<s>
The	O
(	O
N64	B-Operating_System
)	O
is	O
a	O
home	B-Device
video	I-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
developed	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
,	O
it	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
June	O
23	O
,	O
1996	O
in	O
Japan	O
;	O
September	O
26	O
,	O
1996	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
;	O
and	O
on	O
March	O
1	O
,	O
1997	O
in	O
Europe	O
and	O
Australia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
last	O
major	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
to	O
use	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
as	O
its	O
primary	O
storage	O
format	O
until	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
in	O
2017	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
competed	O
primarily	O
with	O
the	O
Sony	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
and	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
began	O
in	O
1993	O
in	O
partnership	O
with	O
Silicon	O
Graphics	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
codename	O
Project	O
Reality	O
,	O
then	O
a	O
test	O
model	O
and	O
arcade	O
platform	O
called	O
Ultra	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
final	O
design	O
was	O
named	O
after	O
its	O
64-bit	B-Device
CPU	I-Device
,	O
which	O
aided	O
in	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
3D	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
design	O
was	O
mostly	O
complete	O
by	O
mid-1995	O
and	O
launch	O
was	O
delayed	O
until	O
1996	O
for	O
the	O
completion	O
of	O
the	O
launch	O
games	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
Pilotwings	B-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Saikyō	B-Application
Habu	I-Application
Shōgi	I-Application
(	O
exclusive	O
to	O
Japan	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
games	O
require	O
the	O
Expansion	O
Pak	O
accessory	O
to	O
increase	O
system	O
RAM	B-Architecture
from	O
4MB	O
to	O
8MB	O
,	O
for	O
improved	O
graphics	O
and	O
functionality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
mainly	O
supports	O
saved	O
game	O
storage	O
either	O
onboard	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
or	O
on	O
the	O
Controller	O
Pak	O
accessory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
64DD	B-Device
peripheral	O
drive	O
hosts	O
both	O
exclusive	O
games	O
and	O
expansion	O
content	O
for	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
,	O
with	O
many	O
further	O
accessories	O
plus	O
the	O
defunct	O
Internet	O
service	O
Randnet	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
failure	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
only	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Time	O
named	O
it	O
Machine	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
in	O
1996	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
2011	O
,	O
IGN	O
named	O
it	O
the	O
ninth-greatest	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
of	O
all	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
was	O
discontinued	O
in	O
2002	O
following	O
the	O
2001	O
launch	O
of	O
its	O
successor	O
,	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
was	O
critically	O
acclaimed	O
and	O
remains	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
recognized	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
crash	O
of	O
1983	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
led	O
the	O
industry	O
with	O
its	O
first	O
home	B-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
,	O
the	O
Famicom	O
,	O
originally	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
1983	O
and	O
later	O
released	O
internationally	O
as	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
(	O
NES	O
)	O
beginning	O
in	O
1985	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
the	O
NES	O
and	O
its	O
successor	O
,	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Nintendo	I-Application
Entertainment	I-Application
System	I-Application
(	O
SNES	B-Application
)	O
,	O
were	O
commercially	O
successful	O
,	O
sales	O
for	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
decreased	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
the	O
Japanese	O
recession	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Competition	O
from	O
emerging	O
rival	O
Sega	O
's	O
32-bit	O
Saturn	B-Device
console	O
over	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
16-bit	B-Device
SNES	B-Application
emphasized	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
need	O
to	O
develop	O
improved	O
SNES	B-Application
hardware	O
or	O
risk	O
losing	O
market	O
dominance	O
to	O
its	O
competitors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
5200	I-General_Concept
,	O
7800	B-General_Concept
,	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
Jaguar	B-Device
also	O
competed	O
with	O
Nintendo	O
during	O
this	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
sought	O
to	O
enhance	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
with	O
a	O
proposed	B-Device
CD-ROM	I-Device
peripheral	I-Device
,	O
to	O
be	O
developed	O
by	O
outsourcing	O
media	O
companies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Contracts	O
with	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
technology	O
pioneers	O
Philips	O
and	O
Sony	O
failed	O
after	O
some	O
hardware	O
prototypes	O
,	O
and	O
no	O
games	O
from	O
them	O
or	O
other	O
interested	O
third	O
parties	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Philips	O
used	O
the	O
software	O
portion	O
of	O
its	O
license	O
by	O
releasing	O
original	O
Mario	B-Application
and	O
Zelda	O
games	O
on	O
its	O
competing	O
CD-i	B-Device
console	O
,	O
and	O
Sony	O
salvaged	O
its	O
internal	O
progress	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
SGI	O
reduced	O
its	O
MIPS	B-General_Concept
R4000	I-General_Concept
family	O
of	O
enterprise	O
CPUs	B-Device
,	O
to	O
consume	O
only	O
0.5	O
watts	O
of	O
power	O
instead	O
of	O
1.5	O
to	O
2	O
watts	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
estimated	O
target	O
price	O
of	O
instead	O
of	O
–	O
200	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Michael	O
Slater	O
,	O
publisher	O
of	O
Microprocessor	B-Architecture
Report	O
said	O
,	O
"	O
The	O
mere	O
fact	O
of	O
a	O
business	O
relationship	O
there	O
is	O
significant	O
because	O
of	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
phenomenal	O
ability	O
to	O
drive	O
volume	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SGI	O
had	O
named	O
the	O
core	O
components	O
Reality	O
Immersion	O
Technology	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
be	O
first	O
used	O
in	O
Project	O
Reality	O
:	O
the	O
MIPS	O
R4300i	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
MIPS	O
Reality	O
Coprocessor	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
embedded	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initial	O
Project	O
Reality	O
game	O
development	O
platform	O
was	O
developed	O
and	O
sold	O
by	O
SGI	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
its	O
Onyx	B-General_Concept
supercomputer	O
costing	O
–	O
and	O
loaded	O
with	O
the	O
namesake	O
RealityEngine2	O
graphics	O
boards	O
and	O
four	O
150MHz	O
R4400	B-General_Concept
CPUs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
software	O
includes	O
early	O
Project	O
Reality	O
application	O
and	O
emulation	O
APIs	O
based	O
on	O
Performer	B-Library
