A new generation of home consoles had arrived and current giant Nintendo wasn't going to get left behind. After outstanding success with the SNES, Nintendo decided it was time to move on to the next generation. They accomplished this by releasing the Nintendo 64 or N64. The console debuted in Japan on June 23, 1996, North America in September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997.

The console was a big leap from Nintendo's previous consoles as it had a 64-bit processor (hence the name). The NES and SNES had 8-bit and 16-bit processors respectively. The console shipped with Nintendo's flag ship title: Super Mario 64, for the first time in history gamers were able to see how Mario looked in 3-D. Like previous consoles (NES, SNES) the N64 used a cartridge system as opposed to that of its main competitor; the PS (Play Station), which used CDs. This decision to use a cartridge system severely hampered the system's ability to compete with the Sony PlayStation, resulting in a severe loss of market share, and the loss of partner Square-Enix to Sony, which was a large blow to the Nintendo catalog.

The Nintendo 64 marked the first time a computer graphics manufacturer Silicon Graphics Inc. (SGI) developed game hardware technology.

Although it didn't sell as well as Nintendo's earlier machines, it marked a history in video games as it was the console showed gamers how Nintendo’s characters looked in 3-D; Mario, Link, and Donkey Kong to name a few.

Controller

The N64 had a unique controller for its time.  The three handled controller had a center-mounted analog stick, something its competitor Sony had not implemented yet (though the Sega Saturn's 3-D Controller had an analog stick).  There was also a traditional directional pad, though many games did not use this for movement, and an adjacent set of "C-Buttons" that was more frequently used.  The game's center mounted stick and middle handle also featured a trigger, "The Z Button", which played a major part in FPS games and was the first controller to feature such a button.  Another unique feature for this controller was an input on the controller's underside where a memory card or a force feedback module known as a "Rumble Pak" (packed in with Starfox 64), could be inserted to save games or enhance immersion through use of the latter accessory.

"Paks"
During the lifespan of the N64, Nintendo released various "Paks" used to enhance the console in some way or give it extra functionality. 

• The "Expansion Pak" expanded the system’s memory from 4 megabytes to 8. The Expansion Pak was used with games like Perfect Dark & Donkey Kong 64, which pushed the system’s hardware to the limit.
• The "Transfer Pak" allowed you to transfer data between the Game Boy and the N64. The Pak plugged into the controller, and the Game Boy game cartridge was inserted into the top of the Pak. The games Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Stadium 2 relied heavily on this pak, allowing you to transfer Pokemon between games for use in battle.
• The "Jumper Pak" served no real purpose other to eliminate the RAMBUS bus in absence of the expansion pak.
• The "Controller Pak" was used for memory, such as game saves and options data. Initially it was useful for some N64 games, but the implementation of a battery in some game cartridges eventually eliminated the need for this. However, some Konami games still required this, even though the battery attachment could have easily supported this data.