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. As the successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), the N64 was the last major home console to use ROM cartridges as its primary storage medium. As a fifth-generation console, the Nintendo 64 primarily competed with Sony's PlayStation and the Sega Saturn.

Development of the N64 began in 1993 in collaboration with Silicon Graphics, initially codenamed Project Reality and later tested as the Ultra 64 arcade platform. The console was named for its 64-bit CPU. Although its design was largely finalized by mid-1995, the console’s release was delayed until 1996 to allow for the completion of the console's launch titles, Super Mario 64, Pilotwings 64, and the Japan-exclusive Saikyō Habu Shōgi.

The N64’s original charcoal-gray console was later joined by several color variants. Certain games required the Expansion Pak to boost system RAM from 4 to 8 MB, improving both graphics and gameplay functionality. The console supported saved game storage either on cartridges or the optional Controller Pak accessory. The 64DD magnetic disc peripheral offered additional storage for game content and enabled the Randnet online service. However, due to a delayed launch, the 64DD was a commercial failure and was released exclusively in Japan.

In 1996, Time magazine named the N64 its Machine of the Year, and in 2011, IGN ranked it as the ninth-greatest video game console of all time. Though the N64 sold over 32 million units globally, it was ultimately discontinued in 2002 following the release of its successor, the GameCube. While it was critically acclaimed, the N64 faced commercial challenges; its sales lagged behind the PlayStation, and commercially failed in both Japan and Europe, despite strong performance in the United States.