and	O
OpenGL	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Project	O
Reality	O
team	O
prototyped	O
a	O
game	O
controller	O
for	O
the	O
development	O
system	O
by	O
modifying	O
a	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
controller	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
primitive	O
analog	O
joystick	O
and	O
Z	O
trigger	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
23	O
,	O
1994	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
announced	O
the	O
new	O
official	O
name	O
of	O
the	O
still	O
unfinished	O
console	O
as	O
"	O
Ultra	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
Ultra	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
hardware	O
was	O
finalized	O
,	O
that	O
supercomputer-based	O
prototyping	O
platform	O
was	O
later	O
supplanted	O
by	O
a	O
much	O
cheaper	O
and	O
fully	O
accurate	O
console	O
simulation	O
board	O
to	O
be	O
hosted	O
within	O
a	O
low-end	O
SGI	B-Operating_System
Indy	I-Operating_System
workstation	O
in	O
July	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SGI	O
's	O
early	O
performance	O
estimates	O
based	O
upon	O
its	O
supercomputing	O
platform	O
were	O
ultimately	O
reported	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
fairly	O
accurate	O
to	O
the	O
final	O
Ultra	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
product	O
,	O
allowing	O
LucasArts	O
developers	O
to	O
port	O
their	O
Star	O
Wars	O
game	O
prototype	O
to	O
console	O
reference	O
hardware	O
in	O
only	O
three	O
days	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Images	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
displayed	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
Ultra	I-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
logo	O
and	O
a	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridge	I-Protocol
,	O
but	O
no	O
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Having	O
initially	O
indicated	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
utilising	O
the	O
increasingly	O
popular	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
if	O
the	O
medium	O
's	O
endemic	O
performance	O
problems	O
were	O
solved	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
now	O
announced	O
a	O
much	O
faster	O
but	O
space-limited	O
cartridge-based	O
system	O
,	O
which	O
prompted	O
open	O
analysis	O
by	O
the	O
gaming	O
press	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
was	O
frequently	O
marketed	O
as	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
first	O
64-bit	B-Device
gaming	O
system	O
,	O
often	O
stating	O
the	O
console	O
was	O
more	O
powerful	O
than	O
the	O
first	O
moon	O
landing	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
had	O
already	O
claimed	O
to	O
have	O
made	O
the	O
first	O
64-bit	B-Device
game	O
console	O
with	O
their	O
Atari	B-Device
Jaguar	I-Device
,	O
but	O
the	O
Jaguar	B-Device
only	O
uses	O
a	O
general	O
64-bit	B-Device
architecture	I-Device
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
two	O
32-bit	O
RISC	B-Architecture
processors	I-Architecture
and	O
a	O
16/32	O
-bit	O
Motorola	B-Device
68000	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
in	O
Q2	O
1994	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
signed	O
a	O
licensing	O
agreement	O
with	O
Midway	O
's	O
parent	O
company	O
which	O
enabled	O
Midway	O
to	O
develop	O
and	O
market	O
arcade	O
games	O
with	O
the	O
Ultra	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
brand	O
,	O
and	O
formed	O
a	O
joint	O
venture	O
company	O
called	O
"	O
Williams/Nintendo	O
"	O
to	O
market	O
Nintendo-exclusive	O
home	O
conversions	O
of	O
these	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
result	O
is	O
two	O
Ultra	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
branded	O
arcade	O
games	O
,	O
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
and	O
Cruis'n	B-Application
USA	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Not	O
derived	O
from	O
Project	O
Reality	O
's	O
console-based	O
branch	O
of	O
Ultra	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
arcade	O
branch	O
uses	O
a	O
different	O
MIPS	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
,	O
has	O
no	O
Reality	O
Coprocessor	O
,	O
and	O
uses	O
onboard	O
ROM	O
chips	O
and	O
a	O
hard	O
drive	O
instead	O
of	O
a	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Killer	B-Application
Instinct	I-Application
features	O
3D	O
character	O
artwork	O
pre-rendered	O
into	O
2D	O
form	O
,	O
and	O
computer-generated	O
movie	O
backgrounds	O
that	O
are	O
streamed	O
off	O
the	O
hard	O
drive	O
and	O
animated	O
as	O
the	O
characters	O
move	O
horizontally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Previously	O
,	O
the	O
plan	O
had	O
been	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
console	O
with	O
the	O
name	O
"	O
Ultra	B-Operating_System
Famicom	I-Operating_System
"	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
"	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
Ultra	I-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
"	O
in	O
other	O
markets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
new	O
global	O
name	O
"	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
"	O
was	O
proposed	O
by	O
Earthbound	B-Application
series	O
developer	O
Shigesato	O
Itoi	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
prefix	O
for	O
the	O
model	O
numbering	O
scheme	O
for	O
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
across	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
platform	O
is	O
"	O
NUS-	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
reference	O
to	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
original	O
name	O
of	O
"	O
Nintendo	O
Ultra	O
Sixty-four	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
newly	O
renamed	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
console	O
was	O
fully	O
unveiled	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
in	O
playable	O
form	O
on	O
November	O
24	O
,	O
1995	O
,	O
at	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
7th	O
Annual	O
Shoshinkai	O
trade	O
show	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Official	O
coverage	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
followed	O
later	O
via	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Power	I-Application
website	O
and	O
print	O
magazine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
explanation	O
of	O
the	O
delay	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
claimed	O
it	O
needed	O
more	O
time	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
software	O
to	O
mature	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
third-party	O
developers	O
to	O
produce	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
software	O
development	O
kit	O
was	O
completely	O
redesigned	O
as	O
the	O
Windows-based	O
Partner-N64	O
system	O
,	O
by	O
Kyoto	O
Microcomputer	O
,	O
Co	O
.	O
Ltd	O
.	O
of	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
release	O
date	O
was	O
later	O
delayed	O
again	O
,	O
to	O
June	O
23	O
,	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
said	O
the	O
reason	O
for	O
this	O
latest	O
delay	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
particular	O
,	O
the	O
cancellation	O
of	O
plans	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
console	O
in	O
all	O
markets	O
worldwide	O
simultaneously	O
,	O
