View source for Nintendo 64

{{Short description|Home video game console}}
{{Redirect|N64}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox information appliance
| logo = Nintendo 64 (logo).svg
| logo_size = 200px
| image = N64-Console-Set.png
| image_upright = 1.2 
| caption = A charcoal-gray Nintendo 64 console (right) with a solid gray [[Nintendo 64 controller|controller]]
| codename = Project Reality
| aka = {{Plainlist|class=nowrap|
* Ultra 64 (prerelease title)
* [[South Korea|SK]]: Hyundai Comboy 64
}}
| developer = [[Nintendo IRD]]
| manufacturer = [[Nintendo]]
| type = [[Home video game console]]
| generation = [[Fifth generation of video game consoles|Fifth]]
| releasedate = {{Video game release|JP|June 23, 1996<ref name="The Signal Jun 24">{{Cite news |date=June 24, 1996 |title=Long-Awaited Nintendo 64 Machine Hits Stores |work=The Signal |location=[[Santa Clarita, California]]}}</ref>|NA|September 29, 1996<ref>{{Cite web |last=<!-- Staff writer(s); no by-line --> |date=September 26, 1996 |title=Nintendo 64 Breaks Loose |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1996/09/27/nintendo-64-breaks-loose |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018222437/http://www.ign.com/articles/1996/09/27/nintendo-64-breaks-loose |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |access-date=November 12, 2015 |website=IGN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kohler |first=Chris |date=September 29, 2016 |title=Nintendo 64 Came Out 20 Years Ago—Here's How I Felt About It Then |url=https://www.wired.com/2016/09/nintendo-64-20th-anniversary/ |access-date=December 14, 2024 |magazine=Wired |archive-date=September 29, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160929205936/https://www.wired.com/2016/09/nintendo-64-20th-anniversary/ |url-status=live }}</ref>|EU/AUS|March 1, 1997<ref name="The Guardian Mar 1">{{Cite news |last=Younge |first=Gary |author-link=Gary Younge |date=March 1, 1997 |title=Battle of the Giants Launched |work=[[The Guardian]] |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Curtis |first=Maree |date=March 2, 1997 |title=Remember the Games of the Old School Yard |work=The Age |location=Melbourne}}</ref>}}
| price = {{Unbulleted indent list
  | {{USD|199|1996|round=-1}}<ref name="Stone Croal hot" />
  | {{GBP|249.99|1997|round=-1}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/71742/Nintendo-releases-the-Nintendo-64/ |title=Nintendo releases the Nintendo 64 |website=The Centre for Computing History |publisher=Centre for Computing History |access-date={{date|2025-10-27}} |language=en}}</ref>
}}
| discontinued = {{Video game release|WW| April 30, 2002<ref name="sales"/>{{Failed verification|date=November 2025}}}}
| unitssold = {{Tree list}}
* {{Abbr|WW|Worldwide}}: 32.93 million ([[#Sales|details]])
** [[North America|NA]]: 20.63 million
** [[Japan|JP]]: 5.54 million
** [[Europe|EU]]/[[Australia|AU]]: 6.75 million
{{Tree list/end}}
| media = {{ubl|[[Nintendo 64 Game Pak]]|[[64DD]] magnetic disc}}
| cpu = [[NEC]] [[VR4300]]
| CPUspeed = 93.75&nbsp;[[MHz]]
| memory = 4{{nbsp}}MB [[RDRAM]] (8{{nbsp}}MB with [[Expansion Pak]])
| memory card = 32&nbsp;KB [[Controller Pak]]
| graphics = [[Silicon Graphics|SGI]] [[#Technical_specifications|RCP]] @ 62.5{{nbsp}}MHz
| sound = {{Ubli
  | 16-bit, 44.1{{nbsp}}kHz stereo
  | [[Dolby Pro Logic]] surround (select games)
  }}
| controllers = [[Nintendo 64 controller]], 4 ports
| power = [[Switched-mode power supply|Switching supply]], 12 & 3.3{{nbsp}}V DC
| service = {{ubl|class=nowrap|[[Randnet]] (Japan only)|[[SharkWire Online]] (third-party)}}
| dimensions = {{cvt|260|xx|190|xx|73|mm|2}}
| weight = {{cvt|1.1|kg|2}}
| topgame = ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' (11.62 million)<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 21, 2003 |title=All Time Top 20 Best Selling Games |url=http://www.ownt.com/qtakes/2003/gamestats/gamestats.shtm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060221044930/http://www.ownt.com/qtakes/2003/gamestats/gamestats.shtm |archive-date=February 21, 2006 |access-date=March 27, 2008}}</ref>
| predecessor = [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]
| successor = [[GameCube]]
| related = [[Nintendo 64DD]]<br>[[iQue Player]]
}}
The {{nihongo foot|'''Nintendo 64'''|ニンテンドウ64|Nintendo Rokujūyon|extra=Often stylized in all caps, Nintendo branded the console in Japan by its English name.|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} ('''N64''') is a [[home video game console]] developed and marketed by [[Nintendo]]. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, in North America on September 29, 1996, in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] (SNES), the N64 was the last major home console to use [[ROM cartridge]]s as its primary storage medium.{{Efn|The [[Nintendo Switch]], a hybrid video game console, uses [[Nintendo Game Card|flash storage cards]] as its primary storage format, but several media websites have described it a "cartridge".<ref>Citations:
* {{Cite web|last=Allegra|first=Frank|url=https://www.polygon.com/2016/10/20/13344618/nintendo-switch-nx-games-cartridges|title=Nintendo Switch will use cartridges|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|date=October 20, 2016|access-date=January 28, 2025|archive-date=October 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002074537/https://www.polygon.com/2016/10/20/13344618/nintendo-switch-nx-games-cartridges|url-status=live}}
* {{Cite web|last1=Sarkar|first1=Samit|last2=Alexander|first2=Julia|url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/3/1/14784140/nintendo-switch-cartridges-taste-awful-psa|title=Nintendo Switch game cartridges taste offensively bad, trust us|website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|date=March 1, 2017|access-date=January 28, 2025|archive-date=August 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805000210/https://www.polygon.com/2017/3/1/14784140/nintendo-switch-cartridges-taste-awful-psa|url-status=live}}
* {{Cite web|last=Webster|first=Andrew|url=https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/16/24343666/nintendo-switch-2-cartridge-backwards-compatibility|title=The Nintendo Switch 2 supports original Switch cartridges|website=[[The Verge]]|date=January 16, 2025|access-date=January 28, 2025|archive-date=January 16, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250116134552/https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/16/24343666/nintendo-switch-2-cartridge-backwards-compatibility|url-status=live}}</ref>}} As a [[fifth-generation console]], the Nintendo 64 primarily competed with [[Sony Interactive Entertainment|Sony]]'s [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] and the [[Sega Saturn]].

Development of the N64 began in 1993 in collaboration with [[Silicon Graphics]], initially [[codename]]d Project Reality and later tested as the Ultra 64 arcade platform. The console was named for its [[64-bit]] [[Central processing unit|CPU]]. Although its design was largely finalized by mid-1995, the console’s release was delayed until 1996 to allow for the completion of the console's [[launch titles]], ''[[Super Mario 64]]'', ''[[Pilotwings 64]]'', and the Japan-exclusive ''[[Saikyō Habu Shōgi]].''

The N64’s original charcoal-gray console was later joined by several color variants. Certain games required the [[Expansion Pak]] to boost system [[Random-access memory|RAM]] from 4 to 8&nbsp;MB, improving both graphics and gameplay functionality. The console supported [[saved game]] storage either on cartridges or the optional [[Controller Pak]] accessory. The [[64DD]] magnetic disc peripheral offered additional storage for game content and enabled the [[Randnet]] online service. However, due to a delayed launch, the 64DD was a commercial failure and was released exclusively in Japan.

In 1996, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' [[Time (magazine)|magazine]] named the N64 its Machine of the Year, and in 2011, ''[[IGN]]'' ranked it as the ninth-greatest video game console of all time. Though the N64 sold over 32 million units globally, it was ultimately discontinued worldwide on April 30, 2002 following the release of its successor, the [[GameCube]].{{fact|date=November 2025}} While it was critically acclaimed, the N64 faced commercial challenges; its sales lagged behind the PlayStation, and underperformed in both Japan and Europe, despite strong performance in the United States.

== History ==
=== Background ===
Following the [[video game crash of 1983]], Nintendo revitalized the industry with the release of its second home console, the Family Computer (Famicom), launched in Japan in 1983 and later introduced internationally as the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES) in 1985. Both the NES and its successor, the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] (SNES), achieved significant commercial success. However, SNES sales declined during the [[Lost Decades|Japanese economic recession]]. At the same time, competition intensified with the arrival of the [[Sega Saturn]], a [[32-bit computing|32-bit]] console, which outpaced the aging [[16-bit computing|16-bit]] SNES and highlighted the urgency for Nintendo to upgrade its hardware or risk losing market share. Additional competition came from [[Atari]]'s [[Atari 5200|5200]], [[Atari 7800|7800]], [[Atari Lynx|Lynx]], and [[Atari Jaguar|Jaguar]] systems.

In an effort to extend the SNES’s lifespan, Nintendo explored the development of [[Super NES CD-ROM|a CD-ROM peripheral]] through partnerships with [[CD-ROM]] technology pioneers [[Philips]] and [[Sony]]. Despite the creation of early hardware prototypes, both collaborations ultimately collapsed, and no games were released by Nintendo or its third-party partners. Philips retained limited licensing rights and used them to release original ''Mario'' and ''Legend of Zelda'' games on its competing [[CD-i]] device. Meanwhile, Sony leveraged its progress to develop what would become the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] console. During this period, third-party developers also expressed growing dissatisfaction with Nintendo’s strict licensing policies.<ref name="Brandt">{{Cite magazine |last=Brandt |first=Richard L. |date=October 1995 |title=Nintendo Battles for Its Life |magazine=[[Upside (magazine)|Upside]] |volume=7 |issue=10}}</ref>

=== Development ===
[[Silicon Graphics|Silicon Graphics, Inc.]] (SGI), a long-established leader in [[high-performance computing]], sought to expand by adapting its supercomputing technology into the higher volume consumer market, starting with the video game industry. To support this shift, SGI redesigned its MIPS [[R4000]] CPU family, reducing power consumption, and aimed to lower unit cost from up to {{US$|200|1993|link=yes|round=0}} to approximately {{US$|40|1993|round=0|long=no}}.<ref name="Video Game Link">{{Cite news |last=Fisher |first=Lawrence M. |date=August 21, 1993 |title=Company News; Video Game Link Is Seen for Nintendo |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/21/business/company-news-video-game-link-is-seen-for-nintendo.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208022940/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/21/business/company-news-video-game-link-is-seen-for-nintendo.html |archive-date=February 8, 2015 |access-date=February 7, 2015 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> SGI developed a video game chipset prototype and sought an established industry partner. SGI founder [[James H. Clark|Jim Clark]] first pitched the concept to [[Tom Kalinske]], CEO of Sega of America, who said they were "quite impressed." However, Sega’s Japanese engineers rejected the design, citing technical issues, which SGI later resolved.<ref name="Tom">{{Cite web |title=Tom Kalinske Interview |url=http://www.sega-16.com/feature_page.php?id=214&title=Interview:%20Tom%20Kalinske |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207173139/http://www.sega-16.com/feature_page.php?id=214&title=Interview%3A%20Tom%20Kalinske |archive-date=February 7, 2009 |access-date=December 17, 2009 |publisher=Sega-16}}</ref> Nintendo disputes this account, claiming SGI ultimately favored Nintendo because Sega had demanded exclusive rights to the technology, while Nintendo was open to a non-exclusive licensing agreement.<ref name="Brandt" />

