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Nintendo 64

"N64" redirects here. For other uses, see N64 (disambiguation).

The Nintendo 64 (commonly abbreviated N64) was the third home video game console released by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in June 1996 and was meant to compete against the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Saturn. The Nintendo 64 was Nintendo's first console made for 3D graphics. It uses plastic cartridges instead of CDs or disks, making load times faster. Because of this, the games cost more to make. The controller for the Nintendo 64 was shaped like an "M" and had 10 buttons and a joystick. Sony used the N64 joystick design to make their DualShock PlayStation controller. Out of the box, the Nintendo 64 had 4 MB of RAM, and it could be upgraded to 8 MB with the expansion pak.

Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64 logo.png
Nintendo 64.jpg
Console with Harvest Moon 64
Also known asN64 (abbreviation)
Project Reality (code name)
Ultra 64 (planned product name)
DeveloperNintendo IRD
ManufacturerNintendo
TypeHome video game console
GenerationFifth generation
Release date
Retail availability1996 (1996)–2003 (2003)
Discontinued
Units soldWorldwide: 32.93 million
Japan: 5.54 million
Americas: 20.63 million
Europe & Australia: 6.75 million
MediaNintendo 64 Game Pak
Magnetic disk (64DD)
PowerSwitching power supply, 12V and 3.3V DC
CPU64-bit NEC VR4300 @ 93.75 MHz
Memory4 MB Rambus RDRAM (8 MB with Expansion Pak)
Storage64 MB Game Pak
Removable storage256 Kbit (32 KB) Controller Pak
GraphicsSGI RCP @ 62.5 MHz
Sound16-bit, 48 or 44.1 kHz stereo
Controller inputNintendo 64 controller
Online servicesRandnet (Japan only)
SharkWire Online (third-party)
Best-selling gameSuper Mario 64, 11.62 million (as of May 21, 2003)[2]
Backward
compatibility		No Compatibility
PredecessorSuper Nintendo Entertainment System
SuccessorNintendo GameCube
Related articlesNintendo 64 technical specifications, 64DD, Game Pak, Rumble Pak, games, accessories, color variants, programming characteristics
Websitewww.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/nintendo64/index.jsp

Because making games for the Nintendo 64 was more expensive than making games for the PlayStation, many video game companies chose to develop for the PlayStation instead. Nintendo also did not like games that had a lot of blood or violence in them. Companies who made these kinds of games made them for the PlayStation instead. However, some game makers did make some violent games for the Nintendo 64, such as Rare's first-person shooter Perfect Dark. Nintendo ended up losing their first place spot in the video game market and Sony beat them because of these two things. The production of the system ended in Japan in 2002 and in 2003 worldwide as the GameCube launched.

Background

In 1990, Nintendo released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as the SNES in Japan, and 1991 in North America. It was a 16-bit console. It mostly still played 2D games, and any 3D games it played weren't true 3D. However, just two years later, in 1993, Atari released a system called the Jaguar. It was 64 bits, a very big improvement, and it made Nintendo and Sega look outdated. While the Jaguar didn't sell well, the message was still clear. To make matters worse, Sony was working on a new system to launch in 1994 that would be known as the PlayStation. The SNES, even though it didn't sell as well as the original NES, still sold extremely well. By the mid 1990s, though, Nintendo knew it was time to move on and create their own 64 bit system. Its name in development was called Project Reality.[3]

Reception

In 2015, IGN named the Nintendo 64 the ninth-greatest video game console of all time.[4] Many great games were released on the system, with many video game series first appearing on the N64. These series included Super Smash Bros., Paper Mario and Mario Party. It also had the first mario game in 3D, which was Super Mario 64.

Sales

5.54 million Nintendo 64 units were sold in Japan, 20.63 million in the Americas, and 6.75 million in other regions, a total of 32.93 million units.[5]

Notable games

Nintendo 64 Media

  • SGI Deskside Onyx graphics workstation. From the collection of the RCS/RI.

  • CPU-NUS(R4300 custom) in Nintendo64(NUS-001(JPN),PCB:NUS-CPU-01).

  • RDRAM18-NUS(RDRAM) on Nintendo64(NUS-001(JPN),PCB:NUS-CPU-01).

  • 64-bit "Reality Coprocessor"

  • Photo of Nintendo64 Reality Co-Processor.

  • The motherboard of a Nintendo 64 video game console. This is a North American version, motherboard revision NUS-CPU-03

  • The motherboard of a Nintendo 64 video game console. This is a North American version, motherboard revision NUS-CPU-03

  • A gray Nintendo 64 controller

  • Open and unopened Nintendo 64 Game Paks

  • A Nintendo 64 console and controller in Fire-Orange color

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-02-14. Retrieved 2019-03-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ↑ "All Time Top 20 Best Selling Games". May 21, 2003. Archived from the original on February 21, 2006. Retrieved March 27, 2008.
  3. ↑ Plunkett, Luke. "Nintendo's Lovable Code Names for Consoles". Kotaku. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Hatfield, Daemon. "Nintendo 64 is number 9". IGN. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Consolidated Sales Transition by Region" (PDF). Nintendo. January 27, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 24, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
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