was	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
marketing	O
studies	O
now	O
indicated	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
manufacture	O
enough	O
units	O
to	O
meet	O
demand	O
by	O
April	O
1996	O
,	O
potentially	O
angering	O
retailers	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
way	O
Sega	O
had	O
done	O
with	O
its	O
surprise	O
early	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
counteract	O
the	O
possibility	O
that	O
gamers	O
would	O
grow	O
impatient	O
with	O
the	O
wait	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
and	O
purchase	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
several	O
competing	O
consoles	O
already	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
ran	O
ads	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
well	O
in	O
advance	O
of	O
its	O
announced	O
release	O
dates	O
,	O
with	O
slogans	O
like	O
"	O
Wait	O
for	O
it	O
...	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Is	O
it	O
worth	O
the	O
wait	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
months	O
before	O
the	O
launch	O
,	O
GamePro	O
reported	O
that	O
many	O
gamers	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
large	O
percentage	O
of	O
their	O
own	O
editorial	O
staff	O
,	O
were	O
already	O
saying	O
they	O
favored	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
over	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
the	O
initial	O
shipment	O
of	O
300,000	O
units	O
sold	O
out	O
on	O
the	O
first	O
day	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
successfully	O
avoided	O
a	O
repeat	O
of	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Famicom	I-Application
launch	O
day	O
pandemonium	O
,	O
in	O
part	O
by	O
using	O
a	O
wider	O
retail	O
network	O
which	O
included	O
convenience	O
stores	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
months	O
between	O
the	O
Japanese	O
and	O
North	O
American	O
launches	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
saw	O
brisk	O
sales	O
on	O
the	O
American	O
gray	O
market	O
,	O
with	O
import	O
stores	O
charging	O
as	O
much	O
as	O
$699	O
plus	O
shipping	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
was	O
first	O
sold	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
September	O
26	O
,	O
1996	O
,	O
though	O
having	O
been	O
advertised	O
for	O
the	O
29th	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
launched	O
with	O
just	O
two	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
Pilotwings	B-Application
64	I-Application
and	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
;	O
Cruis'n	B-Application
USA	I-Application
was	O
pulled	O
from	O
the	O
line-up	O
less	O
than	O
a	O
month	O
before	O
launch	O
because	O
it	O
did	O
not	O
meet	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
quality	O
standards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
priced	O
at	O
,	O
the	O
console	O
was	O
ultimately	O
launched	O
at	O
to	O
make	O
it	O
competitive	O
with	O
Sony	O
and	O
Sega	O
offerings	O
,	O
as	O
both	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
had	O
been	O
lowered	O
to	O
$199.99	O
earlier	O
that	O
summer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
North	O
American	O
launch	O
was	O
backed	O
with	O
a	O
$54million	O
marketing	O
campaign	O
by	O
Leo	O
Burnett	O
Worldwide	O
(	O
meaning	O
over	O
$100	O
in	O
marketing	O
per	O
North	O
American	O
unit	O
that	O
had	O
been	O
manufactured	O
up	O
to	O
this	O
point	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
competing	O
Saturn	B-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
both	O
set	O
teenagers	O
and	O
adults	O
as	O
their	O
target	O
audience	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
target	O
audience	O
was	O
pre-teens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
advertisement	O
by	O
Saatchi	O
and	O
Saatchi	O
,	O
New	O
York	O
began	O
on	O
January	O
25	O
and	O
encouraged	O
children	O
to	O
buy	O
Fruit	O
by	O
the	O
Foot	O
snacks	O
for	O
tips	O
to	O
help	O
them	O
with	O
their	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
's	O
main	O
microprocessor	B-Architecture
is	O
a	O
64-bit	B-Device
NEC	O
VR4300	B-Device
CPU	B-General_Concept
with	O
a	O
clock	O
rate	O
of	O
93.75MHz	O
and	O
a	O
performance	O
of	O
125	O
MIPS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Popular	O
Electronics	O
said	O
it	O
had	O
power	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
Pentium	B-General_Concept
processors	O
found	O
in	O
desktop	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Except	O
for	O
its	O
narrower	O
32-bit	O
system	O
bus	B-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
VR4300	B-Device
retained	O
the	O
computational	O
abilities	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
powerful	O
64-bit	B-Device
MIPS	O
R4300i	O
,	O
though	O
software	O
rarely	O
took	O
advantage	O
of	O
64-bit	B-Device
data	B-Architecture
precision	I-Architecture
operations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
generally	O
used	O
faster	O
and	O
more	O
compact	O
32-bit	O
data-operations	O
,	O
as	O
these	O
were	O
sufficient	O
to	O
generate	O
3D-scene	O
data	O
for	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
RSP	O
(	O
Reality	O
Signal	O
Processor	O
)	O
unit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
32-bit	O
code	O
executes	O
faster	O
and	O
requires	O
less	O
storage	O
space	O
(	O
which	O
is	O
at	O
a	O
premium	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
terms	O
of	O
its	O
random-access	B-Architecture
memory	I-Architecture
(	O
RAM	B-Architecture
)	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
consoles	O
to	O
implement	O
a	O
unified	O
memory	O
subsystem	O
,	O
instead	O
of	O
having	O
separate	O
banks	O
of	O
memory	O
for	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
,	O
audio	O
,	O
and	O
video	O
operations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Audio	O
may	O
be	O
processed	O
by	O
the	O
Reality	O
Coprocessor	O
or	O
the	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
and	O
is	O
output	O
to	O
a	O
DAC	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
sample	O
rate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
composite	O
and	O
S-Video	O
cables	O
are	O
the	O
same	O
as	O
those	O
used	O
with	O
the	O
preceding	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
and	O
succeeding	O
GameCube	B-Application
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
supports	O
16.8	O
million	O
colors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
games	O
that	O
make	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
higher	O
resolution	O
mode	O
require	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
Expansion	O
Pak	O
RAM	B-Architecture
upgrade	O
;	O
though	O
several	O
do	O
not	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Acclaim	O
's	O
NFL	O
Quarterback	O
Club	O
series	O
and	O
EA	O
Sports	O
's	O
second	O
generation	O
Madden	O
,	O
FIFA	O
,	O
Supercross	O
,	O
and	O
NHL	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
controller	I-Device
has	O
an	O
"	O
M	O
"	O
shape	O
with	O
10	O
buttons	O
,	O
one	O
analog	B-Device
control	I-Device
stick	I-Device
,	O
and	O
a	O
directional	B-Device
pad	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
with	O
four	O
controller	O
ports	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
are	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridge	I-Protocol