In early 1993, Clark met with Nintendo president [[Hiroshi Yamauchi]].<ref name="Brandt" /> By August 23, during Nintendo's annual [[Nintendo Space World#Shoshinkai 1993|Shoshinkai trade show]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Semrad |first=Ed |date=October 1993 |title=Nintendo Postpones Intro of New System... Again! |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |page=6 |issue=51}}</ref> the companies announced a joint development and licensing agreement for what they called "Project Reality."<ref name="Project Reality Preview">{{Cite magazine |last=Cochrane |first=Nathan |date=1993 |others=taken from ''Vision'', the SGI newsletter |title=Project Reality Preview by Nintendo/Silicon Graphics |url=http://www.ibiblio.org/GameBytes/issue21/flooks/preality.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818140049/http://www.ibiblio.org/GameBytes/issue21/flooks/preality.html |archive-date=August 18, 2017 |access-date=October 16, 2017 |magazine=GameBytes |issue=21}}</ref> They projected an arcade debut in 1994 and a home release by late 1995, targeting a retail price under {{US$|250|1995|round=0|long=no}}.<ref name="Project Reality press release at SGI">{{Cite press release |title=Nintendo and Silicon Graphics Join Forces to Create World's Most Advanced Video Entertainment Technology |date=September 4, 1993 |publisher=Silicon Graphics, Inc. |url=http://www.sgi.com/Headlines/1993/Sep/sept_04.html |access-date=December 29, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970707183909/http://www.sgi.com/Headlines/1993/Sep/sept_04.html |archive-date=July 7, 1997}}</ref> Michael Slater, publisher of [[Microprocessor Report]] highlighted the significance of the partnership saying, "The mere fact of a business relationship there is significant because of Nintendo's phenomenal ability to drive volume. If it works at all, it could bring MIPS to levels of volume [SGI] never dreamed of."<ref name="Video Game Link" />

SGI named the console’s core chipset "Reality Immersion Technology", featuring MIPS [[R4300i]] CPU and the Reality Coprocessor for graphics, audio, and memory management).<ref name="N64 Programming Manual" /> [[NEC]], [[Toshiba]], and [[Sharp Corporation|Sharp]] would provide manufacturing support.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 1994 |title=Reality Check |url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_056_March_1994/page/n177/mode/1up |magazine=[[GamePro]] |page=184 |issue=56}}</ref> The chipset was a collaborative effort between SGI and its subsidiary, [[MIPS Technologies]].<ref name="Project Reality press release at SGI" /><ref name="Johnston & Riccardi">{{Cite book |last1=Johnston |first1=Chris |title=Electronic Gaming Monthly's Player's Guide to Nintendo 64 Video Games |last2=Riccardi |first2=John |date=1996 |publisher=Ziff-Davis Publishing |page=18}}</ref><ref name="Shadows postmortem">{{Cite magazine |last=Haigh-Hutchinson |first=Mark |date=January 1997 |title=Classic Postmortem: Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/114010/Classic_Postmortem_Star_Wars_Shadows_Of_The_Empire.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402141636/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/114010/Classic_Postmortem_Star_Wars_Shadows_Of_The_Empire.php |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=February 5, 2015 |magazine=Game Developer}}</ref> SGI and Nintendo also partnered with [[Rambus]], designing a bus architecture to transfer data at 500 Mb/s using its proprietary [[RDRAM]]. Rambus hoped the partnership would encourage RDRAM adoption in PCs.<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine |date=April 1995 |title=The Dream Team |url=https://archive.org/download/Nintendo_Power_Issue001-Issue127/Nintendo%20Power%20Issue%20071%20April%201995.pdf |magazine=Nintendo Power |pages=60–65 |volume=71}}</ref>

[[Image:SGI-onyx.jpg|thumb|SGI Onyx like those used for early development]]
[[File:Nintendo Ultra64 DevKit Joybus Board Connected.JPG|thumb|SGI Indy [[Software development kit|development kit]] with Nintendo 64 simulation board and controller connectors on breakout board]]
To enable game creation before the hardware was finalized, SGI offered a [[Software development kit|development platform]] based on the [[SGI Onyx|Onyx]] supercomputer to simulate expected console performance. The Onyx was priced at up to {{USD|250,000|1994|round=-4|long=no}}.<ref name="Shadows postmortem" /><ref>''Gaming Gossip''. [[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]. Issue 69. Pg.52. April 1995.</ref><ref name="The Game is 64 Bits">{{Cite magazine |last=Willcox |first=James K. |date=April 1996 |title=The Game Is 64 Bits |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MGUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA134 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022045612/https://books.google.com/books?id=MGUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA134 |archive-date=October 22, 2020 |access-date=October 16, 2017 |magazine=[[Popular Mechanics]] |page=134 |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> It included a {{USD|50,000|1994|round=-4|long=no}} [[RealityEngine|RealityEngine2]] graphics board and four 150&nbsp;MHz R4400 CPUs.<ref name="Next Generation #44">{{Cite magazine |date=August 1998 |title=Nintendo 64 |url=https://archive.org/stream/ng_unedited/ng_44_unedited#page/n41/mode/2up |access-date=December 14, 2015 |magazine=Next Generation |page=40 |issue=44}}</ref><ref name="Edge #7">{{Cite magazine |date=April 1994 |title=Silicon Graphics: Showing Off |url=https://archive.org/stream/EDGE.N007.1994.04/EDGE.N007.1994.04-Escapade_4900px#page/n17/mode/2up |access-date=December 14, 2015 |magazine=Edge |pages=18–19 |issue=7}}</ref> Once the chipset was finalized, the supercomputing setup was replaced by a simulation board integrated into low-end [[SGI Indy]] workstation in July 1995.<ref name="Project Reality press release at SGI" /> SGI's early performance estimates proved largely accurate; [[LucasArts]], for instance, ported a prototype ''Star Wars'' game to the final hardware in just three days.<ref name="Shadows postmortem" /><ref name="CVG 171">{{Cite magazine |date=February 1996 |title=Nintendo Ultra 64 |url=https://www.outofprintarchive.com/articles/features/TradeShows/Shoshinkai1995-CVG171-5.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807073003/https://www.outofprintarchive.com/articles/features/TradeShows/Shoshinkai1995-CVG171-5.html |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |access-date=August 7, 2022 |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] |location=UK |issue=171}}</ref>{{rp|26}}

On June 23, 1994, at the [[Consumer Electronics Show]], Nintendo announced that the upcoming console would be named the "Ultra 64". The console design was shown, but its controller remained under wraps. The most controversial detail was Nintendo’s decision to use limited-capacity ROM cartridges rather than the increasingly popular CD-ROM format, despite previous development work for a CD-based SNES.<ref name="Billboard September 4, 1993">{{Cite magazine |last=McGowan |first=Chris |date=September 4, 1993 |title=Nintendo, Silicon Graphics Team for Reality Check |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-BEEAAAAMBAJ&q=silicon+graphics&pg=PA89 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813021307/https://books.google.com/books?id=-BEEAAAAMBAJ&q=silicon+graphics&pg=PA89 |archive-date=August 13, 2021 |access-date=October 16, 2017 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=89 |quote="[It] could be a cartridge system, a CD system, or both, or something not ever used before"}}</ref><ref name="Billboard: June 25, 1994">{{Cite magazine |last=Gillen |first=Marilyn A. |date=June 25, 1994 |title=Billboard (June 25, 1994) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UggEAAAAMBAJ&q=Howard+Lincoln&pg=PA77 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813021221/https://books.google.com/books?id=UggEAAAAMBAJ&q=Howard+Lincoln&pg=PA77 |archive-date=August 13, 2021 |access-date=September 2, 2014 |magazine=Billboard |quote=Right now, cartridges offer faster access time and more speed of movement and characters than CDs. So, we'll introduce our new hardware with cartridges. But eventually, these problems with CDs will be overcome. When that happens, you'll see Nintendo using CD as the software storage medium for our 64-bit system. — Howard Lincoln, chairman of Nintendo of America, 1994}}</ref>{{rp|77}} Nintendo defended the decision, citing the performance advantages of cartridges. The Ultra 64 was marketed as the world’s first [[64-bit computing|64-bit]] console.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nintendo Ultra 64 |url=http://www.csoon.com/issue15/nu64_1.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204193721/http://www.csoon.com/issue15/nu64_1.htm |archive-date=February 4, 2009 |access-date=January 14, 2009}}</ref> Though Atari had previously advertised the Jaguar as a 64-bit system,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Atari Jaguar |url=http://www.allgame.com/platform.php?id=14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918235248/http://www.allgame.com/platform.php?id=14 |archive-date=September 18, 2009 |access-date=January 14, 2009}}</ref> its architecture used two 32-bit coprocessors and a 16/32-bit [[Motorola 68000]] CPU,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Atari Jaguar |url=http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg90-jaguar.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130104852/http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg90-jaguar.htm |archive-date=January 30, 2009 |access-date=January 14, 2009}}</ref> falling short of Nintendo’s full 64-bit implementation.

Later in 1994, Nintendo signed a licensing agreement with [[Amusement arcade|arcade]] giant [[WMS Industries|Williams]]. The company's [[Midway Games|Midway]] studio would develop Ultra 64-branded arcade titles, including [[Killer Instinct (1994 video game)|''Killer Instinct'']] and [[Cruis'n USA|''Cruis’n USA'']].<ref name="arcadehits1">{{Cite web |title=Killer Instinct |url=http://www.arcadehits.net/datObase/rom.php?zip=kinst |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204081007/http://www.arcadehits.net/datObase/rom.php?zip=kinst |archive-date=February 4, 2009 |access-date=January 14, 2009}}</ref> However, these arcade machines used hardware distinct from the home console: they lacked the Reality Coprocessor, used different MIPS CPUs, and relied on hard drives instead of cartridges to store game data.<ref name="arcadehits1" /><ref name="Killer Instinct at System16">{{Cite web |title=Midway Killer Instinct Hardware |url=http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=614 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204164129/http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=614 |archive-date=February 4, 2009 |access-date=December 14, 2015 |publisher=System 16}}</ref> The expanded storage enabled games like ''Killer Instinct'' to incorporate pre-rendered 3D character sprites and full-motion video backgrounds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Killer Instinct Hardware |url=http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=614 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204164129/http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=614 |archive-date=February 4, 2009 |access-date=January 14, 2009}}</ref>

In April 1995, it introduced its "Dream Team" of developers. Graphic development tools were provided by [[Alias Research]] and MultiGen, while [[Software Creations]] provided audio tools. Game development studios included [[Acclaim Entertainment|Acclaim]], [[Rockstar San Diego|Angel Studios]], [[DMA Design]], [[GameTek]], Midway, [[Paradigm Entertainment|Paradigm]], [[Rare (company)|Rare]], [[Sierra On-Line]], and [[Spectrum HoloByte]].<ref name=":1" /> Despite the initial hype, the Dream Team did not live up to expectations. Some studios like GameTek failed to deliver games, while only a few, including Rare, Acclaim, and Midway, made a significant impact.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Casamassina |first=Matt |date=1999-06-08 |title=Sweet Dreams are Made of These |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/06/08/sweet-dreams-are-made-of-these |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=IGN |language=en |archive-date=November 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107042154/http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/06/08/sweet-dreams-are-made-of-these |url-status=live }}</ref>

