Nintendo 64

The Nintendo 64 (abbreviated as N64, stylized as NINTENDO64) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. The console is the successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was first released on June 23, 1996 in Japan, on September 29, 1996 in North America, and March 1, 1997 in Europe and Australia. It was the last major home console to use cartridges as its primary storage format until the Nintendo Switch in 2017. As a fifth generation console, it competed primarily with the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Saturn.

Development of the console began in 1993 under the codename "Project Reality". Although the design was mostly complete by mid-1995, its launch was delayed until 1996. The console takes its name from the 64-bit processing unit. It was launched with three games: Super Mario 64, Pilotwings 64 and Saikyō Habu Shōgi (exclusive to Japan). Time named it Machine of the Year in 1996, and in 2015, IGN named it the ninth-greatest video game console of all time. The Nintendo 64 was discontinued in 2002 following the launch of its successor, the GameCube. The Nintendo 64 was critically acclaimed upon release and remains one of the most recognized video game consoles.