based	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cartridge	B-Protocol
size	O
varies	O
from	O
4	O
to	O
64MB	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
include	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
save	O
games	O
internally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Primarily	O
cited	O
was	O
the	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
 '	O
very	O
fast	O
load	O
times	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
disc-based	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
loading	O
screens	O
appear	O
in	O
many	O
PlayStation	B-Device
games	O
,	O
they	O
are	O
rare	O
in	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
vulnerable	O
to	O
long-term	O
environmental	O
damage	O
,	O
the	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
are	O
far	O
more	O
resistant	O
to	O
physical	O
damage	O
than	O
compact	O
discs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
also	O
cited	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
are	O
more	O
difficult	O
to	O
pirate	O
than	O
CDs	O
,	O
thus	O
resisting	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
,	O
albeit	O
at	O
the	O
expense	O
of	O
lowered	O
profit	O
margin	O
for	O
Nintendo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
unauthorized	O
N64	B-Operating_System
interface	O
devices	O
for	O
the	O
PC	O
were	O
later	O
developed	O
,	O
these	O
devices	O
are	O
rare	O
,	O
when	O
compared	O
to	O
a	O
regular	O
CD	O
drive	O
used	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
which	O
suffered	O
widespread	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
downside	O
,	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
took	O
longer	O
to	O
manufacture	O
than	O
CDs	O
,	O
with	O
each	O
production	O
run	O
(	O
from	O
order	O
to	O
delivery	O
)	O
taking	O
two	O
weeks	O
or	O
more	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
meant	O
that	O
publishers	O
of	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
had	O
to	O
attempt	O
to	O
predict	O
demand	O
for	O
a	O
game	O
ahead	O
of	O
its	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
risked	O
being	O
left	O
with	O
a	O
surplus	O
of	O
expensive	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
for	O
a	O
failed	O
game	O
or	O
a	O
weeks-long	O
shortage	O
of	O
product	O
if	O
they	O
underestimated	O
a	O
game	O
's	O
popularity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cost	O
of	O
producing	O
a	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
cartridge	I-Device
was	O
also	O
far	O
higher	O
than	O
for	O
a	O
CD	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
cost	O
an	O
average	O
of	O
$10	O
more	O
when	O
compared	O
to	O
games	O
produced	O
for	O
rival	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
third-party	O
companies	O
also	O
complained	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
at	O
an	O
unfair	O
disadvantage	O
against	O
Nintendo	O
first	O
party	O
developers	O
when	O
publishing	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
since	O
Nintendo	O
owned	O
the	O
manufacturing	O
plant	O
where	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
for	O
their	O
consoles	O
are	O
made	O
and	O
therefore	O
could	O
sell	O
their	O
first	O
party	O
games	O
at	O
a	O
lower	O
price	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
fifth	B-Application
generation	I-Application
games	O
became	O
more	O
complex	O
in	O
content	O
,	O
sound	O
and	O
graphics	O
,	O
games	O
began	O
to	O
exceed	O
the	O
limits	O
of	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
storage	O
capacity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
cartridges	I-Device
had	O
a	O
maximum	O
of	O
64MB	O
of	O
data	O
,	O
whereas	O
CDs	O
held	O
650MB	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
Times	O
initially	O
defended	O
the	O
quality	O
control	O
incentives	O
associated	O
with	O
working	O
with	O
limited	O
storage	O
on	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
,	O
citing	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
position	O
that	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
game	O
developers	O
tend	O
to	O
"	O
place	O
a	O
premium	O
on	O
substance	O
over	O
flash	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
N64	B-Operating_System
launch	O
games	O
are	O
free	O
of	O
"	O
poorly	O
acted	O
live-action	O
sequences	O
or	O
half-baked	O
musical	O
overtures	O
"	O
which	O
it	O
says	O
tend	O
to	O
be	O
found	O
on	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
's	O
limitations	O
became	O
apparent	O
with	O
software	O
ported	O
from	O
other	O
consoles	O
,	O
so	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
versions	O
of	O
cross-platform	O
games	O
were	O
truncated	O
or	O
redesigned	O
with	O
the	O
storage	O
limits	O
of	O
a	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
in	O
mind	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
instance	O
this	O
meant	O
fewer	O
textures	O
,	O
and/or	O
shorter	O
music	O
tracks	O
,	O
while	O
full	B-Application
motion	I-Application
video	I-Application
was	O
not	O
usually	O
feasible	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
cutscenes	O
unless	O
heavily	O
compressed	O
and	O
of	O
very	O
brief	O
length	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
era	O
's	O
competing	O
systems	O
from	O
Sony	O
and	O
Sega	O
(	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
Saturn	B-Device
,	O
respectively	O
)	O
used	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
discs	O
to	O
store	O
their	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
third-party	O
developers	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Square	O
and	O
Enix	O
,	O
whose	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VII	I-Application
and	O
Dragon	B-Device
Warrior	I-Device
VII	I-Device
were	O
initially	O
planned	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
switched	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
citing	O
the	O
insufficient	O
storage	O
capacity	O
of	O
the	O
N64	B-Device
cartridges	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
who	O
remained	O
released	O
fewer	O
games	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
;	O
Konami	O
released	O
fifty	O
PlayStation	B-Device
games	O
,	O
but	O
only	O
twenty	O
nine	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
game	O
releases	O
were	O
infrequent	O
while	O
new	O
games	O
were	O
coming	O
out	O
rapidly	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Through	O
the	O
difficulties	O
with	O
third	O
parties	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
supported	O
popular	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
GoldenEye	B-Application
007	I-Application
,	O
giving	O
it	O
a	O
long	O
market	O
life	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
strong	O
first-party	O
franchises	O
such	O
as	O
Mario	B-Application
had	O
strong	O
name	O
brand	O
appeal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
's	O
controversial	O
selection	O
of	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
medium	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
has	O
been	O
cited	O
as	O
a	O
key	O
factor	O
in	O
Nintendo	O
losing	O
its	O
dominant	O
position	O
in	O
the	O
gaming	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
are	O
constrained	O
by	O
small	O
capacity	O
and	O
high	O
production	O
expenses	O
,	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