Nintendo originally planned to launch the console as the "Ultra Famicom" in Japan and "Nintendo Ultra 64" internationally.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=December 1995 |title=Nintendo 64 Homes in on Japan |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |page=19 |issue=12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 1995 |title=Gaming Gossip |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |page=44 |issue=74}}</ref> While rumors claimed trademark conflicts with [[Konami]]'s [[Ultra Games]] prompted a name change, Nintendo denied this, citing a desire for a unified global brand.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=April 1996 |title=Say Goodbye to Ultra |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |page=16 |issue=81}}</ref> The final name "Nintendo 64" was proposed by ''[[Mother (video game)|Earthbound]]'' creator [[Shigesato Itoi]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lindsay |date=November 5, 2011 |title=The 64DREAM – November 1996 |url=http://yomuka.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/the-64dream-november-1996/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108231105/http://yomuka.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/the-64dream-november-1996/ |archive-date=November 8, 2011 |access-date=November 7, 2011 |publisher=Yomuka!}}</ref><ref name="NintendoLandN64">{{Cite web |last=Liedholm, Marcus |date=January 1, 1998 |title=The N64's Long Way to Completion |url=http://www.nintendoland.com/home2.htm?n64/n64.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080304064740/http://www.nintendoland.com/home2.htm?n64%2Fn64.htm |archive-date=March 4, 2008 |access-date=March 27, 2008 |publisher=Nintendo Land}}</ref> Still, the original name lived on in the console's model numbering prefix "NUS-", widely believed to stand for "Nintendo Ultra Sixty-four."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nintendo 64 Hardware Profile |url=http://www.n-sider.com/hardwareview.php?hardwareid=7 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051018054455/http://www.n-sider.com/hardwareview.php?hardwareid=7 |archive-date=October 18, 2005 |access-date=January 11, 2009}}</ref>

=== Announcement ===
The newly renamed Nintendo 64 console was unveiled to the public in playable form on November 24 at Nintendo's [[Nintendo Space World#Shoshinkai 1995|Shoshinkai 1995 trade show]]. Eager for a preview, "hordes of Japanese schoolkids huddled in the cold outside ... the electricity of anticipation clearly rippling through their ranks".<ref name="The Game is 64 Bits" /> ''Game Zero'' magazine disseminated photos of the event two days later.<ref name="gamezero.com">{{Cite web |title=Coverage of the Nintendo Ultra 64 Debut from Game Zero |url=http://www.gamezero.com/team-0/articles/industry/shoshinkai_1995/nu64-1.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011115949/http://gamezero.com/team-0/articles/industry/shoshinkai_1995/nu64-1.html |archive-date=October 11, 2007 |access-date=March 27, 2008 |website=Game Zero}}</ref> Official coverage by Nintendo followed later via the ''[[Nintendo Power]]'' website and print magazine.

The console was originally slated for release by Christmas of 1995. In May 1995, Nintendo delayed the release to April 21, 1996.<ref name="Fisher">{{Cite news |last=Fisher |first=Lawrence M |date=May 6, 1995 |title=Nintendo Delays Introduction of Ultra 64 Video-Game Player |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/06/business/nintendo-delays-introduction-of-ultra-64-video-game-player.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107213609/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/06/business/nintendo-delays-introduction-of-ultra-64-video-game-player.html |archive-date=November 7, 2014}}</ref><ref name="The Game is 64 Bits" /><ref name="gamezero.com"/> Consumers anticipating a Nintendo release the following year at a lower price than the competition reportedly reduced the sales of competing Sega and Sony consoles during the important Christmas shopping season.<ref name="Popular Will">{{Cite magazine |date=March 1997 |title=(Will You Still Love Me) When I'm 64 |magazine=[[Popular Electronics]] |volume=14 |issue=3}}</ref>{{rp|24}} ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' editor Ed Semrad even suggested that Nintendo may have announced the April 21, 1996, release date with this end in mind, knowing in advance that the system would not be ready by that date.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Semrad |first=Ed |date=April 1996 |title=N64 Delayed... Again? |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |issue=81 |page=6}}</ref>

In its explanation of the delay, Nintendo claimed it needed more time for Nintendo 64 software to mature,<ref name="Brandt" /> and for third-party developers to produce games.<ref name="Fisher" /><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=July 1995 |title=Ultra 64 "Delayed" Until April 1996? |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |issue=72 |page=26}}</ref> Adrian Sfarti, a former engineer for SGI, attributed the delay to hardware problems; he claimed that the chips underperformed in testing and were being redesigned.<ref name="Brandt" /> In 1996, the Nintendo 64's software development kit was completely redesigned as the Windows-based Partner-N64 system, by Kyoto Microcomputer, Co. Ltd. of Japan.<ref name="KMC Overview">{{Cite web |title=Kyoto Microcomputer Co., Ltd. |url=http://www.kmckk.co.jp/en/img/about_KMC_en.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114231939/http://www.kmckk.co.jp/en/img/about_KMC_en.pdf |archive-date=January 14, 2015 |access-date=January 14, 2015 |publisher=Kyoto Microcomputer Co., Ltd.}}</ref><ref name="Metrowerks Kyoto">{{Cite press release |title=Metrowerks Announces Partnership with Kyoto Microcomputer Co. Ltd. |date=November 4, 1998 |url=http://www.theautochannel.com/news/press/date/19981103/press000089.html |quote=[Kyoto Microcomputer Co. Ltd.] is the authorized tools vendor for Nintendo 64. |access-date=January 14, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115001724/http://www.theautochannel.com/news/press/date/19981103/press000089.html |archive-date=January 15, 2015}}</ref>

The Nintendo 64's release date was later delayed again, to June 23, 1996. Nintendo said the reason for this delay, and in particular, the cancellation of plans to release the console in all markets worldwide simultaneously, was that the company's marketing studies now indicated that they would not be able to manufacture enough units to meet demand by April 21, 1996, potentially angering retailers in the same way Sega had done with its surprise early launch of the Saturn in North America and Europe.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=May 1996 |title=So Howard, What's the Excuse This Time? |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |pages=6–8 |issue=17}}</ref>

To counteract the possibility that gamers would grow impatient with the wait for the Nintendo 64 and purchase one of the several competing consoles already on the market, Nintendo ran ads for the system well in advance of its announced release dates, with slogans like "Wait for it..." and "Is it worth the wait? Only if you want the best!"<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=April 1996 |title=The Ad Blitz Kicks Off |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |issue=81 |page=17}}</ref>

=== Release ===
''[[Popular Electronics]]'' called the launch a "much hyped, long-anticipated moment".<ref name="Popular Will" /> Several months before the launch, ''[[GamePro]]'' reported that many gamers, including a large percentage of their own editorial staff, were already saying they favored the Nintendo 64 over the Saturn and PlayStation.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=February 1996 |title=Ultra Hype for the Ultra 64 |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[IDG]] |issue=89 |page=12}}</ref>

<!-- Release dates and games -->
The console was first released in Japan on June 23, 1996.<ref name="The Signal Jun 24" /> Though the initial shipment of 300,000 units sold out on the first day, Nintendo successfully avoided a repeat of the Super Famicom launch day pandemonium, in part by using a wider retail network which included convenience stores.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 1996 |title=Big in Japan: Nintendo 64 Launches at Last |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=21 |pages=14–16}}</ref> The remaining 200,000 units of the first production run shipped on June 26 and 30, with almost all of them reserved ahead of time.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 1996 |title=N64's Japanese Debut |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[IDG]] |issue=96 |page=32}}</ref> In the months between the Japanese and North American launches, the Nintendo 64 saw brisk sales on the American [[gray market]], with import stores charging as much as $699 plus shipping for the system.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Semrad |first=Ed |date=September 1996 |title=Electronic Gaming Monthly |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |issue=86 |page=6}}</ref> The Nintendo 64 was first sold in North America on September 26, 1996, though having been advertised for the 29th.<ref name="N64's U.S. Launch">{{Cite web |last=McCall |first=Scott |date=September 28, 1996 |title=N64's U.S. Launch |url=http://www.pennoaks.net/archive64/Miscellaneous_Articles/N64_US_Launch.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151012202316/http://www.pennoaks.net/archive64/Miscellaneous_Articles/N64_US_Launch.htm |archive-date=October 12, 2015 |access-date=September 29, 2015 |website=Teleparc}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Svenson |first=Christian |date=December 1996 |title=Nintendo 64 Frenzy |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=24 |page=28 |quote=Nintendo had rather hopefully put a September 29 deadline on the on-sale date. But virtually every retailer in the country was shifting boxes by the 26th. Nintendo, realizing it could not hope to stop the malaise, yielded.}}</ref> It was launched with just two games in the United States, ''[[Pilotwings 64]]'' and ''[[Super Mario 64]]''; ''Cruis'n USA'' was pulled from the line-up less than a month before launch because it did not meet Nintendo's quality standards.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 1996 |title=Launch Surprises: Nintendo Cuts Price of N64, Drops Cruis'n USA as Launch Title |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[IDG]] |issue=98 |page=26}}</ref> In 1994, prior to the launch, Nintendo of America chairman Howard Lincoln emphasized the quality of first-party games, saying "... we're convinced that a few great games at launch are more important than great games mixed in with a lot of dogs".<ref name="Billboard: June 25, 1994" />{{rp|77}} Its American launch was wildly successful, breaking records - its first day sales were significantly higher than PlayStation's and Saturn's respective launches the year before.<ref>{{Cite web |author=I. G. N. Staff |date=October 3, 1996 |title=Nintendo 64 Sells Out |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1996/10/03/nintendo-64-sells-out |access-date=August 21, 2024 |website=IGN |language=en |archive-date=August 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240821031232/https://www.ign.com/articles/1996/10/03/nintendo-64-sells-out |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[PAL]] version of the console was released in Europe on March 1, 1997, except for France where it was released on September 1 of the same year.<ref name="The Guardian Mar 1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 29, 2015 |title=Il y a 20 ans, la PlayStation sortait en France |url=https://www.gamekult.com/actualite/il-y-a-20-ans-la-playstation-sortait-en-france-142269.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501000217/https://www.gamekult.com/actualite/il-y-a-20-ans-la-playstation-sortait-en-france-142269.html |archive-date=May 1, 2021 |access-date=March 5, 2021 |website=www.gamekult.com |language=fr}}</ref> According to Nintendo of America representatives, Nintendo had been planning a simultaneous launch in Japan, North America, and Europe, but market studies indicated that worldwide demand for the system far exceeded the number of units they could have ready by launch, potentially leading to consumer and retailer frustration.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=April 1996 |title=Ultra 64 Delayed until September 30 |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=16 |pages=14–15}}</ref>

