list goes on!
N64DD
During development of the Nintendo 64, Nintendo was working on the Nintendo 64 Disk Drive which was first announced on 1995. This magnetic floppy drive peripheral would attach to the bottom of the Nintendo 64, through the extension port. The Nintendo 64 Disk Drive would eventually have an exclusive launch in Japan on December 13, 1999 and was eventually discontinued on February 28, 2001 with about a total of 15,000+ units sold in it's lifetime.
The Nintendo 64 Disk Drive was incredibly filled with potential and through the Randnet Starter Kit. Randnet was a paid service that was active from December 13, 1999 to February 28, 2001. The Randnet service allowed you to surf the Internet, and share user-generated data including artwork. The subscription fee included the dialup Internet account, 64DD system hardware, and a delivery schedule of game disks by mail.
A total of ten disks were released for 64DD, which comprise nine games and one dialup utility disk. More than 60 games were announced for the 64DD that ended up being released on Nintendo 64 cartridge format only, being totally canceled, or released and ported for other consoles.
Legacy
The Nintendo 64 is one of the most beloved consoles of time and known for some all time classics like Zelda Ocarina of Time, Super Mario 64, and the king of multiplayer parties on Friday nights in the late 90s; 007 Goldeneye!
Check out our curated list of our top games on the Nintendo 64.
TOP GAMES
