Editing Nintendo 64 (section)

== Reception ==
===Critical reception===
The Nintendo 64 received acclaim from critics. Reviewers praised the console's advanced 3D graphics and gameplay, while criticizing the lack of games. On [[G4techTV]]'s ''[[Filter (TV series)|Filter]]'', the Nintendo 64 was voted up to No. 1 by registered users.

In February 1996, ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' magazine called the Nintendo Ultra 64 the "best kept secret in videogames" and the "world's most powerful game machine". It called the system's November 24, 1995, unveiling at [[Nintendo Space World|Shoshinkai]] "the most anticipated videogaming event of the 1990s, possibly of all time".<ref name="NextGen 14">{{Cite magazine |date=February 1996 |title=Ultra 64: Nintendo's shot at the title |url=https://archive.org/stream/nextgen-issue-014/Next_Generation_Issue_014_February_1996 |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |issue=14 |access-date=February 5, 2015}}</ref> Previewing the Nintendo 64 shortly prior to its launch, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine praised the realistic movement and gameplay provided by the combination of fast graphics processing, pressure-sensitive controller, and the ''Super Mario 64'' game. The review praised the "fastest, smoothest game action yet attainable via joystick at the service of equally virtuoso motion", where "[f]or once, the movement on the screen feels real".<ref name="Time comeback">{{Cite magazine |last1=Krantz |first1=Michael |last2=Jackson |first2=David S. |date=May 20, 1996 |title=Super Mario's Dazzling Comeback |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,135937,00.html |url-status=live |magazine=Time International |edition=South Pacific |publisher=Time, Inc. |volume=147 |issue=21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128112654/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,135937,00.html |archive-date=January 28, 2015 |access-date=January 23, 2015}}</ref>{{rp|61}} Asked if consumers should buy a Nintendo 64 at launch, buy it later, or buy a competing system, a panel of six ''[[GamePro]]'' editors voted almost unanimously to buy at launch; one editor said consumers who already own a PlayStation and are on a limited budget should buy it later, and all others should buy it at launch.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=October 1996 |title=To Buy or Not to Buy |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[IDG]] |issue=97 |page=36}}</ref>

At launch, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called the system "quite simply, the fastest, most graceful game machine on the market". Its form factor was described as small, light, and "built for heavy play by kids" unlike the "relatively fragile Sega Saturn". Showing concern for a major console product launch during a sharp, several-year long, decline in the game console market, the review said that the long-delayed Nintendo 64 was "worth the wait" in the company's pursuit of quality. Although the ''Times'' expressed concerns about having only two launch games at retail and twelve expected by Christmas, this was suggested to be part of Nintendo's "penchant for perfection", as "while other platforms offer quite a bit of junk, Nintendo routinely orders game developers back to the boards to fix less-than-perfect titles". Describing the quality control incentives associated with cartridge-based development, the ''Times'' cited Nintendo's position that cartridge game developers tend to "place a premium on substance over flash", and noted that the launch games lack the "poorly acted live-action sequences or half-baked musical overtures" which it says tend to be found on CD-ROM games. Praising Nintendo's controversial choice of the cartridge medium with its "nonexistent" load times and "continuous, fast-paced action CD-ROMs simply cannot deliver", the review concluded that "the cartridge-based Nintendo 64 delivers blistering speed and tack-sharp graphics that are unheard of on personal computers and make competing 32-bit, disc-based consoles from Sega and Sony seem downright sluggish".<ref name="Curtiss wonder"/>

''Time'' named it the 1996 Machine of the Year, saying the machine had "done to video-gaming what the [[Boeing 707|707]] did to air travel". The magazine said the console achieved "the most realistic and compelling three-dimensional experience ever presented by a computer". ''Time'' credited the Nintendo 64 with revitalizing the video game market, "rescuing this industry from the dustbin of entertainment history". The magazine suggested that the Nintendo 64 would play a major role in introducing children to digital technology in the final years of the 20th century. The article concluded by saying the console had already provided "the first glimpse of a future where immensely powerful computing will be as common and easy to use as our televisions".<ref name="Fisher" /><ref name="Time Machine of the Year">{{Cite magazine |last=Krantz |first=Michael |date=November 25, 1996 |title=64 Bits of Magic |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985577,00.html |url-status=live |magazine=[[Time Magazine]] |volume=148 |issue=24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128114032/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985577,00.html |archive-date=January 28, 2015 |access-date=January 24, 2015 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>{{rp|73}} The console also won the 1996 [[Spotlight Awards|Spotlight Award]] for Best New Technology.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=July 1997 |title=Spotlight Award Winners |url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_31/page/n21 |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=31 |page=21}}</ref>

''[[Popular Electronics]]'' complimented the system's hardware, calling its specifications "quite impressive". It found the controller "comfortable to hold, and the controls to be accurate and responsive".<ref name="Popular Will" />