<!-- Pricing -->
Originally intended to be priced at {{USD|250}},<ref name="Fisher" /> the console was ultimately launched at {{US$|199.99}} to make it competitive with Sony and Sega offerings, as both the Saturn and PlayStation had been lowered to $199.99 earlier that summer.<ref name="Stone Croal hot" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hill |first=Charles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9dgKAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT189 |title=Strategic Management Cases: An Integrated Approach, 10th ed. |date=February 21, 2012 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-1285402154 |access-date=December 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826022510/https://books.google.com/books?id=9dgKAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT189 |archive-date=August 26, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Nintendo priced the console as an [[impulse purchase]], a strategy from the toy industry.<ref name="Miller">Miller, Cyndee. "Sega Vs. Nintendo: This Fights almost as Rough as their Video Games." Marketing News 28.18 (1994): 1-. ABI/INFORM Global; ProQuest Research Library. Web. May 24, 2012.</ref> The price of the console in the United States was further reduced in August 1998.<ref name="1998 price cut">Editors, Business. "New Nintendo 64 Pricing Set at $129.95, $10 Software Coupons to Continue Sales Momentum." Business Wire: 1. August 25, 1998. ProQuest. Web. July 23, 2013.</ref>

==== Promotion ====
The Nintendo 64's North American launch was backed with a $54&nbsp;million marketing campaign by [[Leo Burnett Worldwide]] (meaning over $100 in marketing per North American unit that had been manufactured up to this point).<ref name="NGen20">{{Cite magazine |date=August 1996 |title=10 Reasons Why Nintendo 64 Will Kick Sony's and Sega's Ass (& 20 Reasons Why it Won't) |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=20 |pages=36–43}}</ref> While the competing Saturn and PlayStation both set teenagers and adults as their target audience, the Nintendo 64's target audience was pre-teens.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=August 1996 |title=Nintendo 64 Marketing Specs |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=20 |page=38}}</ref>

To boost sales during the slow post-Christmas season, Nintendo and General Mills worked together on a promotional campaign that appeared in early 1999. The advertisement by [[Saatchi & Saatchi]], New York began on January 25 and encouraged children to buy [[Fruit by the Foot]] snacks for tips to help them with their Nintendo 64 games. Ninety different tips were available, with three variations of thirty tips each.<ref name="BrandWeek Mills">"Promotions: Mills Gets Foot Up with Nintendo Link-up." BRANDWEEK formerly Adweek Marketing Week. (January 18, 1999 ): 277 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date. Retrieved 2013/07/24.</ref>

Nintendo advertised its Funtastic Series of peripherals with a $10&nbsp;million print and television campaign from February 28 to April 30, 2000. Leo Burnett Worldwide was in charge again.<ref name="Wasserman peripherals">Wasserman, Todd. "Nintendo: Pokemon, Peripherals Get $30M." Brandweek 41.7 (2000): 48. Business Source Complete. Web. July 24, 2013.</ref>

== Hardware ==
=== Technical specifications ===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:0.5em 0 0.5em 1.4em; text-align:center;"
|-
| [[File:CPU-NUS 01.jpg|none|100px|VR4300 CPU]]
| [[File:RCP-NUS 01.jpg|none|100px|64-bit "Reality Coprocessor"]]
| [[File:RDRAM18-NUS 01.jpg|none|100px|2-chip [[RDRAM]]]]
|-
| style="width:100px;"| {{small|VR4300 CPU}}
| style="width:100px;"| {{small|64-bit "Reality Coprocessor"}}
| style="width:100px;"| {{small|2-chip [[RDRAM]]}}
|-
| [[File:Nintendo-N64-Motherboard-Bottom.jpg|none|100px|Main motherboard]]
| [[File:Nintendo-N64-Motherboard-Top.jpg|none|100px|Main motherboard]]
| [[File:Nintendo-64-Memory-Expansion-Pak Front.jpg|none|100px|Memory Expansion Pak]]
|-
| style="width:100px;"| {{small|[[Motherboard]] (bottom)}}
| style="width:100px;"| {{small|Motherboard (top)<br />([[commons:File:Nintendo-N64-Motherboard-Top.jpg|Annotated]])}}
| style="width:100px;"| {{small|Memory Expansion Pak}}
|}
The Nintendo 64's architecture is built around the Reality Coprocessor (RCP), which serves as the system’s [[Northbridge (computing)|central hub]] for processing graphics, audio, and memory management.<ref name="N64 Programming Manual">{{Cite web |title=Hardware Architecture |url=https://ultra64.ca/files/documentation/online-manuals/man/pro-man/pro03/index.html |access-date=March 31, 2025 |website=N64 Programming Manual |archive-date=January 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240123210149/https://ultra64.ca/files/documentation/online-manuals/man/pro-man/pro03/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It works in tandem with the [[VR4300]], a 93.75&nbsp;MHz [[64-bit computing|64-bit]] CPU fabricated by [[NEC]] with a performance of 125 [[million instructions per second]].<ref name="NECVR4300">{{Cite web |title=Main specifications of VR4300TM-series |url=http://www.nec.co.jp/press/en/9711/1401-01.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710173520/http://www.nec.co.jp/press/en/9711/1401-01.html |archive-date=July 10, 2020 |access-date=May 20, 2006 |publisher=[[NEC]]}}</ref> ''[[Popular Electronics]]'' compared its processing power to that of contemporary [[Pentium]] desktop processors.<ref name="Popular Will" /> Though constrained by a narrower [[32-bit]] system [[bus (computing)|bus]], the VR4300 retained the computational capabilities of the more powerful 64-bit MIPS R4300i on which it was based.<ref name="NECVR4300" /> However, software rarely utilized 64-bit precision, as Nintendo 64 games primarily relied on faster and more compact 32-bit operations.<ref name="32bitmode">{{Cite web |last=Copetti |first=Rodrigo |date=September 12, 2019 |title=Nintendo 64 Architecture: A Practical Analysis |url=https://www.copetti.org/writings/consoles/nintendo-64/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730091625/https://www.copetti.org/writings/consoles/nintendo-64/ |archive-date=July 30, 2023 |access-date=August 4, 2023 |publisher=}}</ref>

The RCP operates at 62.5&nbsp;MHz and contains two critical components: the "Signal Processor", responsible for sound and graphics processing, and the "Display Processor", which manages pixel drawing.<ref name="Technical Details">{{Cite web |title=Nintendo 64 Technical Details |url=https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Hardware/Nintendo-History/Nintendo-64/Technical-Details/Technical-Details-627050.html?srsltid=AfmBOooCiye65lvmg1A5Rp5egtfZAu3It91_5cB50U_Dg1gqTJ9YQdr0 |access-date=March 31, 2025 |website=Nintendo of Europe SE |language=en-GB}}</ref> The RCP renders visual data into the graphics frame buffer and controls [[direct memory access]] (DMA), transferring video and audio data from memory to a [[digital-to-analog converter]] (DAC) for final output.<ref name="N64 Programming Manual" />

A key advantage of the Nintendo 64's architecture is that the CPU and RCP operate in parallel, dividing tasks for better efficiency. While the VR4300 executes the main game logic, the RCP processes graphics and sound independently. This design enables 3D rendering and complex audio effects but also requires careful coordination to avoid performance bottlenecks.<ref name="N64 Programming Manual" />

The Nintendo 64 was among the first consoles to implement a [[unified memory architecture]], eliminating separate banks of [[random-access memory]] (RAM) for CPU, audio, and video operations.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 1996 |title=Total Recall: The Future of Data Storage |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |page=43 |issue=23 |quote=The current trend now, with both the M2 and N64, is back towards a unified memory system.}}</ref> It features 4&nbsp;MB of [[RDRAM]] (Rambus DRAM), expandable to 8&nbsp;MB with the [[Expansion Pak]]. At the time, RDRAM was a relatively new technology that provided high bandwidth at a lower cost.

Audio processing is handled by both the CPU and the RCP and is output through a DAC with a sample rate of up to [[44,100 Hz|44.1 kHz]] with 16-bit depth, matching CD quality.<ref name="NGen12">{{Cite magazine |date=December 1995 |title=Which Game System is the Best!? |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |pages=83–85 |issue=12}}</ref> However, this level of fidelity was rarely used due to the high CPU demand and the storage limitations of the ROM cartridges.<ref name="32bitmode" /> Most games featured [[stereo sound]], with some supporting [[Dolby Pro Logic]] surround sound.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=1999-05-15 |title=Nintendo Embraces New Technology |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/05/15/nintendo-embraces-new-technology |access-date=2025-04-02 |website=IGN |language=en |archive-date=April 7, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250407133729/https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/05/15/nintendo-embraces-new-technology |url-status=live }}</ref>

For video output, the system supports [[composite video|composite]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nintendo Support: Nintendo 64 AV to TV Hookup |url=https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/nintendo64/hook_avtotv.jsp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100520030615/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/nintendo64/hook_avtotv.jsp |archive-date=May 20, 2010 |access-date=February 28, 2010 |publisher=Nintendo}}</ref> and [[S-Video]] output, using the same cables as the Super NES and GameCube. It can display up to [[Millions of colors|16.8 million colors]]<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Loguidice |first1=Bill |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wZnpAgAAQBAJ&q=The+Nintendo+64+supports+16.8+million+colors&pg=PA262 |title=Vintage Game Consoles: An Inside Look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the Greatest Gaming Platforms of All Time |last2=Barton |first2=Matt |date=February 24, 2014 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=9781135006518 |page=262 |language=en |access-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813021307/https://books.google.com/books?id=wZnpAgAAQBAJ&q=The+Nintendo+64+supports+16.8+million+colors&pg=PA262 |archive-date=August 13, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> and resolutions ranging from 256×224 to 640×480 pixels.<ref name="Technical Details" /> While most games run at 320×240, some support higher resolutions, often requiring the Expansion Pak.<ref name="IGN-Pak">{{Cite web |last=IGN Staff |date=December 15, 1998 |title=Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/12/16/nintendo-64-expansion-pak |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924042723/http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/12/16/nintendo-64-expansion-pak |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |access-date=August 7, 2015 |website=IGN}}</ref> The console also accommodates widescreen formats, with games offering either [[Anamorphic format|anamorphic]] 16:9 or [[Letterboxing (filming)|letterboxed]] display modes.<ref name=":0" />

=== Controller ===
{{Main|Nintendo 64 controller}}
[[File:N64-Controller-Gray.jpg|thumb|A gray Nintendo 64 controller]]
The Nintendo 64 controller features a distinctive "M"-shaped design, with a "[[Analog stick|control stick]]", making Nintendo the first manufacturer to include a thumbstick as a standard feature in its primary controller. While functionally similar to an analog stick, the control stick is digital, operating on the same principles as a [[ball mouse]].

The controller includes a D-pad and ten buttons: a large A and B button, a Start button, four C-buttons (Up, Down, Left, and Right), two shoulder buttons (L and R), and a Z trigger positioned on the back. ''[[Popular Electronics]]'' described its shape as "evocative of some alien spaceship." While noting that the three-handle design could be confusing, the magazine praised its versatility, stating "the separate grips allow different hand positions for various game types".<ref name="Popular Will" />

A port on the bottom of the controller allows users to connect various accessories, including the [[Controller Pak]] for saving game data, the [[Rumble Pak]] for [[force feedback]], and the [[Transfer Pak]], which enabled data transfer between supported Nintendo 64 and [[Game Boy]] games.

