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History of Nintendo 64

Following the success of their first two home console units, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)--which combined sold more than 100 million units worldwide--Nintendo first announced the "Ultra 64" in 1994. Following the initial announcement, however, the system saw considerable delays and underwent a name change. It eventually would be first released two years later as the Nintendo 64.

Release Dates
- The Nintendo 64 (N64) was released in Japan on June 23, 1996. A North American release followed on September 29 of that year. The European launch occurred on March 1, 1997.
Cartridge Media
- The Nintendo 64 used game cartridges as the storage medium for its game software. It was the only console of its generation to use cartridges, as the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn used a disc-based storage medium, and it was the last Nintendo home console system to do so.
Hardware Sales
- The Nintendo 64 was a bit of a disappointment in the sales department, moving less than 33 million units worldwide through March 2005. Only 5.5 million of those consoles were sold in Japan, while North and South America combined for nearly four times that amount.
Software Sales
- Nearly 225 million total units of Nintendo 64 gaming software has been sold worldwide.
Bestselling N64 Games
- The best-selling game on the system was Super Mario 64 (11 million units), followed by Mario Kart 64 (over 8.4 million units), Goldeneye 007 (8 million units) and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (7.6 million units).

Video Game Consoles