In a 1997 year-end review, a team of five ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' editors gave the Nintendo 64 scores of 8.0, 7.0, 7.5, 7.5, and 9.0. They highly praised the power of the hardware and the quality of the first-party games, especially those developed by [[Rare (company)|Rare]]'s and Nintendo's internal studios, but also commented that the third-party output to date had been mediocre and the first-party output was not enough by itself to provide Nintendo 64 owners with a steady stream of good games or a full breadth of genres.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 1998 |title=EGM's Special Report: Which System Is Best? |magazine=1998 Video Game Buyer's Guide |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |pages=42–45}}</ref> ''Next Generation''{{'}}s end of 1997 review expressed similar concern about third party support, while also noting signs that the third party output was improving, and speculated that the Nintendo 64's arrival late in its generation could lead to an early obsolescence when Sony and Sega's successor consoles launched. However, they said that for some, Nintendo's reliably high-quality software would outweigh those drawbacks, and gave the system 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=December 1997 |title=Where to Play? The Dust Settles |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=36 |pages=55–58}}</ref>

Developer [[Factor 5]], which created some of the system's most technologically advanced games along with the system's audio development tools for Nintendo, said, "[T]he N64 is really sexy because it combines the performance of an SGI machine with a cartridge. We're big arcade fans, and cartridges are still the best for arcade games or perhaps a really fast CD-ROM. But there's no such thing for consoles yet [as of 1998]".<ref name="F5 Interview Pt1">{{Cite interview |last=Eggebrecht |first=Julian |subject-link=Julian Eggebrecht |interviewer=Peer Schneider |title=Factor 5 Interview (Part I) |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/02/24/factor-5-interview-part-i |access-date=January 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113120135/http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/02/24/factor-5-interview-part-i |archive-date=January 13, 2015 |url-status=live |date=February 23, 1998}}</ref>

=== Sales ===
The Nintendo 64 was highly successful in the North America region; conversely, sales proved to be underwhelming in the domestic Japanese and in European markets.<ref name="Toru 2000">{{Cite book |last=Toru |first=Takeda |title=It's the NINTENDO |publisher=T2 PUBLISHING CO., LTD. |year=2000 |isbn=978-4887497160 |language=Japanese}}</ref> Nintendo reported that the system's vintage hardware and software sales had ceased by 2004, three years after the GameCube's launch; as of December 31, 2009, the Nintendo 64 had yielded a lifetime total of 5.54&nbsp;million system units sold in Japan, 20.63&nbsp;million in the Americas, and 6.75&nbsp;million in other regions, for a total of 32.93&nbsp;million units.<ref name="sales">{{Cite web |date=January 27, 2010 |title=Consolidated Sales Transition by Region |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/consolidated_sales_e0912.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224231631/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/consolidated_sales_e0912.pdf |archive-date=February 24, 2011 |access-date=November 25, 2015 |publisher=Nintendo}}</ref>

==== North America ====
The Nintendo 64 was in heavy demand upon its release. David Cole, industry analyst, said "You have people fighting to get it from stores".<ref name="Stone Croal hot" /> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' called the purchasing interest "that rare and glorious middle-class Cabbage Patch-doll frenzy". The magazine said celebrities [[Matthew Perry]], [[Steven Spielberg]], and [[Chicago Bulls]] players called Nintendo to ask for special treatment to get their hands on the console.<ref name="Time Hard">Krantz, Michael. "Mario Plays Hard To Get." Time 148.26 (1996): 60. Military & Government Collection. Web. July 24, 2013.</ref> In North America and Europe, the console had only two launch games, with ''Super Mario 64'' as its [[killer app]].

During the system's first three days on the market, retailers sold 350,000 of 500,000 available console units.<ref name="Stone Croal hot">Stone, BradCroal, N'Gai. "Nintendo's Hot Box." Newsweek 128.16 (1996): 12. Military & Government Collection. Web. July 24, 2013.</ref> During its first four months, the console yielded 500,000 unit sales in North America.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 6, 1999 |title=Sega Dreamcast Sales Outstrip Expectations in N. America |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WPB/is_1999_Oct_6/ai_56177488 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714201420/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WPB/is_1999_Oct_6/ai_56177488 |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |access-date=March 27, 2008 |publisher=Comline Computers }}</ref> [[Nintendo]] successfully outsold [[Sony]] and [[Sega]] early in 1997 in the United States;<ref name="1997: So far">{{Cite news |date=June 18, 1997 |title=1997: So far, the year of Nintendo; company sales up 156 percent; driven by Nintendo 64 success. |publisher=Business Wire |location=Atlanta |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/1997%3a+So+far%2c+the+year+of+Nintendo%3b+company+sales+up+156+percent%3b...-a019518838 |url-status=dead |access-date=November 12, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126095644/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/1997%3a+So+far%2c+the+year+of+Nintendo%3b+company+sales+up+156+percent%3b...-a019518838 |archive-date=November 26, 2015}}</ref> and by the end of its first full year, 3.6&nbsp;million units were sold in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nintendo Delivers Early Holiday Cheer With New Software Prices. – Free Online Library |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Nintendo+Delivers+Early+Holiday+Cheer+With+New+Software+Prices.-a019804152 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224031918/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Nintendo+Delivers+Early+Holiday+Cheer+With+New+Software+Prices.-a019804152 |archive-date=February 24, 2014 |access-date=March 2, 2014 |publisher=Thefreelibrary.com}}</ref> ''[[BusinessWire]]'' reported that the Nintendo 64 was responsible for Nintendo's sales having increased by 156% by 1997.<ref name="1997: So far" /> Five different Nintendo 64 games exceeded 1 million in sales during 1997.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 1998 |title=View to a Million |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=Ziff Davis |issue=104 |page=32}}</ref>