The Nintendo 64 was also one of the first consoles to feature four controller ports. According to Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo included four ports because it was the first console powerful enough to handle four-player [[Split screen (video games)|split-screen]] gameplay without significant slowdown.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=February 1996 |title=Shigeru Miyamoto: The Master of the Game |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=14 |pages=45–47}}</ref>

=== Game Paks ===
{{Main|Nintendo 64 Game Pak}}
[[File:N64-Game-Cartridge.jpg|thumb|Open and unopened Nintendo 64 Game Paks]]

After multiple attempts to develop a [[compact disc]]-based add-on for the Super NES, many in the industry expected Nintendo’s next console to follow Sony’s PlayStation in adopting the CD format. However, when the first Nintendo 64 prototypes debuted in November 1995, observers were surprised to find that the system once again used [[ROM cartridge]]s.<ref name="maher20231208">{{Cite web |last=Maher |first=Jimmy |date=December 8, 2023 |title=Putting the "J" in the RPG, Part 2: PlayStation for the Win The Digital Antiquarian |url=https://www.filfre.net/2023/12/putting-the-j-in-the-rpg-part-2-playstation-for-the-win/ |access-date=December 8, 2023 |website=The Digital Antiquarian |language=en-US |archive-date=December 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231208233930/https://www.filfre.net/2023/12/putting-the-j-in-the-rpg-part-2-playstation-for-the-win/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Nintendo 64 cartridges range in size from 4 to 64&nbsp;MB and often include built-in save functionality.<ref name="hardware1">{{Cite web |title=The N64 Hardware |url=http://n64.icequake.net/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430131325/http://n64.icequake.net/ |archive-date=April 30, 2009 |access-date=January 15, 2009}}</ref>

Nintendo’s selection of the cartridge medium was highly controversial and is frequently cited as a key factor in the company losing its dominant position in the gaming market. While cartridges offered advantages such as faster load times and durability, their limitations—higher production costs, lower storage capacity, and longer manufacturing lead times—posed challenges for developers.<ref name="The N64 Hardware">{{Cite web |title=The N64 Hardware |url=http://n64.icequake.net/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430131325/http://n64.icequake.net/ |archive-date=April 30, 2009 |access-date=January 16, 2009}}</ref><ref name="CD Capacity">{{Cite web |title=CD Capacity |url=http://www.pcguide.com/ref/cd/mediaCapacity-c.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061956/http://www.pcguide.com/ref/cd/mediaCapacity-c.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=January 16, 2009}}</ref><ref name="videogameconsolelibrary90">{{Cite web |title=Nintendo 64 |url=http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg90-n64.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129224715/http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg90-n64.htm |archive-date=January 29, 2009 |access-date=January 11, 2009}}</ref> Many of the format’s benefits required innovative solutions, which only emerged later in the console’s lifecycle.<ref name="Bringing Indy to N64">{{Cite web |date=November 9, 2000 |title=Bringing Indy to N64 |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/10/bringing-indy-to-n64 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927083804/http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/10/bringing-indy-to-n64 |archive-date=September 27, 2013 |access-date=September 24, 2013 |website=IGN}}</ref><ref name="Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine">{{Cite web |date=December 12, 2000 |title=Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/13/indiana-jones-and-the-infernal-machine-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927083807/http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/13/indiana-jones-and-the-infernal-machine-2 |archive-date=September 27, 2013 |access-date=September 24, 2013 |website=[[IGN]]}}</ref><ref name="Interview: Battling the N64 (Naboo)">{{Cite web |date=November 10, 2000 |title=Interview: Battling the N64 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/11/interview-battling-the-n64 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070913180626/http://ign64.ign.com/articles/087/087646p1.html |archive-date=September 13, 2007 |access-date=November 13, 2021 |publisher=IGN}}</ref>

====Advantages====
{{Quote box
| quote = The big strength was the N64 cartridge. We use the cartridge almost like normal RAM and are streaming all level data, textures, animations, music, sound and even program code while the game is running. With the final size of the levels and the amount of textures, the RAM of the N64 never would have been even remotely enough to fit any individual level. So the cartridge technology really saved the day.
| source = Factor 5, ''Bringing Indy to N64'' at IGN<ref name="Bringing Indy to N64" />
| width = 30em
}}Nintendo cited several reasons for choosing cartridges.<ref name="advantages">{{Cite book |title=Nintendo Power August 1994 – Pak Watch |publisher=Nintendo |year=1994 |page=108}}</ref> The biggest advantage was their fast load times—unlike CDs, which required lengthy loading screens, cartridges provided near-instant gameplay. This advantage had previously helped Nintendo compete against home computers like the [[Commodore 64]] in the 1980s.{{r|maher20231208}} Although cartridges are susceptible to long-term environmental damage, they are significantly more durable than compact discs.<ref name="advantages" />

Another key factor was [[Copyright infringement|copyright protection]]—cartridges were harder to pirate than CDs, reducing widespread [[software piracy]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 1995 |title=Nintendo Ultra 64: The Launch of the Decade? |magazine=Maximum: The Video Game Magazine |publisher=[[Emap International Limited]] |pages=107–8 |issue=2}}</ref> While unauthorized N64-to-PC devices eventually emerged, they were far less common than the more easily copied PlayStation CDs.<ref name="PC World - 5 biggest console battles">{{Cite web |last=Noble |first=McKinley |title=5 Biggest Game Console Battles |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/171127/5_biggest_game_console_battles.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210054133/https://www.pcworld.com/article/171127/5_biggest_game_console_battles.html |archive-date=February 10, 2020 |access-date=November 19, 2019 |website=PC World}}</ref><ref name="The Motley Fool - Nintendo Fear Piracy">{{Cite web |last=Sun |first=Leo |date=February 12, 2014 |title=3 Ways Nintendo's Fear of Piracy Shaped its Business |url=https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/02/12/3-ways-nintendos-fear-of-piracy-defined-its-busine.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904131702/https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/02/12/3-ways-nintendos-fear-of-piracy-defined-its-busine.aspx |archive-date=September 4, 2019 |access-date=November 19, 2019 |website=The Motley Fool |ref=The Motley Fool - Nintendo Fear Piracy}}</ref>

====Disadvantages====
Cartridges also had notable drawbacks. They took longer to manufacture than CDs, requiring at least two weeks per production run.{{r|maher20231208}}<ref name="asiaweek-marketshare">{{Cite magazine |last1=Bacani, Cesar |last2=Mutsuko, Murakami |name-list-style=amp |date=April 18, 1997 |title=Nintendo's new 64-bit platform sets off a scramble for market share |url=http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/97/0418/cs1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051226163418/http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/97/0418/cs1.html |archive-date=December 26, 2005 |access-date=February 9, 2007 |magazine=[[Asiaweek]]}}</ref> This forced publishers to predict demand ahead of time, risking either overproduction of costly cartridges or weeks-long shortages if demand was underestimated.<ref name="asiaweek-marketshare" /> Additionally, cartridges were significantly more expensive to produce than CDs,<ref name="NGen12" />{{r|maher20231208}} leading to higher game prices, typically {{US$|10|1996|round=0}} more than PlayStation titles.<ref name="Ryan gotta">Ryan, Michael E. "'I Gotta Have This Game Machine!' (Cover Story)." Familypc 7.11 (2000): 112. MasterFILE Premier. Web. July 24, 2013.</ref>

[[Third party developer|Third-party developers]] also complained that they were at an unfair disadvantage. Since Nintendo controlled cartridge manufacturing, it could sell its own [[First-party developer|first-party]] games at a lower price,<ref name="NGen20" /> and prioritize their production over those of other companies.{{r|maher20231208}}

Storage limitations were another key issue. While Nintendo 64 cartridges maxed out at 64&nbsp;MB,<ref name="The N64 Hardware" /> CDs could hold 650&nbsp;MB.<ref name="CD Capacity" /><ref name="NGen14" /> As games became more complex, this restriction forced compromises, including compressed textures, shorter music tracks, and fewer [[cutscene]]s. [[Full-motion video]] was rarely feasible, and many [[multiplatform]] games had to be scaled down for the N64.<ref name="NGen20" /><ref name="Curtiss wonder" /><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=May 1997 |title=What's Wrong with N64 Software? |url=https://archive.org/stream/NEXT_Generation_29#page/n43 |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |page=43 |issue=29}}</ref>

These cost and storage constraints pushed many third-party developers toward the PlayStation. [[Square (video game company)|Square]] and [[Enix]], which had originally planned to release ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' and ''[[Dragon Quest VII|Dragon Warrior VII]]'' on the Nintendo 64, switched to Sony’s console due to storage constraints.<ref name="nintendo3">{{Cite web |title=Nintendo 64 |url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/n64/916387-nintendo-64/reviews/review-71974 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126125325/http://www.gamefaqs.com/n64/916387-nintendo-64/reviews/review-71974 |archive-date=November 26, 2013 |access-date=January 15, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Elusions: Final Fantasy 64 |url=http://www.lostlevels.org/200510/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114174859/http://www.lostlevels.org/200510/ |archive-date=January 14, 2012 |access-date=January 11, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 1996 |title=Squaresoft Head for Sony |magazine=Maximum: The Video Game Magazine |publisher=[[Emap International Limited]] |page=105 |issue=4}}</ref> Other developers, like [[Konami]], released far fewer N64 titles than PlayStation games. As a result, new N64 releases were less frequent compared to its competitors.<ref name="videogameconsolelibrary90" />

Despite these challenges, the Nintendo 64 remained competitive, bolstered by strong first-party titles and exclusive hits like ''[[GoldenEye 007 (1997 video game)|GoldenEye 007]]''. Nintendo’s flagship [[Video game franchises|franchises]], including [[Mario (franchise)|Mario]] and [[Zelda (franchise)|Zelda]], retained strong brand appeal, and deals with [[Second party developer|second-party developers]] like [[Rare (company)|Rare]] further strengthened the console’s game library.<ref name="videogameconsolelibrary90" /><ref name="nintendo2">{{Cite web |title=Most Popular Nintendo 64 Games |url=http://www.gamespot.com/games.html?type=games&platform=4 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218211831/http://www.gamespot.com/games.html?type=games&platform=4 |archive-date=December 18, 2008 |access-date=January 11, 2009}}</ref>

=== Programming characteristics ===
Programming for the Nintendo 64 presented unique challenges alongside notable advantages. ''[[The Economist]]'' described development for the system as "horrendously complex".<ref>"Nintendo Wakes Up." The Economist August 3, 1996: 55-. ABI/INFORM Global; ProQuest Research Library. Web. May 24, 2012.</ref> Like many game consoles and embedded systems, the Nintendo 64 featured highly specialized hardware optimizations, which were further complicated by design oversights, limitations in 3D technology, and manufacturing constraints.

