Nintendo 64 is Nintendo 3 home video game console for international market. Name for it 64-bit central processing unit, it was release in 1996, in Japan, 1996, in NA and Brazil, 1997, in Europe and Australia, and 1997, in France. It is last major home console to use cartridge as it primary storage format until Nintendo 3 console, Nintendo Switch, release on March 3, 2017. Console was discontinued in 2002, follow launch of it successor, GameCube, in 2001.
Codename Project Reality, Nintendo 64 design was mostly complete by 1995, but launch was delayed in 1996, when Time name it Machine of Year. It was launch with 3 games Super Mario 64, Pilot Wings 64 and Saikyo Habu Shogi. As part of 5 generation of gaming, system composed primarily with PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Suggested retail price at it US launch was US $199.99, and 39 million units were sold worldwide. Console was release in range of colors and design over it lifetime. In 2015, IGN name it 9 great video game consoles of all time.
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Development[]
In 1990, Nintendo led video game industry with it NES. Although follow up console, SNES, was successful, sales took hit from Japan recession. Competing consoles from Sega and Sony also increased need for Nintendo to develop successor to SNES. Further complicating matters, company also face backlash from 3 party developers unhappy with Nintendo onerous licensing policies. Company sought to develop console with high quality, graphics and 64-bit processor. Nintendo codename for N64, Project Reality, stemmed from bold belief that hardware advanced 3D CGI would rival supercomputers of era.
Nintendo had only limited experience with graphics, and work with outside companies to develop technology. Nintendo 64 owe it existence to Silicon Graphics and MIPS Technologies, who were responsible for R4300 microprocessor and graphics hardware used in N64. SGI had recently acquired MIPS Computer Systems, and 2 work together to create low-cost real-time graphics system.
James H Clark, founder of Silicon Graphics, initially offered SGI project to Thomas Kalinske, then CEO of Sega Of America. Negotiations that ensued have fuel controversy. Sega claimed that their evaluation of early prototype uncovered several unresolved hardware issues and deficiencies. They were subsequently resolved but not before Sega had already decided against SGI design. Nintendo resisted that assertion, arguing that Nintendo was more appealing partner. SGI was apparently interested in using it chips in devices other than game console while Sega demanded exclusive rights to chip, Nintendo was willing to license technology on exclusive basis. Nintendo, fall behind in console war, expressed interest in SGI work. Clark met with Nintendo CEO Hiroshi Yamauchi in 1993 and agreed to develop project. Project Reality was born. Official announcement regarding their collab was made in 1993.
Console design was revealed to public for 1 time in 1994. Pictures of console Nintendo Ultra 64 logo, ROM cartridge, but no controller. Final N64 console would retain shape picture by Ultra 64. System was frequently market world 1 64-bit game system. Atari had claimed have made 1 64-bit game console with their Atari Jaguar, but Jaguar only used 64-bit architecture in conjunction with 2 32-bit RISC processors and 16 32-bit Motorola 68000. Around same time, Rare and Midway release 2 arcade title, Kill Instinct and Cruis n USA, which claimed to use Ultra 64 hardware. Although Kill Instinct did use same CPU as N64, neither title was powered by Ultra 64 hardware. Kill Instinct featured rendered character artwork, and 3D CG movie backgrounds that were streamed off hard drive and animated as characters moved horizontally.
N64 was fully unveiled in play form to public on November 24, 1995, at 7 Annual Shoshinkai Software Exhibition in Japan. Nintendo next generation console was introduced as Nintendo 64 name give by Shigesato Itoi, who name Game Boy before, contrary to speculation that it would be call Ultra Famicom. Photos of event were disseminated on web by Game 0 magazine 2 days later. Official coverage by Nintendo follow later via Nintendo Power website and print magazine.
In lead up to console release, Nintendo had adopted new global branding strategy, assigning console same name for all markets Nintendo 64.
Console was originally slated for release. In 1995, Nintendo pushed back release. Nintendo claimed it needed more time for Nintendo 64 software to mature, and for 3 party developers to produce title. Adrian Sfarti, former engineer for SGI, attributed delay to hardware problems he claimed that chips underperformed in test and were being redesign.
Release[]
Nintendo priced console as impulse buy, using strategy from toy industry. At US $250, console was cheaper than rival consoles from Sega and Sony.
Console was 1 release in Japan on June 23, 1996. NA version of Nintendo 64 officially launch on September 29, 1996, with 500,000 units sold in 1 4 months, while PAL version was release in Europe on March 1, 1997. In 2009, N64 had sold 55 million unit in Japan, 63 million in America, and 75 million in other regions, for total of 39 million units. Benimaru Ito, developer for Earthbound 64 and friend of Shigeru Miyamoto, speculated in 1997, that N64 lower popularity in Japan was due to lack of role play video games.
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Gallery[]
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