compact	O
disc	O
format	O
used	O
by	O
its	O
chief	O
competitors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
's	O
advantages	O
are	O
difficult	O
for	O
developers	O
to	O
manifest	O
prominently	O
,	O
requiring	O
innovative	O
solutions	O
which	O
only	O
came	O
late	O
in	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
life	O
cycle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
of	O
its	O
technical	O
drawbacks	O
is	O
a	O
limited-size	O
texture	O
cache	B-General_Concept
,	O
which	O
force	O
textures	O
of	O
limited	O
dimensions	O
and	O
reduced	O
color	O
depth	O
,	O
appearing	O
stretched	O
when	O
covering	O
in-game	O
surfaces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
third-party	O
publishers	O
that	O
supported	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
previous	O
consoles	O
reduced	O
their	O
output	O
or	O
stopped	O
publishing	O
for	O
the	O
console	O
;	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
most	O
successful	O
games	O
came	O
from	O
first-party	O
or	O
second-party	O
studios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
comes	O
in	O
several	O
colors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
standard	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
is	O
dark	O
gray	O
,	O
nearly	O
black	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
controller	O
is	O
light	O
gray	O
(	O
later	O
releases	O
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
,	O
Canada	O
,	O
and	O
Australia	O
included	O
a	O
bonus	O
second	O
controller	O
in	O
Atomic	O
Purple	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
game	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
are	O
gray	O
in	O
color	O
,	O
but	O
some	O
games	O
have	O
a	O
colored	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fourteen	O
games	O
have	O
black	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
other	O
colors	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
yellow	O
,	O
blue	O
,	O
red	O
,	O
gold	O
,	O
and	O
green	O
)	O
were	O
each	O
used	O
for	O
six	O
or	O
fewer	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
games	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Ocarina	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
,	O
were	O
released	O
both	O
in	O
standard	O
gray	O
and	O
in	O
colored	O
,	O
limited	O
edition	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
programming	O
characteristics	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
present	O
unique	O
challenges	O
,	O
with	O
distinct	O
potential	O
advantages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Economist	O
described	O
effective	O
programming	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
as	O
being	O
"	O
horrendously	O
complex	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
many	O
other	O
game	O
consoles	O
and	O
other	O
types	O
of	O
embedded	O
systems	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
architectural	O
optimizations	O
are	O
uniquely	O
acute	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
oversight	O
on	O
the	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
hardware	O
designers	O
,	O
limitations	O
on	O
3D	O
technology	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
manufacturing	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
reached	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
its	O
lifecycle	O
,	O
hardware	O
development	O
chief	O
Genyo	O
Takeda	O
repeatedly	O
referred	O
to	O
the	O
programming	O
challenges	O
using	O
the	O
word	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Looking	O
back	O
,	O
Takeda	O
said	O
"	O
When	O
we	O
made	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
we	O
thought	O
it	O
was	O
logical	O
that	O
if	O
you	O
want	O
to	O
make	O
advanced	O
games	O
,	O
it	O
becomes	O
technically	O
more	O
difficult	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
to	O
the	O
NES	O
and	O
the	O
Super	O
NESwith	O
unique	O
names	O
and	O
hardware	O
designs	O
in	O
JapanNintendo	O
developed	O
the	O
same	O
brand	O
and	O
hardware	O
design	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
in	O
every	O
region	O
worldwide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
North	O
American	O
launch	O
,	O
it	O
stated	O
that	O
regional	O
lock-out	O
is	O
enforced	O
by	O
unique	O
notches	O
in	O
the	O
back	O
of	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
instead	O
of	O
chips	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
total	O
of	O
393	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
were	O
released	O
,	O
with	O
few	O
exclusively	O
sold	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
comparison	O
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
received	O
around	O
1,100	O
games	O
,	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
600	O
,	O
the	O
NES	O
768	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
725	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
considerably	O
smaller	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
game	O
library	O
has	O
been	O
attributed	O
by	O
some	O
to	O
the	O
controversial	O
decision	O
not	O
to	O
adopt	O
the	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
,	O
and	O
programming	O
difficulties	O
for	O
its	O
complex	O
architecture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
trend	O
is	O
also	O
seen	O
as	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
Hiroshi	O
Yamauchi	O
's	O
strategy	O
,	O
announced	O
during	O
his	O
speech	O
at	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
November	O
1995	O
unveiling	O
,	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
would	O
be	O
restricting	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
games	O
produced	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
so	O
that	O
developers	O
would	O
focus	O
on	O
higher	O
quality	O
instead	O
of	O
quantity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
having	O
less	O
third-party	O
support	O
than	O
rival	O
consoles	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
strong	O
first-party	O
franchises	O
such	O
as	O
Mario	B-Application
enjoyed	O
wide	O
brand	O
appeal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Consequently	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
game	O
library	O
included	O
a	O
high	O
number	O
of	O
critically	O
acclaimed	O
and	O
widely	O
sold	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
TRSTS	O
reports	O
,	O
three	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
five	O
best-selling	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
for	O
December	O
1996	O
were	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
(	O
both	O
of	O
the	O
remaining	O
two	O
were	O
Super	B-Application
NES	I-Application
games	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
is	O
the	O
best-selling	O
console	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
generation	O
,	O
with	O
11million	O
units	O
sold	O
beating	O
Gran	B-Application
Turismo	I-Application
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
(	O
at	O
10.85million	O
)	O
and	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VII	I-Application
(	O
at	O
9.72million	O
)	O
in	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GoldenEye	B-Application
007	I-Application
was	O
important	O
in	O
the	O
evolution	O
of	O
the	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
been	O