As the console neared the end of its lifecycle, Nintendo’s hardware chief, [[Genyo Takeda]], repeatedly reflected on these difficulties, using the Japanese term {{Nihongo|hansei|反省}}, meaning "reflective regret." Looking back, he admitted, "When we made Nintendo 64, we thought it was logical that if you want to make advanced games, it becomes technically more difficult. We were wrong. We now understand it's the cruising speed that matters, not the momentary flash of peak power."<ref name="It's Hip to be Square">{{Cite news |last=Croal |first=N'Gai |date=September 4, 2000 |others=Masato Kawaguchi and Marc Saltzman in Japan |title=It's Hip To Be Square |url=http://www.newsweek.com/its-hip-be-square-159157 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025172138/https://www.newsweek.com/its-hip-be-square-159157 |archive-date=October 25, 2020 |access-date=August 3, 2020 |work=Newsweek |pages=53–54 |volume=136 |issue=10}}</ref>

=== Regional lockout ===
Unlike the NES and Super NES, which employed region-specific branding and hardware variations, the Nintendo 64 maintained a consistent design and brand worldwide. While Nintendo initially announced the use of [[regional lockout]] chips to restrict game compatibility,<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=August 1996 |title=N64 Top 10 List |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |page=17 |issue=85}}</ref> the platform ultimately enforced region-locking through physical cartridge design, with each market having cartridges with different notches on the back, preventing a cartridge from one region from being inserted into a foreign console.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=December 1996 |title=Launch Puts N64 on Map |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |pages=20–21 |issue=89}}</ref>

=== Color variants ===
[[File:N64-Console-Orange.jpg|thumb|A Nintendo 64 console and controller in Fire-Orange color]]

The Nintendo 64 comes in several colors. The standard Nintendo 64 is charcoal gray, nearly black, and the controller is light gray (later releases in the U.S., Canada, and Australia included a bonus second controller in Atomic Purple). The console was released in various colors and special editions.<ref name="nintendo1">{{Cite web |title=Nintendo 64 Models |url=http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg90-n64.htm#page=models |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250926231623/http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg90-n64.htm#page=models |archive-date=September 26, 2025 |access-date=October 7, 2025 |website=www.videogameconsolelibrary.com}}</ref>

Most Nintendo 64 game cartridges are gray in color, but some games have a colored cartridge.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nintendo 64 |url=http://gameconsoles.co.uk/game-consoles/nintendo-64/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071106132228/http://gameconsoles.co.uk/game-consoles/nintendo-64/ |archive-date=November 6, 2007 |access-date=January 14, 2009 |website=GameConsoles.co.uk}}</ref> Fourteen games have black cartridges, and other colors (such as yellow, blue, red, gold, and green) were each used for six or fewer games. Several games, such as ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'', were released both in standard gray and in colored, limited edition versions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zelda Ocarina of Time Cartridge Trivia |url=http://www.modernclassicgaming.com/zelda-ocarina-of-time-cartridge-trivia/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233826/http://www.modernclassicgaming.com/zelda-ocarina-of-time-cartridge-trivia/ |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |access-date=January 14, 2009}}</ref>

== Games ==
{{See also|List of Nintendo 64 games|Nintendo Selects#Nintendo 64|l2=List of Nintendo 64 Player's Choice games|List of cancelled Nintendo 64 games}}
A total of 388 Nintendo 64 games were officially released, with just 85 exclusively sold in Japan. For comparison, the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] received [[List of PlayStation (console) games (A–L)|4,105 games]], the [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]] got [[List of Sega Saturn games|over 1,000]], the [[SNES]] got [[List of Super Nintendo Entertainment System games|1,755 games]], and the [[NES]] got [[List of Nintendo Entertainment System games|716 Western releases]] plus [[List of Famicom games|over 1,000 in Japan]]. The considerably smaller Nintendo 64 game library has been attributed by some to the controversial decision not to adopt the CD-ROM, and programming difficulties for its complex architecture.<ref name="nintendo3" /> This trend is also seen as a result of Hiroshi Yamauchi's strategy, announced during his speech at the Nintendo 64's November 1995 unveiling, that Nintendo would be restricting the number of games produced for the Nintendo 64 so that developers would focus on higher quality instead of quantity.<ref name="NGen14">{{Cite magazine |date=February 1996 |title=Ultra 64: Nintendo's Shot at the Title |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=14 |pages=36–44}}</ref> The ''Los Angeles Times'' also observed that this was part of Nintendo's "penchant for perfection [...] while other platforms offer quite a bit of junk, Nintendo routinely orders game developers back to the boards to fix less-than-perfect titles".<ref name="Curtiss wonder">{{Cite news |last=Curtiss |first=Aaron |date=September 30, 1996 |title=New Nintendo 64 is a Technical Wonder; Leisure: The Cartridge-Based Game Machine Boasts Blistering Speed and Super-Sharp Graphics |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-09-30-fi-49002-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=January 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150124004751/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-09-30/business/fi-49002_1_n64 |archive-date=January 24, 2015}}</ref>

Although having much less third-party support than rival consoles, Nintendo's strong first-party [[List of video game franchises|franchises]]<ref name="nintendo2"/> such as ''[[Mario (franchise)|Mario]]'' enjoyed wide brand appeal. Second-parties of Nintendo, such as [[Rare (company)|Rare]], released groundbreaking titles.<ref name="videogameconsolelibrary90" /> Consequently, the Nintendo 64 game library included a high number of critically acclaimed and widely sold games.<ref>{{Cite web |title=IGN N64: Editors' Choice Games |url=http://ign64.ign.com/index/choice.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509153954/http://ign64.ign.com/index/choice.html |archive-date=May 9, 2008 |access-date=March 27, 2008 |website=IGN}}</ref> According to TRSTS reports, three of the top five best-selling games in the U.S. for December 1996 were Nintendo 64 games (both of the remaining two were Super NES games).<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=April 1997 |title=Nintendo Boosts N64 Production |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |issue=93 |page=22}}</ref> ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' is the best-selling console game of the generation, with 11&nbsp;million units sold<ref>{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Sales Data: Historical Units Sold Numbers for Mario Bros on NES, SNES, N64... |url=http://www.gamecubicle.com/features-mario-units_sold_sales.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001050618/http://www.gamecubicle.com/features-mario-units_sold_sales.htm |archive-date=October 1, 2017 |access-date=November 12, 2015}}</ref> beating ''[[Gran Turismo (1997 video game)|Gran Turismo]]'' for the [[PlayStation]] (at 10.85&nbsp;million<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 9, 2008 |title=Gran Turismo Series Shipments Hit 50 Million |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/145675/article.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190505142105/https://www.pcworld.com/article/145675/article.html |archive-date=May 5, 2019 |access-date=November 12, 2015 |website=PCWorld}}</ref>) and ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'' (at 9.72&nbsp;million<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 7, 2010 |title=Masterpiece: Final Fantasy VII |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2010/05/masterpiece-final-fantasy-vii/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504111719/http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/05/masterpiece-final-fantasy-vii.ars |archive-date=May 4, 2012 |access-date=November 12, 2015 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref>) in sales. The game also received much praise from critics and helped to pioneer three-dimensional control schemes. ''[[GoldenEye 007 (1997 video game)|GoldenEye 007]]'' was important in the evolution of the [[first-person shooter]], and has been named one of the greatest in the genre.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 4, 2012 |title=GT Countdown Top 10 First-Person Shooters of All Time |url=http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/view/gt-countdown/99449-Top-10-First-Person-Shooters-of-All-Time |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160212030418/http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/view/gt-countdown/99449-Top-10-First-Person-Shooters-of-All-Time |archive-date=February 12, 2016 |access-date=February 5, 2016 |publisher=GameTrailers}}</ref> ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'' set the standard for future 3D [[action-adventure game]]s<ref name="Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time">{{Cite web |title=Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-64 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121132259/http://www.metacritic.com/game/nintendo-64/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time |archive-date=November 21, 2010 |access-date=February 3, 2010 |website=[[Metacritic]]}} Metacritic here states that ''Ocarina of Time'' is "[c]onsidered by many to be the greatest single-player video game ever created in any genre..."</ref> and is considered by many to be one of the [[greatest games ever made]].<ref name="Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" /><ref name="1up_ocarina">{{Cite web |title=Ocarina of Time Hits Virtual Console |url=http://www.1up.com/news/ocarina-time-hits-virtual-console |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110629031529/http://www.1up.com/news/ocarina-time-hits-virtual-console |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |access-date=February 2, 2010 |website=1UP.com }}</ref><ref name="best_games">{{Cite web |title=The Best Video Games in the History of Humanity |url=http://www.filibustercartoons.com/games.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20100921125121/http://www.filibustercartoons.com/games.htm |archive-date=September 21, 2010 |access-date=September 12, 2010 |publisher=Filibustercartoons.com }}</ref>

=== Graphics ===
The most graphically demanding Nintendo 64 games on larger 32 or 64&nbsp;MB cartridges are among the most advanced and detailed of 32- and 64-bit platforms. To maximize the hardware, developers created custom [[microcode]]. Nintendo 64 games running on custom microcode benefit from much higher polygon counts and more advanced lighting, animation, physics, and AI routines than its competition. ''[[Conker's Bad Fur Day]]'' is arguably the pinnacle of its generation combining multicolored real-time lighting that illuminates each area to real-time shadowing, and detailed texturing replete with a full in-game facial animation system. The Nintendo 64 is capable of executing many more advanced and complex rendering techniques than its competitors. It is the first home console to feature [[trilinear filtering]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nintendo DS vs. Nintendo 64 |url=http://purenintendo.com/2008/12/26/nintendo-ds-vs-nintendo-64so-whats-more-powerful/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228144341/http://purenintendo.com/2008/12/26/nintendo-ds-vs-nintendo-64so-whats-more-powerful/ |archive-date=December 28, 2008 |access-date=January 15, 2009}}</ref> to smooth textures. This contrasts with the [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]] and [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], which use [[nearest-neighbor interpolation]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saturn Game Tutorial |url=http://www.rockin-b.de/saturn/saturngametutorial/SaturnGameTutorial.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204184623/http://www.rockin-b.de/saturn/saturngametutorial/SaturnGameTutorial.htm |archive-date=February 4, 2009 |access-date=January 15, 2009}}</ref> and produce more [[Pixelation|pixelated]] textures. Overall however the results of the Nintendo cartridge system were mixed.

The smaller storage size of ROM cartridges can limit the number of available textures. As a result, many games with much smaller 8 or 12&nbsp;MB cartridges are forced to stretch textures over larger surfaces. Compounded by a limit of 4,096 bytes<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nintendo 64 |url=http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1242&st=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204190329/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1242&st=2 |archive-date=February 4, 2009 |access-date=January 15, 2009}}</ref> of on-chip texture memory, the result is often a distorted, out-of-proportion appearance. Many games with larger 32 or 64&nbsp;MB cartridges avoid this issue entirely, including ''[[Resident Evil 2]]'', ''[[Sin and Punishment]]: Successor of the Earth'', and ''Conker's Bad Fur Day'',<ref name="hardware1" /> allowing for more detailed graphics with multiple, multi-layered textures across all surfaces.

