Nearing the end of the Bit Wars, SEGA and Sony both had
32-bit, CD-based consoles, both released in 1995. The change in medium from
cartridge to CD meant that developers weren’t hampered by space limitations
when making games, but it also came with some downsides. Nintendo had made the
decision to skip the 32-bit stage and move straight onto a 64-bit console and
stick with cartridges (the Virtual Boy had a 32-bit processor, but it wasn’t
counted in the “console” category). Atari had previously released the Jaguar,
which purported to be a 64-bit system (it really wasn’t – it just had 2
different 32-bit processors) which may have pushed Nintendo in that direction. 
Code named “Project Reality,” and once released would be
called the Ultra 64, Nintendo put the bit count in the name itself so there
would be no question. It was originally slated to be released in 1995 but was
delayed for an entire year, possibly prompting Nintendo to release the Virtual
Boy in the meantime. Another part of the buildup was to work with Midway to
release some arcade games that would later be ported onto the Ultra 64. Near the release date, the name was changed to just the Nintendo 64, dropping the "Ultra."
The console signaled the jump from 2D to 3D graphics,
something Nintendo had dabbled with in StarFox and other games that used the FX
chip. But this switch was a major paradigm shift. And to make things more
confusing, for the first time there were 3 major consoles on the market. Other
companies besides Nintendo and SEGA had released consoles over the years, but
none of them had much market share. But Sony had taken a major bite into the
market with the PlayStation (the irony was that it was originally going to be
the SNES-CD add on). Also, comparing systems was made harder now. Comparisons
between the Sega Master System and the NES were easy, as were the arguments
over Genesis vs. the SNES or the Game Boy vs. the Game Gear. But major
differences in the hardware and media the systems used muddied the waters.
The Nintendo 64 was a black console that was less “boxy”
than the SNES with its rounded corners and feet. Like the SNES, cartridges were
top loaded and the cartridge slot had a spring-loaded cover to prevent dust
from getting in; but it lacked the eject lever the SNES featured – games were
meant to just be pulled out on the N64. The front of the console featured a
slightly raised portion that had a small, removable cover, under which was a
“jumper pak”. The lid was labeled with “Memory Expansion,” leaving users to
speculate that it was for a future add-on. The bottom of the system featured
another expansion port, just like the SNES and NES both had sported.
The top expansion port cover cleverly hid an air vent next to the
cartridge slot, and on top of the system were the same two buttons as the NES and
SNES – a sliding Power button but a pressable Reset button. The back of the
console only had one AV port, a departure from their previous 2 systems. It
used the exact same multi-out cord as the SNES for the red/white/yellow RCA
jacks. For those needing the old RF switch style connector, an adapter was
available (for 12 bucks – plus tax).
In a major improvement, the power transformer for the N64
was not on the plug, but on the part that connected to the back of the console.
This made it so the plug was a regular bare plug, and not the big, black “wall
wart” box that took up multiple slots on a power strip.
But the feature of the console that really stood out were
the 4 different controller ports. It sold the N64 as a real multiplayer system,
and didn’t require the additional 4-player controller adapters or any special
software. For the first time, 4-player games were going to be easy (as long as
one had 4 controllers).
The controller was another unique selling point. The controller
featured red, yellow, blue, green, and dark gray buttons – normal for those
with a Japanese Super Famicom, but more colorful to an American audience used
to the lavender and purple scheme of the SNES. The large A and B buttons were
green and blue, and the four new C buttons (called C-Up, C-Down, C-Right, and
C-Left) were yellow, but there were no X and Y buttons. Dark gray L and R on
the shoulders of the controller made a return, but there was a new Z button on
the back of the controller that felt almost like a pistol trigger. Finally, the
red Start button was in the very center of the controller, but the Select
button was discontinued.
It had the D-pad like all Nintendo products, but also had an
analogue stick, capable of sensing 360 degree motion and 8 levels of pressure. The
Virtual Boy was the first controller to feature grips, rather than a flat
“paddle,” and the N64 continued with this tradition. But instead of having 2
grips, it had 3 – giving the controller an odd shape. The intent was that it
could be held in 3 different configurations.
