Editing Nintendo 64 (section)

=== Background ===
Following the [[video game crash of 1983]], Nintendo revitalized the industry with the release of its second home console, the Family Computer (Famicom), launched in Japan in 1983 and later introduced internationally as the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES) in 1985. Both the NES and its successor, the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] (SNES), achieved significant commercial success. However, SNES sales declined during the [[Lost Decades|Japanese economic recession]]. At the same time, competition intensified with the arrival of the [[Sega Saturn]], a [[32-bit computing|32-bit]] console, which outpaced the aging [[16-bit computing|16-bit]] SNES and highlighted the urgency for Nintendo to upgrade its hardware or risk losing market share. Additional competition came from [[Atari]]'s [[Atari 5200|5200]], [[Atari 7800|7800]], [[Atari Lynx|Lynx]], and [[Atari Jaguar|Jaguar]] systems.

In an effort to extend the SNES’s lifespan, Nintendo explored the development of [[Super NES CD-ROM|a CD-ROM peripheral]] through partnerships with [[CD-ROM]] technology pioneers [[Philips]] and [[Sony]]. Despite the creation of early hardware prototypes, both collaborations ultimately collapsed, and no games were released by Nintendo or its third-party partners. Philips retained limited licensing rights and used them to release original ''Mario'' and ''Legend of Zelda'' games on its competing [[CD-i]] device. Meanwhile, Sony leveraged its progress to develop what would become the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] console. During this period, third-party developers also expressed growing dissatisfaction with Nintendo’s strict licensing policies.<ref name="Brandt">{{Cite magazine |last=Brandt |first=Richard L. |date=October 1995 |title=Nintendo Battles for Its Life |magazine=[[Upside (magazine)|Upside]] |volume=7 |issue=10}}</ref>