=== Emulation ===
{{See also|Nintendo Classics|Virtual Console|List of Nintendo 64 emulators}}
Several Nintendo 64 games have been released for the [[Wii]] and [[Wii U]] [[Virtual Console]] (VC) services and are playable with the [[Classic Controller]], [[GameCube controller]], [[Wii U Pro Controller]], or [[Wii U GamePad]]. Differences include a higher resolution and a more consistent framerate than the Nintendo 64 originals. Some features, such as Rumble Pak functionality, are not available in the Wii versions. Some features are also changed on the Virtual Console releases. For example, the VC version of ''[[Pokémon Snap]]'' allows players to send photos through the Wii's message service, and ''[[Wave Race 64]]''{{'}}s in-game content was altered due to the expiration of the [[Kawasaki Heavy Industries|Kawasaki]] license. Several games developed by Rare were released on Microsoft's [[Xbox Live Arcade]] service, including ''[[Banjo-Kazooie (video game)|Banjo-Kazooie]]'', ''[[Banjo-Tooie]]'', and ''[[Perfect Dark]]'', following Microsoft's acquisition of Rareware in 2002. One exception is ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'', released in April 2015 on the Wii U Virtual Console, as Nintendo retained the rights to the game. Select Nintendo 64 games have been re-released via the [[Nintendo Classics]] service as part of the "Expansion Pack" tier of the [[Nintendo Switch Online]] service.<ref name="verge n64 genesis">{{Cite web |last=Peters |first=Jay |date=September 23, 2021 |title=Nintendo Switch Online is getting an 'expansion pack' with N64 and Genesis games |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/23/22688780/nintendo-switch-online-expansion-pack-64-sega-genesis-controllers |access-date=September 23, 2021 |website=[[The Verge]] |archive-date=September 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924083217/https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/23/22688780/nintendo-switch-online-expansion-pack-64-sega-genesis-controllers |url-status=live }}</ref> With the launch of the [[Nintendo Switch 2]] on June 5, 2025, the additional features of the [[Nintendo Classics|Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Classics]] will offer CRT filter, rewind function and button remapping (one of these features is also available on the [[Nintendo Switch]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=What's new with Nintendo Switch Online on Nintendo Switch 2? |url=https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/News/2025/April/What-s-new-with-Nintendo-Switch-Online-on-Nintendo-Switch-2-2785954.html?srsltid=AfmBOoq_cyzRx5pArRnK4z3-hSIJfXB9oXJxy33uIvsPsCWqf2G-um6a |access-date=2025-05-24 |website=Nintendo of Europe SE |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-04 |title=Surprise! The N64 App Is Also Getting Some Enhancements On Switch 2 |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2025/04/surprise-the-n64-app-is-also-getting-some-enhancements-on-switch-2 |access-date=2025-05-24 |website=Nintendo Life |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDNg1pwrTVg |title=Nintendo 64 – Nintendo Classics: Features Update |date=2025-05-27 |last=Nintendo of America |access-date=2025-05-29 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

Several unofficial third-party emulators can play Nintendo 64 games on other platforms, such as [[Windows]], [[Macintosh]], and [[smartphone]]s.

== Accessories ==
{{Main|Nintendo 64 accessories}}

=== 64DD ===
{{Anchor|Disk drive}}
{{Main|64DD}}
[[File:64DD-Attached.jpg|thumb|right|A Nintendo 64 with the 64DD installed below]]
Nintendo released a peripheral platform called 64DD, where "DD" stands for "Disk Drive". Connecting to the expansion slot at the bottom of the system, the 64DD turns the Nintendo 64 console into an Internet appliance, a multimedia workstation, and an expanded gaming platform. This large peripheral allows players to play Nintendo 64 disk-based games, capture images from an external video source, and it allowed players to connect to the now-defunct Japanese [[Randnet]] online service. Not long after its limited mail-order release, the peripheral was discontinued. Only nine games were released, including the four ''[[Mario Artist]]'' games (''Paint Studio'', ''Talent Studio'', ''Communication Kit'', and ''Polygon Studio''). Many planned games were eventually released in cartridge format or on other game consoles. The 64DD and the accompanying Randnet online service were released only in Japan.

To illustrate the fundamental significance of the 64DD to all game development at Nintendo, lead designer [[Shigesato Itoi]] said: "I came up with a lot of ideas because of the 64DD. All things start with the 64DD. There are so many ideas I wouldn't have been allowed to come up with if we didn't have the 64DD". [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] concluded: "Almost every new project for the N64 is based on the 64DD. ... we'll make the game on a cartridge first, then add the technology we've cultivated to finish it up as a full-out 64DD game".<ref name="The 64Dream Dec 1997">{{Cite magazine |last1=Miyamoto |first1=Shigeru |last2=Itoi |first2=Shigesato |date=December 1997 |url=http://yomuka.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/itoi-miyamoto-interview-64dd/ |title=A friendly discussion between the "Big 2" |magazine=The 64DREAM |page=91 |subject-link1=Shigeru Miyamoto |subject-link2=Shigesato Itoi |access-date=January 14, 2015 |archive-date=March 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310221321/https://yomuka.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/itoi-miyamoto-interview-64dd/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== iQue Player ==
{{Main|iQue Player}}

The iQue Player was a [[handheld TV game]] Nintendo 64 system that released only in China on November 17, 2003, after China banned video game consoles. The games that were released in the iQue Player's lifetime (from 2003 to 2016) are ''[[Super Mario 64]]'', ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'', ''[[Mario Kart 64]]'', ''[[Wave Race 64]]'', ''[[Star Fox 64]]'', ''[[Yoshi's Story]]'', ''[[Paper Mario]]'', ''[[Super Smash Bros. (video game)|Super Smash Bros.]]'', ''[[F-Zero X]]'', ''[[Dr. Mario 64]]'', ''[[Excitebike 64]]'', ''[[Sin and Punishment]]'', ''[[Custom Robo]]'' and ''[[Animal Crossing (video game)|Animal Crossing]]''.

== Reception ==
===Critical reception===
The Nintendo 64 received acclaim from critics. Reviewers praised the console's advanced 3D graphics and gameplay, while criticizing the lack of games. On [[G4techTV]]'s ''[[Filter (TV series)|Filter]]'', the Nintendo 64 was voted up to No. 1 by registered users.

In February 1996, ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' magazine called the Nintendo Ultra 64 the "best kept secret in videogames" and the "world's most powerful game machine". It called the system's November 24, 1995, unveiling at [[Nintendo Space World|Shoshinkai]] "the most anticipated videogaming event of the 1990s, possibly of all time".<ref name="NextGen 14">{{Cite magazine |date=February 1996 |title=Ultra 64: Nintendo's shot at the title |url=https://archive.org/stream/nextgen-issue-014/Next_Generation_Issue_014_February_1996 |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |issue=14 |access-date=February 5, 2015}}</ref> Previewing the Nintendo 64 shortly prior to its launch, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine praised the realistic movement and gameplay provided by the combination of fast graphics processing, pressure-sensitive controller, and the ''Super Mario 64'' game. The review praised the "fastest, smoothest game action yet attainable via joystick at the service of equally virtuoso motion", where "[f]or once, the movement on the screen feels real".<ref name="Time comeback">{{Cite magazine |last1=Krantz |first1=Michael |last2=Jackson |first2=David S. |date=May 20, 1996 |title=Super Mario's Dazzling Comeback |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,135937,00.html |url-status=live |magazine=Time International |edition=South Pacific |publisher=Time, Inc. |volume=147 |issue=21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128112654/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,135937,00.html |archive-date=January 28, 2015 |access-date=January 23, 2015}}</ref>{{rp|61}} Asked if consumers should buy a Nintendo 64 at launch, buy it later, or buy a competing system, a panel of six ''[[GamePro]]'' editors voted almost unanimously to buy at launch; one editor said consumers who already own a PlayStation and are on a limited budget should buy it later, and all others should buy it at launch.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=October 1996 |title=To Buy or Not to Buy |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[IDG]] |issue=97 |page=36}}</ref>

At launch, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called the system "quite simply, the fastest, most graceful game machine on the market". Its form factor was described as small, light, and "built for heavy play by kids" unlike the "relatively fragile Sega Saturn". Showing concern for a major console product launch during a sharp, several-year long, decline in the game console market, the review said that the long-delayed Nintendo 64 was "worth the wait" in the company's pursuit of quality. Although the ''Times'' expressed concerns about having only two launch games at retail and twelve expected by Christmas, this was suggested to be part of Nintendo's "penchant for perfection", as "while other platforms offer quite a bit of junk, Nintendo routinely orders game developers back to the boards to fix less-than-perfect titles". Describing the quality control incentives associated with cartridge-based development, the ''Times'' cited Nintendo's position that cartridge game developers tend to "place a premium on substance over flash", and noted that the launch games lack the "poorly acted live-action sequences or half-baked musical overtures" which it says tend to be found on CD-ROM games. Praising Nintendo's controversial choice of the cartridge medium with its "nonexistent" load times and "continuous, fast-paced action CD-ROMs simply cannot deliver", the review concluded that "the cartridge-based Nintendo 64 delivers blistering speed and tack-sharp graphics that are unheard of on personal computers and make competing 32-bit, disc-based consoles from Sega and Sony seem downright sluggish".<ref name="Curtiss wonder"/>

''Time'' named it the 1996 Machine of the Year, saying the machine had "done to video-gaming what the [[Boeing 707|707]] did to air travel". The magazine said the console achieved "the most realistic and compelling three-dimensional experience ever presented by a computer". ''Time'' credited the Nintendo 64 with revitalizing the video game market, "rescuing this industry from the dustbin of entertainment history". The magazine suggested that the Nintendo 64 would play a major role in introducing children to digital technology in the final years of the 20th century. The article concluded by saying the console had already provided "the first glimpse of a future where immensely powerful computing will be as common and easy to use as our televisions".<ref name="Fisher" /><ref name="Time Machine of the Year">{{Cite magazine |last=Krantz |first=Michael |date=November 25, 1996 |title=64 Bits of Magic |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985577,00.html |url-status=live |magazine=[[Time Magazine]] |volume=148 |issue=24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128114032/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985577,00.html |archive-date=January 28, 2015 |access-date=January 24, 2015 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>{{rp|73}} The console also won the 1996 [[Spotlight Awards|Spotlight Award]] for Best New Technology.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=July 1997 |title=Spotlight Award Winners |url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_31/page/n21 |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=31 |page=21}}</ref>

''[[Popular Electronics]]'' complimented the system's hardware, calling its specifications "quite impressive". It found the controller "comfortable to hold, and the controls to be accurate and responsive".<ref name="Popular Will" />

In a 1997 year-end review, a team of five ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' editors gave the Nintendo 64 scores of 8.0, 7.0, 7.5, 7.5, and 9.0. They highly praised the power of the hardware and the quality of the first-party games, especially those developed by [[Rare (company)|Rare]]'s and Nintendo's internal studios, but also commented that the third-party output to date had been mediocre and the first-party output was not enough by itself to provide Nintendo 64 owners with a steady stream of good games or a full breadth of genres.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 1998 |title=EGM's Special Report: Which System Is Best? |magazine=1998 Video Game Buyer's Guide |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |pages=42–45}}</ref> ''Next Generation''{{'}}s end of 1997 review expressed similar concern about third party support, while also noting signs that the third party output was improving, and speculated that the Nintendo 64's arrival late in its generation could lead to an early obsolescence when Sony and Sega's successor consoles launched. However, they said that for some, Nintendo's reliably high-quality software would outweigh those drawbacks, and gave the system 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=December 1997 |title=Where to Play? The Dust Settles |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=36 |pages=55–58}}</ref>

Developer [[Factor 5]], which created some of the system's most technologically advanced games along with the system's audio development tools for Nintendo, said, "[T]he N64 is really sexy because it combines the performance of an SGI machine with a cartridge. We're big arcade fans, and cartridges are still the best for arcade games or perhaps a really fast CD-ROM. But there's no such thing for consoles yet [as of 1998]".<ref name="F5 Interview Pt1">{{Cite interview |last=Eggebrecht |first=Julian |subject-link=Julian Eggebrecht |interviewer=Peer Schneider |title=Factor 5 Interview (Part I) |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/02/24/factor-5-interview-part-i |access-date=January 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113120135/http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/02/24/factor-5-interview-part-i |archive-date=January 13, 2015 |url-status=live |date=February 23, 1998}}</ref>