- Holding the middle and the right lobes was the most common configuration. It gives the left hand access to the control stick for the thumb, and the Z-button in the back for the index finger. The right hand had access to the B, A, R, and four C buttons.
- Holding the middle and left lobes reduced the number of buttons accessible, but doubled the number of directional controls. The left hand had access to the D-Pad and L button, while the right hand had the control stick and Z button.
- Holding the left and right lobes essentially meant the left hand traded the control stick for the D-pad and the Z button for the L button. This was for games that relied on an 8 directional control, like fighting games. The right hand had access to the B, A, R, and four C buttons.
The back of the controller had a connection port that was
originally billed as a memory card slot. Being a cartridge based system, it was
likely that the cartridge themselves would contain the save files, just like on
past systems. But the advantage to having a memory card like the CD-based
systems had were enough to justify including it with the Nintendo 64. Most of
the time, they would serve as a backup to the save files on the cartridge, or
as a way of transporting a save file or character profile to a friend’s copy of
the game. The standard controller that came packaged with the system was a
light gray, but additional controllers were available in black, red, blue,
green, and yellow. 
The games were similar in size to the SNES cartridges, but
with fewer edges and corners. One thing that they lacked was a sleeve or
protective cover like all Nintendo games had had up until that point.
Nintendo’s method of region locking was mechanical. Like the SNES, small plastic
tabs inside the system and slots for those tabs on the games prevented a
Japanese game being inserted into an American system and vice versa. But it was
easily overcome by removing the plastic piece in the system or making notches
into the cartridge’s plastic. While other systems switched to disc-based optical media, Nintendo stuck with cartridges citing piracy prevention and loading time speed as good reasons to stay the course.
Demand for the Nintendo 64 was high during the holiday
season of 1996, and finding certain games and accessories (like controllers)
was difficult. The price was set at $200, but did not include a game like past
systems. So to be playable, the actual cost to consumers was more in the $250
range. Nintendo’s logo for the system was a 4-sided, 3D N that rotated and was
very colorful.
The must-have game at release was Super Mario 64. It moved
Mario from a side scrolling world into an open exploration. What made this game
stand out were not only the colors, the smooth animation, the anti-aliasing,
and the great controls, but just how open the world was. Other games for other
systems felt like you were running in a tunnel. Instead of stomping and collecting
power-ups, Super Mario 64 focused on using Mario’s new gymnastic-like moves while
revisiting 15 worlds multiple times using Peach’s castle as a hub
(incidentally, this is the first time in the west that she is called Peach,
being only known as Princess Toadstool before). The game was given a perfect or
near perfect score by most magazines and websites, showing that quality doesn’t
need 600 MB of storage or FMV.
Soon Nintendo was releasing other games from their signature
franchises. But unlike previous consoles, Nintendo didn’t have as much
influence on 3rd party developers. Many of them released more games
on the other two consoles citing the cost of the cartridges as a main
contributing factor. This started Nintendo down the path of using their own
in-house 1st and 2nd party games and franchises as the
major selling points of their consoles and not relying on 3rd party
companies.
Not long after its release, Nintendo started showing a new
device that would attach to controllers in the memory card slot. It was called
the Rumble Pak, and it was the first device to give feedback to players
through the controller. It would “rumble” and vibrate using an off-centered
weight on a small motor. When players’ characters would get hurt or there was
an explosion on screen, or a gun fired, it would vibrate. Other games used it
differently, such as indicating secrets or simulating a fish fighting back
while trying to reel it in. At first it was widely lampooned by gamer websites,
making references to adult “massage” toys.
It was included with every copy of
StarFox64, but could also be bought separately. Usually once someone tried it
out, they enjoyed it and stopped the ridiculing. It wasn’t long after that Sony
and Sega jumped on this train as well, making their controllers with built-in
rumble features.
Goldeneye007 was a major milestone for the N64. It was a First-Person-Shooter that sported graphics that rivaled high end PCs, and was 4 player. Stories
abound of the countless hours that were put into this game by kids and adults
alike on the internet. But on top of the fun 4-player deathmatch modes, the
single player campaign was the first major FPS to have mission objectives
(besides get to the end and kill the enemies). Having to hack computers, plant
bombs, open safes, and photograph evidence added a lot to the game.
