The successor to the Super NES, the Nintendo 64 was Nintendo's entry in the 32/64 bit war. Although it is regarded by many as one of the greatest game systems ever released, lack of major third party support and delays caused it to fall behind Sony's Playstation in sales.
Overview 
The logo for the Nintendo 64.
By the end of the 90s 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 titles: Pilotwings 64 and 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 competitors; the Sony PS1 ( PlayStation) and Sega Saturn, 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 2D play styles could be adapted into a 3D world with the analog stick, rumble, and built-in 4 player support.
Controller 
The Nintendo 64 Controller
By the time it was unveiled, the N64 had a very unique controller. Due to the infancy of 3D games, it was designed to be held in two ways: one for 2D games using the D-Pad, and another for 3D games, using the analog stick.
The three handled controller had a center-mounted analog stick, something its competitors Sony and Sega had not implemented yet (though Sega succeeded in bringing the Sega Saturn's 3-D Controller with an analog stick by the time the N64 hit the market). 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.
Accessories
Paks 
Nintendo 64 Controller Pak
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.
- The 'Rumble Pak' was a removable device which went into the back of the N64 controller and which provided force feedback while playing games. Games that supported the ‘Rumble Pak’ vibrated in select situations, such as when shooting weapons or taking damage. It was bundled with Star Fox 64 when it was first released back in 1997. Some games that supported the ‘Rumble Pak’ including: Banjo-Kazooie, GoldenEye and Paper Mario. Due to it's success, future game consoles adapted the technology built-in into their controllers.
64DD 
Nintendo 64DD
The Nintendo 64 Disk Drive was an add-on to the N64 console designed to keep third party developers from making games for a CD based system. It allowed the reading of magnetic disks that were larger in capacity to cartridges and allowed for saving data in them.
Although it was heavily hyped even before the system was released, the 64DD was never released outside Japanese shores, and even in Japan it was only sold through Nintendo's subscription based service RANDnet, and not through ordinary stores. The accessory was a commercial failure and only nine games were ever released for it : F-Zero X Expansion Kit, Pro Golf Tour 64 , Kyojin no Doshin, Kyojin no Doshin Kaihou Sensen Chibikko Chikko Daishuugou, Mario Artist: Communication Kit, Mario Artist: Paint Studio, Mario Artist: Polygon Studio , Mario Artist: Talent, SimCity 64.
Legacy
Although the Nintendo 64 was a commercial success and had some of the most innovative games of the time, it could not gain popularity as widespread as the Playstation (especially in Japan) nor did it have a vast array of third-party titles. Thanks to the analog stick on the controller, it brought a new way to play 3D videogames. Many of the games on the console (like Super Mario 64, Golden Eye, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time) innovated their genre and brought it over to the 3D world.
Thanks to Super Mario 64's 3D gameplay, it started a new trend for free-roaming gameplay and has influenced many series to go in that direction ( Grand Theft Auto, for example). Golden Eye made FPS a valid genre for consoles, and started the FPS market on consoles, influencing many shooters on consoles. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is considered by many as one of the best games in that generation (getting perfect 10 scores from many reviewers like IGN and Gamespot). Its 3D free-roaming gameplay revolutionized the adventure genre.
The system also started new ideas to the gaming industry. The Nintendo 64 was the first console to introduce a rumble feature to their controller. The Rumble Pak was packaged with Star Fox 64 in 1997. It was a huge leap into getting the player involved in the experience and the feature has been implemented in every controller since then (most notably the DualShock lineup for the Playstation).
It also helped a trend to transfer data from handhelds. Although the Super Gameboy was the first accessory to play Gameboy games on the TV, the Transfer Pak was the first to use data from the games and use them in games. Many games like Pokemon Stadium (in which the Transfer Pak was packaged in with) and Pokemon Stadium 2 used the Pokemon games for the Gameboy to transfer your Pokemon over from the game and use them to fight on their console counterparts (you were also able to play the Pokemon games on your TV). This idea was used for many other systems to come like the Gamecube, Wii, Playstation 2, and Playstation 3.
Best Selling Games
The following are the top 10 selling games for the Nintendo 64. In brackets is the total worldwide sales for the game staed.
- Super Mario 64 - (11 miilion)
- Mario Kart 64 - (8.47 million approx.)
- GoldenEye 007 - (8 million)
- Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - (7.6 million)
- Super Samsh Bros. - (4.9 million approx.)
- Diddy Kong Racing - (4.43 million approx.)
- Pokemon Stadium - (3.87 million approx.)
- Donkey Kong 64 - (3.77 million approx.)
- Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - (3.36 million)
- Star Fox 64 - (3.32 million approx.)
| Platform Name: | Nintendo 64 |
| Release Date: | June 23, 1996 |
| Online Support: | False |
| Install Base: | 32,900,000 |
| Original Price: | $199 |
| Producing Company: | Nintendo |
| Total Games: | games |
a list of 8 items by G0rd0nFr33m4n
a list of 10 items by SciBott
a list of 11 items by Zeromus1337
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