The Nintendo 64 turns 30 today, and we're feeling old

[Shawn Knight]

The takeaway: It's been 30 years to the day since Nintendo launched its first 64-bit game console in North America, the aptly named Nintendo 64. It was Nintendo's third major home console release, and came at a pivotal time considering the competition had already moved on to disc-based games.

Nintendo's new cartridge-based machine had landed in Japan three months earlier, and now it was time for North America to experience 64-bit console gaming. The hype machine had been in full swing all summer and by the time fall arrived, anticipation had reached a fever pitch.

The Nintendo 64 launched in stores on September 29, 1996, at an introductory price of $199. The system didn't come with a pack-in game, and you had just two choices on launch day: Super Mario 64 or Pilotwings 64. The obvious choice for most was SMB 64, but finding either proved to be a struggle on launch day. Many – myself included – went with whatever you were lucky enough to find in stock (in my case, it was Pilotwings).

Simply put, Super Mario 64 was a masterpiece. No game up to that point had mastered 3D graphics the way Nintendo did with this game, and it's no surprise that it went on to become the platform's best-selling title.

The hits didn't stop there, however, as the N64 would deliver several bangers over its lifetime including GoldenEye 007, Mario Kart 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Wave Race 64, just to name a few. Four-player local multiplayer in GoldenEye was a pure treat to live through.

Speaking of, Nintendo's Switch 2 remake of Ocarina of Time is due out on November 5.

Nintendo sold nearly 33 million N64 consoles worldwide before discontinuing the machine in 2002. That's good for 18th place all time and pales in comparison to more popular consoles like the PlayStation 2 or the original Switch, but the system proved instrumental in carrying Nintendo through a pivotal time in its history.

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The Nintendo 64 turns 30 today, and we're feeling old

 

[NumberNine]

I just bought a brand new one that outputs 4K HDR for not much more than the launch price. I just love paying anyone who isn't Nintendo for access to Nintendo's technology. I enjoy the games more that way.

 

[Shawn Knight]

I just bought a brand new one that outputs 4K HDR for not much more than the launch price. I just love paying anyone who isn't Nintendo for access to Nintendo's technology. I enjoy the games more that way.

Is the 4K worth it? Does it really make the games look that much better? I recently picked up an original N64 but some games are tough to play visually heh

 

[Squid Surprise]

I bought a used one about 18 months after it came out with 4 controllers, memory upgrade and 10 games for $250 CAD…. LOVED it for years… lent it to my brother when I got married and he GAVE IT AWAY a year later instead of returning it…. Still mad at him…

 

[NumberNine]

Is the 4K worth it? Does it really make the games look that much better? I recently picked up an original N64 but some games are tough to play visually heh

It's a pretty big deal for the scaling and scanline rendering, same goes for the HDR. It's the difference between looking at a line doubler on an LCD and looking at a CRT the size of a 65" MiniLED. BT.709 cannot create a CRT glow. HDR can.

I have upscalers and custom cables, the A3D blows them away. You can wake it up remotely with a modern wireless controller. Pair it with an Everdrive and you never need get up to swap games again.

 

[opckieran]

Even if the PS1 sold more, N64 will always be #1.

 

[nnguy2]

N64 games visual aged like milk. Low polygon counts, low res textures, low draw distance so everything fog beyond 10ft.

 

[Squid Surprise]

N64 games visual aged like milk. Low polygon counts, low res textures, low draw distance so everything fog beyond 10ft.

And no one really cared because the games were fun….

 

[nnguy2]

And no one really cared because the games were fun….

Fun back 30 years ago maybe when when nothing better was available. Playing them now is painful. NES and SNES were fun wit graphics that ages beautifully. N64 did not

 

[Squid Surprise]

Fun back 30 years ago maybe when when nothing better was available. Playing them now is painful. NES and SNES were fun wit graphics that ages beautifully. N64 did not

To each their own… but there are plenty of people who still like them…

 

[Megalomaniac]

N64's strength was the analog stick on the controller taking movement analog. Why those people back then couldn't understand that dual analog made more sense for walking and looking I'll never know. Goldeneye was fun but most of the time you ended up running around with your head focused in corners because using action buttons to look was downright stupid.

I was never a fan of the N64. The graphics were tight but the games, especially the PC ports (Duke Nukem 3D, DOOM, QUAKE 2 etc) were shorter and lackluster. Playstation was superior, but the resolution wasn't high enough at the time.

 

[CMP01]

N64's strength was the analog stick on the controller taking movement analog. Why those people back then couldn't understand that dual analog made more sense for walking and looking I'll never know. Goldeneye was fun but most of the time you ended up running around with your head focused in corners because using action buttons to look was downright stupid.

I was never a fan of the N64. The graphics were tight but the games, especially the PC ports (Duke Nukem 3D, DOOM, QUAKE 2 etc) were shorter and lackluster. Playstation was superior, but the resolution wasn't high enough at the time.

Goldeneye was great way back then. I tried it again earlier this decade, and I just couldn't bear it for long. That was more to do with the control setup than the graphics and movement, which hurt my eyes, seriously.

I'm kind of with the commenter above that has even less good to say about the N64 overall. I may still have time for NES, SNES games (and those of like consoles re capability/gen) but where the N64 tried to push the envelope in 3D worlds aso... it was too soon perhaps?

Odd how things, and we, change. I like big AAA's as much as the next guy, strategy genres got me and keeps me into PC... But a few of the games I have enjoyed more recently have visuals at least that aren't far off games back then. They just often have a something more, whether that's having a save state, newer or more 'complex' mechanics or whatever. And that makes the difference now.

 

[Megalomaniac]

Goldeneye was great way back then. I tried it again earlier this decade, and I just couldn't bear it for long. That was more to do with the control setup than the graphics and movement, which hurt my eyes, seriously.

I'm kind of with the commenter above that has even less good to say about the N64 overall. I may still have time for NES, SNES games (and those of like consoles re capability/gen) but where the N64 tried to push the envelope in 3D worlds aso... it was too soon perhaps?

Odd how things, and we, change. I like big AAA's as much as the next guy, strategy genres got me and keeps me into PC... But a few of the games I have enjoyed more recently have visuals at least that aren't far off games back then. They just often have a something more, whether that's having a save state, newer or more 'complex' mechanics or whatever. And that makes the difference now.

Nintendo 64 was using the wrong technology for 3D. It really needed CD, but Nintendo was so used to cartriges that they nerfed themselves.

The other benefit was that because Nintendo held so much child-friendly IP, they never actually had to compete with Playstation or Xbox because they could skate on remakes of Metroid, Mario, Smash Bros, Donkey Kong, etc.

Goldeneye was a surprise because it wasn't Nintendo IP and movie-to-game titles barelyever worked well.

The truth is N64 was TERRIBLE at 3D and even worse at draw distances. Color depth was good so textures were acceptable, but the rest of the games looked like trash.