Nintendo 64

The  N64 also known by its abbreviation ” N64 “ is a console of video games for the home that was developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on June 23, 1996, in America of the North on September 29, 1996 and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As its name suggests, the console is designed around a 64-bit CPU based on the MIPS processor architecture owned by Silicon Graphics, Inc. , marking the first appearance of a computer manufacturer of high performance like SGIdeveloping technology for a major video game console marketed to the general public.

History of the Nintendo 64

Despite the fact that Nintendo exercised control over all Japanese and North American console markets in the late 1980s with its successful Nintendo Entertainment System, competition from hardware rivals and Sega associated with the Japanese national recession that began in the early 1980s. 1990s contributed to sales declining. With the subsequent rise of polygonal 3D graphics and the emergence of competitors like Sony, Nintendo was in danger of losing a much larger portion of its market share without a suitable successor to the SNES .

Silicon Graphics, Inc. , A developer of high-performance graphics workstations and applications, approached Sega in the early 1990s with an offer to develop technology for a powerful next-generation game console, but this deal was never done. materialized.

After its initial proposal with Sega failed, SGI successfully approached Nintendo, prompting Nintendo and SGI to publicly announce a partnership in August 1993 to jointly develop ” Project Reality “ as Nintendo’s next home system. . The culmination of SGI’s contribution to this company was the R4300i microprocessor , a chip developed by SGI’s recently acquired subsidiary MIPS. Designed for use in the upcoming Nintendo console, the R4300i was also used in Project Reality software development kits sold as SGI Onyx systems. premium pricing, which allowed Nintendo partner developers to prototype games for their next console before the hardware specifications were finalized.

Nintendo 64 Features

Among the main features of the Nintendo 64 we can mention the following:

• The console was manufactured by Nintendo .
• It has a processor of 93.75 MHz NEC VR4300.
• Its format was cartridge.
• It had 4  ports for controls .
• The games library of the Nintendo 64 was 387, of which 84 were exclusive for Japan , 50 for the US and 4 for Europe .
• Its original price when it was released was 34,990 pesetas or € 210.
• A total of 32.9 million consoles have been sold around the world.

Technical specifications

• MIPS architecture CPU 64-bit RISC CPU R4300i at 93.75 MHz.
• Coprocessor : RCP with built-in sound and graphics processor and pixel processor.
• Video processor .
• Memory : RAMBUS D-RAM 4 megabytes with a transmission speed of 4,500 Mbit / second.
• Resolution from 256 × 224 to 640 × 480 dots.
• Dimensions : width 260 mm, depth 190 mm, height 73 mm.
• Weight : 1.1 kg (2.42 lb).

Connections and ports

• Control ports (4 controls)
• RDRAM EXPANSION PAK memory expansion port (1)
• Game cartridge slot (1)
• 50 pin extension bay (1)
• SNS A / V Multiout Audio Video Output (1)
• DC 12V / 3.3V power input (1)

Models

It did not have many improved versions, but it did have special editions with modifications in its exterior design , with a childish, colorful and cheerful style. Initially, the color of its casing was black. Later, identical models to the original went on sale, but with translucent and colored casing.

A special model emerged, the N64 Pikachu Edition , which was yellow and blue had the aforementioned Pokémon character embossed on the case. The special version of the Mario Pack , with a transparent turquoise N64 , and the N64 Gold version launched on the occasion of the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time In Japan increased its sales with limited editions of the console, which had striking colors on the carcass and sponsored games or trademarks.

There was also a Nintendo 64 version of Donkey Kong 64 in which the console and controller are green, the console was sold together with the game and the Expansion Pak.

Accessories

Among the accessories that are connected to the console are:  jumper pak, expansion pak and the Nintendo Disk Drive . In the accessories that are concentrated in the lower part of the remote we can mention the transfer pak , controller pak , rumple pak and VRU Unit and microphone .

Featured Nintendo 64 games

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time –  The 3D adaptation did wonders for the game and made it a favorite.
• Super Smash Bros: the fight like never seen before. The game is based on four player fights, with non-traditional energy bars.
• Mario Party:  is a board game where participants face each other based on dice rolls and mini games, thus reaching both the youngest and oldest members of the family.

Some other major games were: Wave Race 64, Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, Mario Kart 64, Donkey Kong 64, Banjo Kazooie, and Diddy Kong Racing.

Curiosities of the Nintendo 64

• The stick that had analog control on the knob was the first of its kind.
• The console was made up of four serial ports .
• Accessories could be attached to it ; the main ones were the rumble pack, which introduced vibration and the controller pack , which allowed games to be saved.
• The memory expansion pack , had improvements in its graphics and was an accessory for the console that increased the memory from 4MB to 8MB.
• One of the best-selling accessories was the so-called Nintendo 64 Disk Drive, which was a drawer placed under the console that read games on discs.