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The Basics

Manufacturer: Nintendo of America
Release date: September 1996
Comes with: One controller, AV multi cable, and power cord
Number of controller ports: Four
Online support: None

Pros/Cons

Specs

CPU: 64-bit RISC (R4300), running at 93.75MHz
RAM: Rambus DRAM 36 megabits
Graphics processor: 64-bit RCP
Reality coprocessor: 62.5MHz
Screen resolution: 256x224 up to 640x480
Audio: Up to 100 PCM sound channels

History

The Nintendo 64 launched in Japan and the United States in the summer and fall of 1996, respectively. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo that year, one game stole the show: Super Mario 64. Recall spring 1996--the PlayStation's low-resolution polygons and unfiltered textures were the best 3D graphics on the market, and no one had ever heard of 3dfx or Voodoo. The Nintendo 64 was the best-looking console (soon to be) available for the home, and thanks to Super Mario 64, it was about to be the best playing too. Super Mario 64's creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, revolutionized the concept of the platformer, finally bridging the gap between that genre and the third dimension. Super Mario 64, which launched with the N64, was the game to play.

Unfortunately for Nintendo, the truly stellar N64 games have been created by the company itself (along with second-party developer Rare). Many top developers that had great success with Nintendo's Super NES left to develop for other platforms when the specifications of the Nintendo 64 were announced. Perhaps the most damaging factor for the N64 was Nintendo's decision to shun the emerging CD-ROM media in favor of the cartridges it had used for the NES and the Super NES consoles. Cartridges provided the N64 hardware instant access to the game data, eliminating the load time seen in PlayStation and Saturn games, but they also severely limited the amount of data that could be stored, and they cost much more than CD-ROM discs. The largest-scale N64 games hold one-twentieth of a single CD's information and cost companies as much as 30 times more to manufacture. This drives up game prices and limits developers' creativity, scaring many companies away. Nintendo was largely left to support its system alone.

But support it the company did, with marvelous follow-ups to longtime Nintendo favorites. Such franchises as Donkey Kong, Star Fox, and Zelda saw updates. In fact, the N64's Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time game is one of the very few games to receive a perfect rating from GameSpot to date. Second-party developer Rare also created some memorable games such as the Mario 64-esque Banjo Kazooie and the perennial shooting favorites GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark.

Despite the valiant support of Nintendo, the N64 never took off like its 8- and 16-bit predecessors, due in part to the dominating presence of Sony's PlayStation. Consequently, the Nintendo 64 era will soon come to a close. In August 2000, Nintendo finally unveiled its long-rumored new system, officially titled the GameCube. Created in conjunction with companies like IBM and ArtX, the Nintendo GameCube is more powerful than its existing competitors. As we've seen with Sony's lukewarm PlayStation 2 launch, powerful hardware doesn't necessarily mean great games, but Nintendo's history of innovative game design is unparalleled in the industry. The GameCube also uses a proprietary DVD-like format that will finally end Nintendo's storage woes. We expect the system will experience no shortage of incredible games when it launches worldwide in the latter half of 2001.

The Nintendo 64, however, is on its last legs. A few high-profile games were scheduled for release during the first few months of 2001, but some of the N64's anticipated titles are quietly being bumped into GameCube development. In the end, we will remember the Nintendo 64 not for its broad support from many companies, but instead for its high-quality first-party games.

Must-Have Peripherals

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Nintendo 64 Game Controller (additional)
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Nintendo 64 4MB Expansion Pak
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Nintendo 64 Memory Pak
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Note: Third-party versions of these peripherals may be available at a lower cost, but they are also often of lower quality.

Popular Nintendo 64 Games

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