Beginning in 1994, the next-generation console war ignited by console manufacturers such as Sony and Sega set off a new wave of 3D polygons and optical discs in the entire video game market. These competing manufacturers are coming fiercely. Nintendo, as the overlord of video games for a generation, is only relying on the power it won with the Super Nintendo. Everyone is full of expectations to see what kind of next-generation console Nintendo will launch to compete with others. At the same time, Nintendo surprised everyone and launched a console in 1996 that still used ROM cartridges as game storage media. It was called "Nintendo64", or N64 for short.

Nintendo’s first 64-bit home console, with outstanding 3D processing capabilities

Even before its launch, rumors of the codename "Ultra64" had been on the market, and later it was actually The product name when launched was called Nintendo64. And as its name suggests, it is a higher-end 64-bit home console than Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn.

Since the N64 was launched later than its rivals, it planned to compete in terms of hardware. It uses a 64-bit R4300 special processor, and its maximum processing power can reach 4 times that of the original PlayStation console. In terms of memory, Rambus DRAM, which was very good at the time, was also used. Its polygon processing performance was very good, and it could process up to 100,000 polygons per second.

The specially shaped 3D handle is easy to hold and has multiple functions

When many people see the N64 for the first time, in addition to the console In addition to the fact that it still uses ROM cartridges, I believe everyone will pay attention to the controller that is very different from Nintendo's traditional image. The N64's handle is indeed very different from Nintendo's previous console handles, but after using it personally, most users will marvel at the ingenuity of the design.

The N64 handle looks like a trident. The first feeling of most players should be: Why is the protrusion at the middle end? In fact, this is mainly because there is a new 3D analog joystick in the middle, and the protruding end in the center can be used as a handheld grip for players to easily control the 3D analog joystick for playing.

This 3D analog joystick can be regarded as a springboard for Nintendo to lead players into the 3D world. It is also Nintendo’s first attempt at 3D games. Take the game "Super Mario 64" as an example, using 3D analog When using a joystick to control Mario, you can control Mario very intuitively. The eight directions can freely correspond to his direction of travel. You can also use the 3D analog joystick to tilt the joystick to a greater or lesser degree, allowing Mario to walk and then sprint. , coupled with Mario's jump button, you can freely shuttle in the 3D space, which is convenient on land and in water.

When you hold the central protruding end of your hand and use the 3D analog joystick, your left index finger will naturally touch the back of the N64 handle. At this time, you will definitely touch another button. It's the Z button on the N64 handle. This button mostly plays the role of replacing the L button when performing 3D operations. Most of them are used to attack, or to pull the trigger's shooting button, etc. It's quite good. grip.

The 3D analog joystick setting of the N64 controller also affected later consoles, which almost all use a similar device on the controller, such as PlayStation's mushroom head, Dreamcast, Xbox, etc. All.

It is worth mentioning that many years later, Nintendo stopped repairing services for the N64 on October 31, 2007. However, due to frequent use of this 3D analog joystick, many players Many of the joysticks were broken, so someone launched a fundraising project on a fundraising website to sell replacement parts for the 3D analog joysticks. The project later successfully raised funds.

Another special feature of the handle is that there is an external interface slot on the back. This slot has many functions. It can be used to insert a memory card or install a dedicated The vibration package (the N64 handle does not have a built-in motor and cannot provide a vibration function) allows the handle to add functions corresponding to game vibrations.

You can also install the adapter "64GB package" corresponding to the Gameboy cartridge to transfer the recorded data of the Gameboy cartridge to the N64 game cartridge to create a linkage function. The most famous application game is Nintendo's signature "Pokémon" ( Pokemon), players can use the "Pokémon" series of games on Gameboy to transfer Pokemon data to the N64 cartridge "Pokémon Arena" to start a real Pokemon duel with players.

Insisting on using ROM cartridges as media, which is fast to read but limits game capacity

Since Nintendo launched the video game console, ROM cartridges have been used as the storage interface for game software. , this is true whether it is the Nintendo FC red and white console, Super Nintendo, handheld Gameboy, etc. The main advantage of ROM cassettes is that the reading time is fast, and no specific driver is required to read it. Data can be transferred only through the connection of the circuit board. In addition, it also has the advantage of being able to add other functions, such as the common mercury battery memory function, which is a very advantageous advantage of ROM cartridges.