One of the biggest games for the N64 was the Legend of
Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Like the Mario series, the Zelda games had to make the
transition to 3D, and some major obstacles had to be overcome to translate it
into the series we know and love today. Because it needed more buttons than
Super Mario 64, they couldn’t afford to waste the 4 C-buttons to just control the camera.
The solution was to have an automatic camera that could be centered at will
with a single button, as well as a lock-on feature so that players didn’t swing
at thin air constantly. Another innovation was to have a single action button
that changed its function depending on the environment and situation. It
greatly simplified the controls, and many games today owe their control schemes
to this game.
Owing to the fact that when compared to CD-based systems,
N64 cartridges were both expensive and held less data, Nintendo felt like they
had to find a solution. Their answer was a console add-on called the N64DD, or
Disk Drive. It essentially added a second N64 underneath the original console
using the external port. It used proprietary disks that were cheaper than
cartridges to manufacture, and could add another 64 MB of storage space.
Originally there was talk of having games on either
cartridge, disk, or using both simultaneously. For example, on a sports game
like Madden ’99, the cartridge could have the game engine on it and most of the
programming, while the disk could hold the team rosters. When the ’00 roster
came out, instead of buying a whole new game, an updated roster disk could be
purchased for $10. Another possibility was to have a second quest for Ocarina
of Time on a disk.
Very few DDs were made, and it was only released in Japan. By
the time it came out, newer compression techniques had made putting games like
Doom or Resident Evil on a standard N64 cartridge possible. Ultimately, it was similar to the
SegaCD in the sense that it was an add-on that few people had and never caught on.
In the wake of the cancelled DD in 1999, one thing Nintendo did release was the RAM expansion that was originally supposed to be part of the DD .
The N64 normally had 4 MB of RAM, but had the option of an upgrade. This was
done by replacing the Jumper Pak (which did nothing other than complete a
circuit) in the top cover with the Expansion Pak. This doubled the RAM to 8
MB, allowing games to display more polygons at once and/or have higher
resolution. It was available for purchase separately, but could also be obtained
by purchasing a copy of Donkey Kong 64 in the same way the Rumble Pak came with
StarFox 64.
The only games that absolutely required the RAM expansion
were the Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask and Donkey Kong 64. About 35% of Perfect Dark could be played without one, but the single player mode and other features required it. Many
other games used the expansion if it was detected to unlock certain features
like hi-res mode, allowing 3 and 4 player modes, or improving the texture
effects. 
The only other major accessory was the Game Boy Transfer
Pak. It was an adapter that was placed into the memory card slot on the
controller, and then a Game Boy or Game Boy Color game is also placed into it.
Once properly configured, data (such as characters or save files) could be transferred
from certain GB/GBC games to their N64 counterparts.
As the N64 aged and became more commonplace, Nintendo
released color variants of the control deck and controllers. They also slightly
changed the way the control sticks were put together to combat an issue of the
sticks wearing out.
Compared to the SNES, only about half the amount of games
were made for the N64. It probably had to do a lot with the cost of the
cartridges and the assumed lack of storage space when compared to a CD, but
also with third party developers expressing their dissatisfaction with Nintendo’s
business practices. To make up for it, Nintendo expanded their franchises and
pushed their advantage with 4 player games. These included Mario Kart 64, Mario Party (a board
game with many mini-games), and Super Smash Bros. (a 4-player fighting game
featuring first party characters like Fox McCloud, Link, Mario, Pikachu, Kirby,
and Samus Aran). They also capitalized on having RARE in their pocket with
Donkey Kong 64, Banjo-Kazooie, and Perfect Dark. It seemed like there were more “must-have”
games and fewer mediocre ones, and the majority of the "must-haves" were 1st party games.
Adam Koralik's recap of the N64.
Adam Koralik's recap of the 5th generation of video games.
MetalJesusRocks talks about a found N64DD device
Punching Weight video about the Expansion Pak memory upgrade
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