named	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
greatest	O
in	O
the	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Ocarina	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
set	O
the	O
standard	O
for	O
future	O
3D	O
action-adventure	O
games	O
and	O
is	O
considered	O
by	O
many	O
to	O
be	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
greatest	O
games	O
ever	O
made	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
most	O
graphically	O
demanding	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
on	O
larger	O
32	O
or	O
64MB	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
are	O
among	O
the	O
most	O
advanced	O
and	O
detailed	O
of	O
32	O
-	O
and	O
64-bit	B-Device
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
maximize	O
the	O
hardware	O
,	O
developers	O
created	O
custom	O
microcode	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
running	O
on	O
custom	O
microcode	B-Device
benefit	O
from	O
much	O
higher	O
polygon	O
counts	O
and	O
more	O
advanced	O
lighting	O
,	O
animation	O
,	O
physics	O
,	O
and	O
AI	O
routines	O
than	O
its	O
competition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conker	B-Application
's	I-Application
Bad	I-Application
Fur	I-Application
Day	I-Application
is	O
arguably	O
the	O
pinnacle	O
of	O
its	O
generation	O
combining	O
multicolored	O
real-time	O
lighting	O
that	O
illuminates	O
each	O
area	O
to	O
real-time	O
shadowing	O
,	O
and	O
detailed	O
texturing	O
replete	O
with	O
a	O
full	O
in	O
game	O
facial	O
animation	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
is	O
capable	O
of	O
executing	O
many	O
more	O
advanced	O
and	O
complex	O
rendering	O
techniques	O
than	O
its	O
competitors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
to	O
feature	O
trilinear	O
filtering	O
,	O
to	O
smooth	O
textures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
contrasts	O
with	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
,	O
which	O
use	O
nearest-neighbor	O
interpolation	O
and	O
produce	O
more	O
pixelated	B-Algorithm
textures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overall	O
however	O
the	O
results	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
system	O
were	O
mixed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
smaller	O
storage	O
size	O
of	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
can	O
limit	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
available	O
textures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
,	O
many	O
games	O
with	O
much	O
smaller	O
8	O
or	O
12MB	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
are	O
forced	O
to	O
stretch	O
textures	O
over	O
larger	O
surfaces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
games	O
with	O
larger	O
32	O
or	O
64MB	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
avoid	O
this	O
issue	O
entirely	O
,	O
including	O
Resident	B-Application
Evil	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
Sin	B-Application
and	I-Application
Punishment	I-Application
:	I-Application
Successor	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Earth	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Conker	B-Application
's	I-Application
Bad	I-Application
Fur	I-Application
Day	I-Application
,	O
allowing	O
for	O
more	O
detailed	O
graphics	O
with	O
multiple	O
,	O
multi-layered	O
textures	O
across	O
all	O
surfaces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
have	O
been	O
released	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
and	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
(	O
VC	O
)	O
services	O
and	O
are	O
playable	O
with	O
the	O
Classic	B-Device
Controller	I-Device
,	O
GameCube	B-Device
controller	I-Device
,	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
Pro	I-Device
Controller	I-Device
,	O
or	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
GamePad	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Differences	O
include	O
a	O
higher	O
resolution	O
and	O
a	O
more	O
consistent	O
framerate	O
than	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
originals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
features	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Rumble	B-Device
Pak	I-Device
functionality	O
,	O
are	O
not	O
available	O
in	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
features	O
are	O
also	O
changed	O
on	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
releases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
VC	O
version	O
of	O
Pokémon	B-Device
Snap	I-Device
allows	O
players	O
to	O
send	O
photos	O
through	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
's	O
message	O
service	O
,	O
and	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64s	I-Application
in-game	O
content	O
was	O
altered	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
expiration	O
of	O
the	O
Kawasaki	O
license	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
games	O
developed	O
by	O
Rare	O
were	O
released	O
on	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
service	O
,	O
including	O
Banjo-Kazooie	B-Application
,	O
Banjo-Tooie	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Perfect	B-Application
Dark	I-Application
,	O
following	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
acquisition	O
of	O
Rareware	O
in	O
2002	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
exception	O
is	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
2015	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
U	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
,	O
as	O
Nintendo	O
retained	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
via	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
+	O
Expansion	O
Pack	O
as	O
the	O
expanded	O
tier	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
Online	I-Application
were	O
released	O
on	O
October	O
25	O
,	O
2021	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
and	O
October	O
26	O
,	O
2021	O
in	O
Overseas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
unofficial	O
third-party	O
emulators	O
can	O
play	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
on	O
other	O
platforms	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
Macintosh	B-Device
,	O
and	O
smartphones	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
accessories	O
include	O
the	O
Rumble	B-Device
Pak	I-Device
and	O
the	O
Transfer	B-Device
Pak	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
released	O
a	O
peripheral	O
platform	O
called	O
64DD	B-Device
,	O
where	O
"	O
DD	O
"	O
stands	O
for	O
"	O
Disk	O
Drive	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Connecting	O
to	O
the	O
expansion	O
slot	O
at	O
the	O
bottom	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
the	O
64DD	B-Device
turns	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
console	O
into	O
an	O
Internet	O
appliance	O
,	O
a	O
multimedia	O
workstation	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
expanded	O
gaming	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
large	O
peripheral	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
play	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
disk-based	O
games	O
,	O
capture	O
images	O
from	O
an	O
external	O
video	O
source	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
allowed	O
players	O
to	O
connect	O
to	O
the	O
now-defunct	O
Japanese	O
Randnet	O