But relatively speaking, ROM cartridges are not without their shortcomings. The biggest problem is the cost. Because the larger the capacity, the higher the cost of the ROM cartridge. This also means that if the game content is too large, The cost of a ROM cartridge is bound to be sky-high, making it difficult for consumers to easily purchase it. In fact, in the later days of the Super Nintendo, it was often the case that a cartridge cost over 10,000 yen (because many games at the time had capacities as high as 32Mb). Furthermore, the production of ROM cassettes also takes a long time. If there is a shortage, it will take a long time to replenish the products and put them on the shelves, which will affect consumers' willingness to buy.

Nintendo also knew that optical discs have the advantages of easy production, low cost, large capacity, etc. At that time, competitors all used optical discs as game storage interfaces, but Nintendo went against the mainstream and believed that optical discs read It takes a long time and is easy to be stolen and copied, so the ROM cartridge method is still used. This resulted in the N64 having its hands tied in promoting games in the future.

Simply put, the N64 itself has very good hardware capabilities, especially its 3D polygon processing capabilities, and it lives up to its name of "64" (it is considered the first "well-known" 64-bit home console), but if you want to show powerful 3D game effects, the game capacity must be increased, which is in conflict with your own ROM cartridge, so you have to restrict yourself and only put in simple effects to ensure that the game capacity is not enough. Will explode.

Under such restrictions, many old Nintendo partners and developers who wanted to make games for N64 were dissatisfied. They believed that such an environment could not cope with the market trend of increasing game content, so they jumped ship one after another. to the rival camp. The best and most classic example is that Square (now Square Enix), which has developed games for Nintendo for many years, abandoned the N64 and announced that the company's signature masterpiece "Final Fantasy VII" will be launched on Sony's PlayStation console. This also makes N64’s growth path even more difficult.

Without the cooperation of third-party manufacturers, Nintendo's own games are still popular

As mentioned earlier, because it goes against the mainstream method of using optical discs, many game developers are reluctant to launch them on N64 work. Faced with such a disadvantage, Nintendo had no choice but to work hard on its own and launch many games to make consumers pay.

I have to say that although there are not many or too many Nintendo games, the quality, gameplay and completion of almost every game are very high. Just the games launched with the theme of its most famous signature character "Mario" are enough to be loved by players all over the world. Such as "SuperMario64" (SuperMario64), "MarioCart64" (MarioCart64), "MarioParty" (MarioParty), "SuperSmashBros" (SuperSmashBros), etc. related to Mario The games are all quite outstanding works, and these games later became their own series, with sequels being released on subsequent consoles, or transplants, etc.

Other Nintendo signature games, such as "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time), "Star Wars Firefox 64" (StarFox64), "Pokemon Stadium" (Pokemon Stadium), "F-ZeroX Future Racing", "GonEye007", etc. are all very excellent games.

The third third-party manufacturers also have good works, such as Acclaim's "Turok Dinosaur Hunter" (Turok Dinosaur Hunter), Banpresto's "Super Robot Wars 64" (Super Robot Wars 64), and Cap's classic horror action that uses compression technology The game "BioHazard 2".

Although it lacks the RPG games that the Japanese market likes more, the N64 sells quite well in the European and American markets because other types of games are very good, such as multiplayer fun, first-person shooting, and The charm of Uncle Mario and Pokémon, etc., are all the reasons why N64 is so popular in the European and American markets.

Miscalculation of the situation and poor sales policies prevented the N64 from helping Nintendo return to the leading position

Although Nintendo still sold more than 32 million N64s worldwide Taiwan (approximately 5.54 million units in Japan), but unfortunately, N64 still lost to Sony's PlayStation in this first next-generation console war. Before this, Nintendo had always been the leader in the video game market. Unfortunately, various actions in the later period have caused many developers who cooperated with Nintendo to have long-standing grievances.

Nintendo misjudged the market situation at the time. The N64 still used ROM cartridges, which limited the development of games. It also lost the cooperation of many third-party manufacturers and lost several popular game types, such as RPGs and fighting games have undoubtedly driven away many players to other consoles.

Later on, Nintendo originally thought about launching games on the N64 with a disk drive, which was the famous "64DD" (DiskDrive) plan. However, due to its failure to launch it on time, the promotion was not smooth. So that it disappeared very quickly. As close to 2001, there were already rumors that Nintendo was working on a new model code-named "Dolphin". Sure enough, in September 2001, Nintendo released a new console, GameCube, which was obviously to replace the N64 console. On October 31, 2007, Nintendo also announced that it would no longer support N64 repair services, and the N64 truly entered history.

"Hardware Specifications" ◎It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, with an official price of ￥25,000. ◎Nintendo’s first 64-bit home console ◎Non-disc interface, still using ROM cartridge as the game interface ◎Using 64bitR4300 processor, RAMBUSDRAM36Mb ◎Can process 100,000 polygons per second, maximum resolution 640x480pixels