Discover some lesser known facts about one of the most popular consoles of the 1990's.
In 1996, a Kyoto, Japan based video game company released the Nintendo 64, which would be the last major home console that used cartridges as its storage format. The Nintendo 64 or N64 was developed in 1993 alongside Silicon Graphics under the codename "Project Reality," but there are other more interesting Nintendo 64 trivia that is not as widely known among gaming fans today.
The Nintendo 64 was officially released on September 29, 1996 and served as the successor of the brand's Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) or NES, which today is regarded as one of the best consoles in the history of gaming. When the N64 arrived, it boasted never before seen 3D graphics and large 64-bit worlds paired with an array of accessories to enhance the gaming experience.
In honor of the gaming console's 26 years of existence, here are some lesser known Nintendo 64 trivia.
1. Nintendo 64 was not the original planned name for the console.
When Nintendo was developing the N64, "Nintendo 64" was not the actual name the developers had in mind for what at the time would be a groundbreaking console. Developers initially wanted to name the console Ultra 64, but because the word "Ultra" was already trademarked by Konami for its Ultra Games division, they chose to go with another name, Mental Floss reported.
2. N64 was the first console to use rumble technology.
The Nintendo 64 had an attachment called Rumble Pak, which was a removable device that would vibrate in specific situations in the game, creating a more immersive experience. According to The Gamer, the Rumble Pak would need to be plugged into the bottom of the N64 controller and would vibrate when firing a weapon or receiving damage when playing rumble-supported games.
3. The Nintendo 64 features backwards compatibility with SNES and NES games.
One of the unique attributes of the N64 is that it is in fact capable of playing SNES and NES games. Aside from being a retro Nintendo emulator, the N64 also has a built-in cheat cartridge that uses programs such as X-Terminator and Memory Editor to actually edit the data in games.
4. Games for the N64 were expensive for its time and the Nintendo 64 was equipped with just two games in the US.
When the Nintendo 64 came out in 1996, its games were priced on average about $75 each, which is pricier than today's average $69.99 for a PlayStation 5 game. Other games went up to even $79.99. Today's Nintendo Switch games sell for around $59.99.
In addition, the N64 only had two games when it arrived in the US in late 1996. The console was equipped with Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64. Interestingly, Super Mario 64 remains to be the best selling game on the N64, selling about 11.89 million copies. It is followed by Mario Kart 64, which sold about 9.87 million copies and GoldenEye 007, which sold 8.09 million copies.
5. N64 consoles today are far more valuable thanks to its longevity and impact on gaming history.
The Nintendo 64 first came out with a price tag of $199 in 1996, but today, brand new consoles are very rare and hard to find. Those in mint condition sell for upwards of $1,000, making it a collector's item. What's even more fun is that these old consoles most likely still work and will just need some cleaning using a Nintendo Cleaning Kit.
