Nintendo 64
 | |
 A charcoal grey Nintendo 64 console and grey controller | |
| Also known as | Project Reality Template:Small, Ultra 64 Template:Small |
|---|---|
| Developer | Nintendo IRD |
| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Fifth generation |
| Release date | Template:Video game release |
| Retail availability | Template:Start date–Template:End date |
| Discontinued | Template:Video game release |
| Units sold |
Worldwide: 32.93 million<ref name="sales" /> Japan: 5.54 million Americas: 20.63 million Europe & Australia: 6.75 million |
| Media |
Nintendo 64 Game Pak Magnetic disc Template:Small |
| CPU | 64-bit NEC VR4300 @ 93.75 MHz |
| Memory | 4 MB Rambus RDRAM (8 MB with Expansion Pak) |
| Storage | 64 MB Game Pak |
| Removable storage | 256 Kbit (32 KB) Controller Pak |
| Graphics | SGI RCP @ 62.5 MHz |
| Sound | 16-bit, 48 or 44.1 kHz stereo |
| Controller input | Nintendo 64 controller |
| Power | Switching power supply, 12V and 3.3V DC |
| Online services |
Randnet (Japan only) SharkWire Online (third-party) |
| Best-selling game | Super Mario 64, 11.62 million (as of May 21, 2003) |
| Predecessor | Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Successor | GameCube |
Introduction
The Nintendo 64, stylized as NINTENDO64 and abbreviated as N64, is Nintendo's third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit central processing unit, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America and Brazil, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, and September 1997 in France. It is the last major home console to use the cartridge as its primary storage format until Nintendo's seventh console, the Nintendo Switch, released in 2017. The console was discontinued in mid-2002 following the launch of its successor, the GameCube, in 2001.
Codenamed "Project Reality", the Nintendo 64 design was mostly complete by mid-1995, but its launch was delayed until 1996, when Time named it Machine of the Year.<ref name="Fisher"/> It was launched with three games: Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64 (worldwide) and Saikyō Habu Shōgi (exclusive to Japan). As part of the fifth generation of gaming, the system competed primarily with the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Saturn. The suggested retail price at its United States launch was Template:USD, and 32.93 million units were sold worldwide. The console was released in a range of colors and designs over its lifetime. In 2015, IGN named it the 9th greatest video game console of all time.
