Some games require the Expansion Pak accessory to increase system RAM from 4MB to 8MB, for improved graphics and functionality. The charcoal-gray console was followed by a series of color variants. Its design was mostly complete by mid-1995 and launch was delayed until 1996 for the completion of the launch games Super Mario 64, Pilotwings 64, and Saikyo Habu Shogi (exclusive to Japan). The final design was named after its 64-bit CPU, which aided in the console's 3D capabilities. As a fifth-generation console, it competed primarily with the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Saturn.ĭevelopment began in 1993 in partnership with Silicon Graphics, using the codename Project Reality, then a test model and arcade platform called Ultra 64. It was the last major home console to use cartridges as its primary storage format until the Nintendo Switch in 2017.
The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and March 1, 1997, in Europe and Australia. Nintendo 64 (abbreviated as N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo.
