Editing Nintendo 64 (section)

== Accessories ==
{{Main|Nintendo 64 accessories}}
=== 64DD ===
{{Anchor|Disk drive}}
{{Main|64DD}}
[[File:64DD-Attached.jpg|thumb|right|A Nintendo 64 with the 64DD installed below]]
Nintendo released a peripheral platform called 64DD, where "DD" stands for "Disk Drive". Connecting to the expansion slot at the bottom of the system, the 64DD turns the Nintendo 64 console into an Internet appliance, a multimedia workstation, and an expanded gaming platform. This large peripheral allows players to play Nintendo 64 disk-based games, capture images from an external video source, and it allowed players to connect to the now-defunct Japanese [[Randnet]] online service. Not long after its limited mail-order release, the peripheral was discontinued. Only nine games were released, including the four ''[[Mario Artist]]'' games (''Paint Studio'', ''Talent Studio'', ''Communication Kit'', and ''Polygon Studio''). Many planned games were eventually released in cartridge format or on other game consoles. The 64DD and the accompanying Randnet online service were released only in Japan.

To illustrate the fundamental significance of the 64DD to all game development at Nintendo, lead designer [[Shigesato Itoi]] said: "I came up with a lot of ideas because of the 64DD. All things start with the 64DD. There are so many ideas I wouldn't have been allowed to come up with if we didn't have the 64DD". [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] concluded: "Almost every new project for the N64 is based on the 64DD. ... we'll make the game on a cartridge first, then add the technology we've cultivated to finish it up as a full-out 64DD game".<ref name="The 64Dream Dec 1997">{{Cite magazine |last1=Miyamoto |first1=Shigeru |last2=Itoi |first2=Shigesato |date=December 1997 |url=http://yomuka.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/itoi-miyamoto-interview-64dd/ |title=A friendly discussion between the "Big 2" |magazine=The 64DREAM |page=91 |subject-link1=Shigeru Miyamoto |subject-link2=Shigesato Itoi |access-date=January 14, 2015 |archive-date=March 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310221321/https://yomuka.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/itoi-miyamoto-interview-64dd/ |url-status=live }}</ref>