Nintendo 64
- Manufacturer
- Nintendo
- Production
- 1996–2002
- Generation
- Gen 5
- Type
- Home
- Launch price
- $199
- Units sold
- 32.9M
About Nintendo 64
The Nintendo 64 (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, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. It was Nintendo's third major home console, following the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and competed with Sony's PlayStation and the Sega Saturn in the fifth generation of consoles.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Lifetime sales
Official manufacturer-reported figures.
32.9Munits
225.0Mgames
6.8games / console
Source: Nintendo Co., Ltd. IR — Dedicated Video Game Sales Units, as of March 31, 2026.
Library & collector facts
388licensed games
- North America: 296
- Japan: 208
- PAL: 242
Lineage
Release timeline
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- June 23, 1996
- 🇺🇸 North America
- June 24, 1996
- 🇪🇺 Europe / PAL
- March 1, 1997
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- March 1, 1997
- Lifespan
- 6 years on market
Pricing
Launch price (1996)
- 🇺🇸 USD
- $199
- 🇬🇧 GBP
- £250
Controller
Nintendo 64 controller / 4 ports
Launch titles & exclusives
Super Mario 64 · Pilotwings 64 · Saikyou Habu Shogi (JP) · Wave Race 64 (JP) · Cruis'n USA
Super Mario 64 (most NA launch bundles)
Super Mario 64 · The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time · The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask · GoldenEye 007 · Perfect Dark · Banjo-Kazooie / Tooie · Conker's Bad Fur Day · Star Fox 64 · F-Zero X · Paper Mario · Mario Kart 64 · Super Smash Bros.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (2002, NA) was among the last licensed releases
ClayFighter Sculptor's Cut (Blockbuster rental exclusive, ~$1500+ CIB); Stadium Events successor-tier rarities; sealed launch units with Mario 64; Nintendo World Store demo units
Hardware specs
- Cpu
- NEC VR4300
- Gpu
- SGI RCP @ 62.5 MHz
- Ram
- 4 MB RDRAM (8 MB with Expansion Pak)
- Power
- Switching supply, 12 & 3.3 V DC
- Sound
- 16-bit, 44.1 kHz stereo, Dolby Pro Logic surround (select games)
Hardware revisions
- Original N64 NUS-001(1996)
original launch hardware
⚠ expansion port for Memory/Expansion Pak
- N64 with internal RGB mods popular in enthusiast scene (PAL units had RGB native)
- Funtastic Series(1999)
translucent color variants
- iQue Player(2003)
China-only Flash-cartridge-based revision developed with Wei Yen, Nintendo's only official emulation-on-hardware product
Launch colorways & special editions
- Atomic Purple
- Jungle Green
- Ice Blue
- Fire Orange
- Watermelon Red
- Grape Purple
- Daiei Hawks Edition (JP)
- Pikachu Edition Blue/Yellow and Orange/Yellow (1999)
- Gold Edition (Toys R Us exclusive)
Modding scene
- Difficulty
- soft-mod
- Custom firmware
- N/A (ROM-based); flashcarts: EverDrive 64 X7, SummerCart64, 64Drive
Reception & legacy
Strong launch despite Sony's PS1 having a year head start; Super Mario 64 widely regarded as revolutionary; cartridge format criticized for cost and capacity vs CD-ROM
Cartridge decision drove Square to defect to PlayStation for Final Fantasy VII (the defining third-party loss of the era); aggressive 'Play It Loud!'-style marketing; lockout chip litigation
Defined 3D platforming and 3D camera conventions still in use today; Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time are cornerstone game-design texts; cartridge format and loss of Square doomed Nintendo to second place for two decades
References
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Nintendo 64 in the news
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