=== Sales ===
The Nintendo 64 was highly successful in the North America region; conversely, sales proved to be underwhelming in the domestic Japanese and in European markets.<ref name="Toru 2000">{{Cite book |last=Toru |first=Takeda |title=It's the NINTENDO |publisher=T2 PUBLISHING CO., LTD. |year=2000 |isbn=978-4887497160 |language=Japanese}}</ref> Nintendo reported that the system's vintage hardware and software sales had ceased by 2004, three years after the GameCube's launch; as of December 31, 2009, the Nintendo 64 had yielded a lifetime total of 5.54&nbsp;million system units sold in Japan, 20.63&nbsp;million in the Americas, and 6.75&nbsp;million in other regions, for a total of 32.93&nbsp;million units.<ref name="sales">{{Cite web |date=January 27, 2010 |title=Consolidated Sales Transition by Region |url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/consolidated_sales_e0912.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5nXieXX2B |archive-date=February 14, 2010 |access-date=November 7, 2025 |publisher=Nintendo}}</ref>

==== North America ====
The Nintendo 64 was in heavy demand upon its release. David Cole, industry analyst, said "You have people fighting to get it from stores".<ref name="Stone Croal hot" /> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' called the purchasing interest "that rare and glorious middle-class Cabbage Patch-doll frenzy". The magazine said celebrities [[Matthew Perry]], [[Steven Spielberg]], and [[Chicago Bulls]] players called Nintendo to ask for special treatment to get their hands on the console.<ref name="Time Hard">Krantz, Michael. "Mario Plays Hard To Get." Time 148.26 (1996): 60. Military & Government Collection. Web. July 24, 2013.</ref> In North America and Europe, the console had only two launch games, with ''Super Mario 64'' as its [[killer app]].

During the system's first three days on the market, retailers sold 350,000 of 500,000 available console units.<ref name="Stone Croal hot">Stone, BradCroal, N'Gai. "Nintendo's Hot Box." Newsweek 128.16 (1996): 12. Military & Government Collection. Web. July 24, 2013.</ref> During its first four months, the console yielded 500,000 unit sales in North America.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 6, 1999 |title=Sega Dreamcast Sales Outstrip Expectations in N. America |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WPB/is_1999_Oct_6/ai_56177488 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714201420/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WPB/is_1999_Oct_6/ai_56177488 |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |access-date=March 27, 2008 |publisher=Comline Computers }}</ref> Nintendo successfully outsold [[Sony]] and [[Sega]] early in 1997 in the United States;<ref name="1997: So far">{{Cite news |date=June 18, 1997 |title=1997: So far, the year of Nintendo; company sales up 156 percent; driven by Nintendo 64 success. |publisher=Business Wire |location=Atlanta |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/1997%3a+So+far%2c+the+year+of+Nintendo%3b+company+sales+up+156+percent%3b...-a019518838 |url-status=dead |access-date=November 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126095644/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/1997%3a+So+far%2c+the+year+of+Nintendo%3b+company+sales+up+156+percent%3b...-a019518838 |archive-date=November 26, 2015}}</ref> by the end of its first full year, the console had sold 3.6&nbsp;million units in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nintendo Delivers Early Holiday Cheer With New Software Prices. – Free Online Library |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Nintendo+Delivers+Early+Holiday+Cheer+With+New+Software+Prices.-a019804152 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224031918/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Nintendo+Delivers+Early+Holiday+Cheer+With+New+Software+Prices.-a019804152 |archive-date=February 24, 2014 |access-date=March 2, 2014 |publisher=Thefreelibrary.com}}</ref> ''[[BusinessWire]]'' reported that the Nintendo 64 was responsible for Nintendo's sales having increased by 156% by 1997.<ref name="1997: So far" /> Five different Nintendo 64 games exceeded 1 million in sales during 1997.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 1998 |title=View to a Million |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=Ziff Davis |issue=104 |page=32}}</ref>

After a strong launch year, the decision to use the cartridge format is said to have contributed to the diminished release pace and higher price of games compared to the competition, and thus Nintendo was unable to maintain its lead in the United States. The console would continue to outsell the [[Sega Saturn]] throughout the generation, but would trail behind the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]].<ref name="Ultimate History of Video Games">{{Cite book |last=Kent |first=Steven L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PTrcTeAqeaEC |title=The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World |date=2002 |publisher=Random House International |isbn=978-0-7615-3643-7 |location=New York |oclc=59416169 |author-link=Steven L. Kent |access-date=October 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728211412/http://books.google.com/books?id=PTrcTeAqeaEC |archive-date=July 28, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Nintendo's efforts to attain dominance in the key 1997 [[holiday shopping season]] were also hurt by game delays. Five high-profile Nintendo games slated for release by Christmas 1997 (''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'', ''[[Banjo-Kazooie (video game)|Banjo-Kazooie]]'', ''[[Conker's Quest]]'', ''[[Yoshi's Story]]'', and ''[[Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr.]]'') were delayed until 1998, and ''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]'' was announced at the last minute in an effort to somewhat fill the gaps.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 1997 |title=Nintendo's Holiday Surprise!: Diddy Kong Racing Announced; Griffey and Banjo-Kazooie Delayed |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[IDG]] |issue=110 |page=30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 1997 |title=Nintendo Dealt Blow |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=35 |page=22}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 1997 |title=N64 Games Delayed Again |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |issue=100 |page=24}}</ref> In an effort to take the edge off of the console's software pricing disadvantage, Nintendo worked to lower manufacturing costs for Nintendo 64 cartridges, and leading into the 1997 holiday shopping season announced a new pricing structure which amounted to a roughly 15% price cut on both first-party and third-party games. Response from third-party publishers was positive, with key third-party publisher [[Capcom]] saying the move led them to reconsider their decision not to publish games for the console.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=December 1997 |title=Nintendo Gets Reasonable |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=36 |page=20}}</ref><ref name="NGenSW1997">{{Cite magazine |date=February 1998 |title=Nintendo's Space World 1997 |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=38 |pages=22–23}}</ref>

==== Japan ====
In Japan, the console was not as successful, failing to outsell the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn. Benimaru Itō, a developer for ''[[Mother 3]]'' and friend of Shigeru Miyamoto, speculated in 1997 that the Nintendo 64's lower popularity in Japan was due to the lack of [[role-playing video game]]s.<ref name="npinterview">{{Cite magazine |last1=Takao Imamura |last2=Shigeru Miyamoto |date=August 1997 |title=Pak Watch E3 Report "The Game Masters" |magazine=Nintendo Power |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |pages=104–105}}</ref> Nintendo CEO [[Hiroshi Yamauchi]] also said the console's lower popularity in Japan was most likely due to lack of role-playing games, and the small number of games being released in general.<ref name="NGenSW1997" /> The higher price of cartridges as opposed to [[CD-ROM]] has also been cited as a reason for the system's lackluster third-party support, which led to domestically big titles, such as ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]'', moving away from Nintendo's platforms to its rivals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Extension |first=Time |date=March 12, 2024 |title=Here's How Nintendo Reacted To The PlayStation Beating The N64 |url=https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/03/heres-how-nintendo-reacted-to-the-playstation-beating-the-n64 |access-date=August 29, 2024 |website=Time Extension |language=en-GB |archive-date=August 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829225130/https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/03/heres-how-nintendo-reacted-to-the-playstation-beating-the-n64 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Shigeru Miyamoto]] commented at the time that the Nintendo 64's situation in Japan was grim and that it was also tough in Europe, but that these were overcome by its success in America and therefore "the business has become completely viable".<ref name="Toru 2000" />

=== Legacy ===
The Nintendo 64 is one of the most recognized video game systems in history,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nintendo 64 Week: Day Two |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/10/01/nintendo-64-week-day-two |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726163234/http://retro.ign.com/articles/914/914568p1.html |archive-date=July 26, 2011 |access-date=November 13, 2021 |website=IGN|date=October 2008 }}</ref> [[Nintendo 64 controller#Design|Designed in tandem with the controller]], ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time#Legacy|The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'' are widely considered by critics and the public to be two of the [[List of video games considered the best|greatest]] and most influential games of all time. ''[[GoldenEye 007 (1997 video game)#Accolades|GoldenEye 007]]'' is one of the most influential games for the shooter genre.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Filter Face Off: Top 10 Best Game Consoles |url=http://www.g4tv.com/videos/9879/filter-face-off-top-10-best-game-consoles |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702134141/http://www.g4tv.com/videos/9879/filter-face-off-top-10-best-game-consoles/ |archive-date=July 2, 2017 |access-date=May 3, 2013 |publisher=g4tv.com}}</ref>

The [[Aleck 64]] is a Nintendo 64 design in arcade form, designed by Seta in cooperation with Nintendo, and sold from 1998 to 2003 only in Japan.<ref name="Aleck 64 at System16">{{Cite web |title=Seta Aleck64 Hardware |url=http://system16.com/hardware.php?id=816 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203034828/http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=816 |archive-date=February 3, 2016 |access-date=November 25, 2015 |publisher=System 16}}</ref>

In 2011, ''[[IGN]]'' ranked it as the ninth-greatest video game console of all time.<ref name="IGN ranking">{{Cite web |last=Hatfield |first=Daemon |title=Nintendo 64 Is Number 9 |url=http://www.ign.com/top-25-consoles/9.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118121547/http://www.ign.com/top-25-consoles/9.html |archive-date=November 18, 2015 |access-date=November 11, 2015 |website=IGN}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons|Nintendo 64}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=uA0EAAAAMBAJ&q=billboard+may+18,+1996 ''Billboard Magazine'' of May 18, 1996, p.58], covering the launch of Nintendo 64, including Yamauchi's explanation of cartridge strategy and negotiations about Netscape's online strategy for Nintendo 64 <!--<ref name="Billboard May 18, 1996">{{Cite magazine |date=May 18, 1996 |title=E3 Convention |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uA0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA58&dq=billboard+may+18,+1996 |magazine=Billboard Magazine |access-date=June 13, 2014 |work=Billboard}}</ref>{{rp|59}} see [[Nintendo 64 Game Pak]] for Yamauchi's quote-->
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140314191929/http://www.notenoughshaders.com/2012/07/13/why-netscape-almost-didnt-exist/ "Why Netscape Almost Didn't Exist"], on Andreesson's choice to cofound Netscape instead of working on N64, and later proposing N64's first online strategy <!--<ref name="Why Netscape Almost Never Happened">{{Cite web |last=Rogers |first=Emily |date=July 13, 2012 |title=Why Netscape Almost Never Happened |url=http://www.notenoughshaders.com/2012/07/13/why-netscape-almost-didnt-exist/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314191929/http://www.notenoughshaders.com/2012/07/13/why-netscape-almost-didnt-exist/ |archive-date=March 14, 2014 |access-date=June 13, 2014 |publisher=Not Enough Shaders}}</ref> -->
* {{Cite web |title=Nintendo 64 |url=https://www.nintendo.com/systemsclassic?type=n64 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017030136/http://www.nintendo.com/systemsclassic?type=n64 |archive-date=October 17, 2007}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150503194948/http://64dd.net/modules/specials/?p Index of all Nintendo 64 promotional videos]
* [http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2001/0016517.html US Patent for the N64]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110203150110/https://nw.64scener.com/n64releaselist.php The Most Complete N64 Game Releaselist by NESWORLD]

{{Nintendo 64}}
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