Nintendo 64
- Manufacturer
- Nintendo
- Production
- 1996–2002
- Generation
- Gen 5
- Type
- Home
- Launch price
- $199
- Media
- Cartridge
- 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 June 30, 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)
- Weight
- ~1.1 kg (2.4 lb)
- Dimensions
- 260 × 81 × 190 mm
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
Recent coverage mentioning the Nintendo 64, gathered from 80+ gaming-news sources.
10 Perfect Nintendo 64 Games That Don't Need Remakes
Some Nintendo 64 classics are better left untouched, as their age and limitations are part of what still makes them special.
Switch 2 beats the GameCube in lifetime sales as Nintendo's fastest-selling console ever officially shifts 23.68 million units
Nintendo 64 is next
A 1997 N64 Classic Just Made Its Way To PC
There are so many incredible Nintendo 64 games that remain trapped on the system. That's obviously fine for those lucky enough to still have one or the means to afford one; however, considering N64s are few and far between on secondhand markets, and those that are available are often fairly pricey,...
A New N64 EverDrive Flash Cart Has Been Released With A Dedicated 64DD Core
EverDrive-64 Pro is shipping in the next few weeks. EverDrive maker Krikzz has revealed that he has created a new flash cart for the Nintendo 64 console. The EverDrive-64 Pro is an upgrade on the existing EverDrive-64 X7, and benefits from a faster Cyclone 10 FPGA chipset, more memory, speedier USB...
Krikkz Launches New "Pro" Everdrive For Nintendo 64
🤝 Don't want to see ads? Become a premium member for $3 a month and support an independent publication today! This is honestly the year of the Nintendo 64. There are lots of new games coming to fruition thanks to awesome indie developers. ModRetro released the M64, and
Diddy Kong Racing Gets Unofficial PC Port – Available for Download
And here comes another unofficial PC port of a classic console game. Github’s ‘akratch’ has released an unofficial PC version of the Nintendo 64 kart racing game, Diddy Kong Racing. This unofficial PC version has three presentation modes. Those are Pure, Restored, and Remastered. Pure keeps the...