online	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
nine	O
games	O
were	O
released	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
four	O
Mario	B-Device
Artist	I-Device
games	O
(	O
Paint	O
Studio	O
,	O
Talent	O
Studio	O
,	O
Communication	O
Kit	O
,	O
and	O
Polygon	O
Studio	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
planned	O
games	O
were	O
eventually	O
released	O
in	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
format	O
or	O
on	O
other	O
game	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
64DD	B-Device
and	O
the	O
accompanying	O
Randnet	O
online	O
service	O
were	O
released	O
only	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
illustrate	O
the	O
fundamental	O
significance	O
of	O
the	O
64DD	B-Device
to	O
all	O
game	O
development	O
at	O
Nintendo	O
,	O
lead	O
designer	O
Shigesato	O
Itoi	O
said	O
:	O
"	O
I	O
came	O
up	O
with	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
ideas	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
64DD	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
things	O
start	O
with	O
the	O
64DD	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
so	O
many	O
ideas	O
I	O
would	O
n't	O
have	O
been	O
allowed	O
to	O
come	O
up	O
with	O
if	O
we	O
did	O
n’t	O
have	O
the	O
64DD	B-Device
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shigeru	O
Miyamoto	O
concluded	O
:	O
"	O
Almost	O
every	O
new	O
project	O
for	O
the	O
N64	B-Operating_System
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
64DD	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
...	O
we	O
'll	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
a	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
first	O
,	O
then	O
add	O
the	O
technology	O
we	O
’ve	O
cultivated	O
to	O
finish	O
it	O
up	O
as	O
a	O
full-out	O
64DD	B-Device
game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
iQue	O
Player	O
was	O
a	O
handheld	B-Device
TV	I-Device
game	I-Device
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
system	O
that	O
released	O
only	O
in	O
China	O
on	O
November	O
17	O
,	O
2003	O
,	O
after	O
China	O
banned	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
consoles	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
games	O
that	O
were	O
released	O
in	O
the	O
iQue	O
Player	O
's	O
lifetime	O
(	O
from	O
2003	O
to	O
2016	O
)	O
are	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Ocarina	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
,	O
Mario	B-Application
Kart	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
Wave	B-Application
Race	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
Star	B-Application
Fox	I-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
Yoshi	B-Application
's	I-Application
Story	I-Application
,	O
Paper	B-Device
Mario	I-Device
,	O
Super	O
Smash	O
Bros.	O
,	O
F-Zero	B-Device
X	I-Device
,	O
Dr.	B-Device
Mario	I-Device
64	I-Device
,	O
Excitebike	B-Application
64	I-Application
,	O
Sin	B-Application
and	I-Application
Punishment	I-Application
,	O
Custom	B-Application
Robo	I-Application
and	O
Animal	B-Application
Crossing	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
received	O
acclaim	O
from	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
G4techTV	O
's	O
Filter	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
was	O
voted	O
up	O
to	O
No	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
1996	O
,	O
Next	O
Generation	O
magazine	O
called	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
Ultra	I-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
the	O
"	O
best	O
kept	O
secret	O
in	O
videogames	O
"	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
world	O
's	O
most	O
powerful	O
game	O
machine	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Previewing	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
shortly	O
prior	O
to	O
its	O
launch	O
,	O
Time	O
magazine	O
praised	O
the	O
realistic	O
movement	O
and	O
gameplay	O
provided	O
by	O
the	O
combination	O
of	O
fast	O
graphics	O
processing	O
,	O
pressure-sensitive	O
controller	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Asked	O
if	O
consumers	O
should	O
buy	O
a	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
at	O
launch	O
,	O
buy	O
it	O
later	O
,	O
or	O
buy	O
a	O
competing	O
system	O
,	O
a	O
panel	O
of	O
six	O
GamePro	O
editors	O
voted	O
almost	O
unanimously	O
to	O
buy	O
at	O
launch	O
;	O
one	O
editor	O
said	O
consumers	O
who	O
already	O
own	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
are	O
on	O
a	O
limited	O
budget	O
should	O
buy	O
it	O
later	O
,	O
and	O
all	O
others	O
should	O
buy	O
it	O
at	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
form	O
factor	O
was	O
described	O
as	O
small	O
,	O
light	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
built	O
for	O
heavy	O
play	O
by	O
kids	O
"	O
unlike	O
the	O
"	O
relatively	O
fragile	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Showing	O
concern	O
for	O
a	O
major	O
console	O
product	O
launch	O
during	O
a	O
sharp	O
,	O
several-year	O
long	O
,	O
decline	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
console	O
market	O
,	O
the	O
review	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
long-delayed	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
was	O
"	O
worth	O
the	O
wait	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
pursuit	O
of	O
quality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Describing	O
the	O
quality	O
control	O
incentives	O
associated	O
with	O
cartridge-based	O
development	O
,	O
the	O
Times	O
cited	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
position	O
that	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
game	O
developers	O
tend	O
to	O
"	O
place	O
a	O
premium	O
on	O
substance	O
over	O
flash	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
launch	O
games	O
lack	O
the	O
"	O
poorly	O
acted	O
live-action	O
sequences	O
or	O
half-baked	O
musical	O
overtures	O
"	O
which	O
it	O
says	O
tend	O
to	O
be	O
found	O
on	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Praising	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
controversial	O
choice	O
of	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
medium	O
with	O
its	O
"	O
nonexistent	O
"	O
load	O
times	O
and	O
"	O
continuous	O
,	O
fast-paced	O
action	O
CD-ROMs	B-Device
simply	O
cannot	O
deliver	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
review	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
cartridge-based	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
delivers	O
blistering	O
speed	O
and	O
tack-sharp	O
graphics	O
that	O
are	O
unheard	O
of	O
on	O
personal	O
computers	O
and	O
make	O
competing	O
32-bit	O
,	O
disc-based	O
consoles	O
from	O
Sega	O
and	O
Sony	O
seem	O
downright	O
sluggish	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Time	O
credited	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
with	O
revitalizing	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
market	O
,	O
"	O
rescuing	O
this	O
industry	O
from	O
the	O
dustbin	O
of	O
entertainment	O
history	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
suggested	O
that	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
would	O
play	O
a	O
major	O
role	O
in	O
introducing	O
children	O
to	O
digital	O
technology	O
in	O
the	O
final	O
years	O
of	O
the	O
20th	O
century	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
1997	O
year-end	O
review	O
,	O
a	O
team	O
of	O
five	O
