Nintendo is known for having some of the more notable video game consoles of all time, having really made their impact with the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), which originally released in Japan in 1983, with North America following in 1985. It was in 1996 that Nintendo released one of their most famous consoles, the Nintendo 64. It was the company’s first dive into 3D gaming, and it’s remembered to this day for its great library of games which includes classics like Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, and Goldeneye 007. Here are five fun facts about the Nintendo 64 console:
5 Nintendo 64 Facts
- The Nintendo 64 almost had a different name. (source) Originally codenamed as “Project Reality,” Nintendo almost named the Nintendo 64 as the “Ultra 64.” Even in gaming magazines prior to the console’s release, there were advertisements included promoting the “Ultra 64.” However, Nintendo decided to change the name when learning that the word “Ultra” was trademarked by Konami for their Ultra Games division.
- The Nintendo 64 controller is the first controller ever to feature an analog stick. (source) To this day, there are many gamers who still complain about the design of the Nintendo 64. It certainly wasn’t for everyone, but it did make history by being the first controller to include an analog stick. The controller, which features both a d-pad an analog stick, was available in a variety of colors during the Nintendo 64’s run from 1996 through 2002.
- No game in history has more unique collectibles than Donkey Kong 64. (source) Donkey Kong 64 definitely isn’t remembered for being a timeless classic, but it was a successful title on the Nintendo 64, and holds a world record in gaming. In the game, there are 3,821 unique collectibles for players to find. This made it one of the longest games in the entire Nintendo 64 library.
- In the United States, the Nintendo 64 only had two launch titles (source) Today, gamers are used to seeing new consoles launch with a variety of games to check out. However, this wasn’t in the case. In fact, the Nintendo 64 originally launched in 1996 with just two games — Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64. Super Mario 64, to this day, is still widely regarded as one of the best games in the storied Mario franchise, which sold 11.91 million copies. There was a third launch title in Japan, which was a virtual board game called Saikyo Habu Shogi.
- The N64 was Nintendo’s last console to use cartridges until the Nintendo Switch in 2017. (source) To compete with their top competitors at the time, like Sony, Nintendo switched to discs for their video games beginning with the Nintendo Gamecube, and would continue this with both the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo Wii U. The cartridges would return with the Nintendo Switch years later.
Do you have any more Nintendo 64 facts to share? Let us know in the comments.
Featured image photo credit: JCD1981NL, 2009. Originally found on Wikimedia. Image was resized and cropped. Creative Commons 3.0.