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthly	O
editors	O
gave	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
scores	O
of	O
8.0	O
,	O
7.0	O
,	O
7.5	O
,	O
7.5	O
,	O
and	O
9.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
highly	O
praised	O
the	O
power	O
of	O
the	O
hardware	O
and	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
the	O
first-party	O
games	O
,	O
especially	O
those	O
developed	O
by	O
Rare	O
's	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
internal	O
studios	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
commented	O
that	O
the	O
third-party	O
output	O
to	O
date	O
had	O
been	O
mediocre	O
and	O
the	O
first-party	O
output	O
was	O
not	O
enough	O
by	O
itself	O
to	O
provide	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
owners	O
with	O
a	O
steady	O
stream	O
of	O
good	O
games	O
or	O
a	O
full	O
breadth	O
of	O
genres	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generations	O
end	O
of	O
1997	O
review	O
expressed	O
similar	O
concern	O
about	O
third	O
party	O
support	O
,	O
while	O
also	O
noting	O
signs	O
that	O
the	O
third	O
party	O
output	O
was	O
improving	O
,	O
and	O
speculated	O
that	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
arrival	O
late	O
in	O
its	O
generation	O
could	O
lead	O
to	O
an	O
early	O
obsolescence	O
when	O
Sony	O
and	O
Sega	O
's	O
successor	O
consoles	O
launched	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developer	O
Factor	O
5	O
,	O
which	O
created	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
most	O
technologically	O
advanced	O
games	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
audio	O
development	O
tools	O
for	O
Nintendo	O
,	O
said	O
,	O
"[T]he	O
N64	B-Operating_System
is	O
really	O
sexy	O
because	O
it	O
combines	O
the	O
performance	O
of	O
an	O
SGI	O
machine	O
with	O
a	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
We	O
're	O
big	O
arcade	O
fans	O
,	O
and	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
are	O
still	O
the	O
best	O
for	O
arcade	O
games	O
or	O
perhaps	O
a	O
really	O
fast	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
was	O
in	O
heavy	O
demand	O
upon	O
its	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
had	O
only	O
two	O
launch	O
games	O
,	O
with	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
as	O
its	O
killer	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BusinessWire	O
reported	O
that	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
was	O
responsible	O
for	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
sales	O
having	O
increased	O
by	O
156%	O
by	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Five	O
different	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
games	O
exceeded	O
1	O
million	O
in	O
sales	O
during	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
strong	O
launch	O
year	O
,	O
the	O
decision	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
format	O
is	O
said	O
to	O
have	O
contributed	O
to	O
the	O
diminished	O
release	O
pace	O
and	O
higher	O
price	O
of	O
games	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
competition	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
Nintendo	O
was	O
unable	O
to	O
maintain	O
its	O
lead	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
console	O
would	O
continue	O
to	O
outsell	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
throughout	O
the	O
generation	O
,	O
but	O
would	O
trail	O
behind	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Five	O
high-profile	O
Nintendo	O
games	O
slated	O
for	O
release	O
by	O
Christmas	O
1997	O
(	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Ocarina	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
,	O
Banjo-Kazooie	B-Application
,	O
Conker	B-Application
's	I-Application
Quest	I-Application
,	O
Yoshi	B-Application
's	I-Application
Story	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Major	B-Application
League	I-Application
Baseball	I-Application
Featuring	I-Application
Ken	I-Application
Griffey	I-Application
Jr.	I-Application
)	O
were	O
delayed	O
until	O
1998	O
,	O
and	O
Diddy	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
Racing	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
at	O
the	O
last	O
minute	O
in	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
somewhat	O
fill	O
the	O
gaps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
effort	O
to	O
take	O
the	O
edge	O
off	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
software	O
pricing	O
disadvantage	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
worked	O
to	O
lower	O
manufacturing	O
costs	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Device
64	I-Device
cartridges	I-Device
,	O
and	O
leading	O
into	O
the	O
1997	O
holiday	O
shopping	O
season	O
announced	O
a	O
new	O
pricing	O
structure	O
which	O
amounted	O
to	O
a	O
roughly	O
15%	O
price	O
cut	O
on	O
both	O
first-party	O
and	O
third-party	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
the	O
console	O
was	O
not	O
as	O
successful	O
,	O
failing	O
to	O
outsell	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
even	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Benimaru	O
Itō	O
,	O
a	O
developer	O
for	O
Mother	B-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
friend	O
of	O
Shigeru	O
Miyamoto	O
,	O
speculated	O
in	O
1997	O
that	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
's	O
lower	O
popularity	O
in	O
Japan	O
was	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
role-playing	O
video	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
reported	O
that	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
vintage	O
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
sales	O
had	O
ceased	O
by	O
2004	O
,	O
three	O
years	O
after	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
's	O
launch	O
;	O
as	O
of	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
had	O
yielded	O
a	O
lifetime	O
total	O
of	O
5.54million	O
system	B-General_Concept
units	I-General_Concept
sold	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
20.63million	O
in	O
the	O
Americas	O
,	O
and	O
6.75million	O
in	O
other	O
regions	O
,	O
for	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
32.93million	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Aleck	O
64	O
is	O
a	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
design	O
in	O
arcade	O
form	O
,	O
designed	O
by	O
Seta	O
in	O
cooperation	O
with	O
Nintendo	O
,	O
and	O
sold	O
from	O
1998	O
to	O
2003	O
only	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
recognized	O
video	O
game	O
systems	O
in	O
history	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
games	O
have	O
had	O
an	O
indelible	O
impact	O
on	O
the	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Designed	O
in	O
tandem	O
with	O
the	O
controller	O
,	O
Super	B-Application
Mario	I-Application
64	I-Application
and	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Ocarina	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
are	O
widely	O
considered	O
by	O
critics	O
and	O
the	O
public	O
to	O
be	O
two	O
of	O
the	O
greatest	O
and	O
most	O
influential	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GoldenEye	B-Application
007	I-Application
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
influential	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
shooter	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