After a strong launch year, the decision to use the cartridge format is said to have contributed to the diminished release pace and higher price of games compared to the competition, and thus Nintendo was unable to maintain its lead in the United States. The console would continue to outsell the [[Sega Saturn]] throughout the generation, but would trail behind the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]].<ref name="Ultimate History of Video Games">{{Cite book |last=Kent |first=Steven L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PTrcTeAqeaEC |title=The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World |date=2002 |publisher=Random House International |isbn=978-0-7615-3643-7 |location=New York |oclc=59416169 |author-link=Steven L. Kent |access-date=October 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728211412/http://books.google.com/books?id=PTrcTeAqeaEC |archive-date=July 28, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Nintendo's efforts to attain dominance in the key 1997 [[holiday shopping season]] were also hurt by game delays. Five high-profile Nintendo games slated for release by Christmas 1997 (''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'', ''[[Banjo-Kazooie (video game)|Banjo-Kazooie]]'', ''[[Conker's Quest]]'', ''[[Yoshi's Story]]'', and ''[[Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr.]]'') were delayed until 1998, and ''[[Diddy Kong Racing]]'' was announced at the last minute in an effort to somewhat fill the gaps.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 1997 |title=Nintendo's Holiday Surprise!: Diddy Kong Racing Announced; Griffey and Banjo-Kazooie Delayed |magazine=[[GamePro]] |publisher=[[IDG]] |issue=110 |page=30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 1997 |title=Nintendo Dealt Blow |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=35 |page=22}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=November 1997 |title=N64 Games Delayed Again |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]] |issue=100 |page=24}}</ref> In an effort to take the edge off of the console's software pricing disadvantage, Nintendo worked to lower manufacturing costs for Nintendo 64 cartridges, and leading into the 1997 holiday shopping season announced a new pricing structure which amounted to a roughly 15% price cut on both first-party and third-party games. Response from third-party publishers was positive, with key third-party publisher [[Capcom]] saying the move led them to reconsider their decision not to publish games for the console.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=December 1997 |title=Nintendo Gets Reasonable |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=36 |page=20}}</ref><ref name="NGenSW1997">{{Cite magazine |date=February 1998 |title=Nintendo's Space World 1997 |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |issue=38 |pages=22–23}}</ref>

==== Japan ====
In Japan, the console was not as successful, failing to outsell the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn. Benimaru Itō, a developer for ''[[Mother 3]]'' and friend of Shigeru Miyamoto, speculated in 1997 that the Nintendo 64's lower popularity in Japan was due to the lack of [[role-playing video game]]s.<ref name="npinterview">{{Cite magazine |last1=Takao Imamura |last2=Shigeru Miyamoto |date=August 1997 |title=Pak Watch E3 Report "The Game Masters" |magazine=Nintendo Power |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |pages=104–105}}</ref> Nintendo CEO [[Hiroshi Yamauchi]] also said the console's lower popularity in Japan was most likely due to lack of role-playing games, and the small number of games being released in general.<ref name="NGenSW1997" /> The higher price of cartridges as opposed to [[CD-ROM]] has also been cited as a reason for the system's lackluster third-party support, which led to domestically big titles, such as ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]'', moving away from Nintendo's platforms to its rivals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Extension |first=Time |date=March 12, 2024 |title=Here's How Nintendo Reacted To The PlayStation Beating The N64 |url=https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/03/heres-how-nintendo-reacted-to-the-playstation-beating-the-n64 |access-date=August 29, 2024 |website=Time Extension |language=en-GB |archive-date=August 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240829225130/https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/03/heres-how-nintendo-reacted-to-the-playstation-beating-the-n64 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Shigeru Miyamoto]] commented at the time that the Nintendo 64's situation in Japan was grim and that it was also tough in Europe, but that these were overcome by its success in America and therefore "the business has become completely viable".<ref name="Toru 2000" />

=== Legacy ===
The Nintendo 64 is one of the most recognized video game systems in history,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nintendo 64 Week: Day Two |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/10/01/nintendo-64-week-day-two |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726163234/http://retro.ign.com/articles/914/914568p1.html |archive-date=July 26, 2011 |access-date=November 13, 2021 |website=IGN|date=October 2008 }}</ref> [[Nintendo 64 controller#Design|Designed in tandem with the controller]], ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time#Legacy|The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time]]'' are widely considered by critics and the public to be two of the [[List of video games considered the best|greatest]] and most influential games of all time. ''[[GoldenEye 007 (1997 video game)#Accolades|GoldenEye 007]]'' is one of the most influential games for the shooter genre.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Filter Face Off: Top 10 Best Game Consoles |url=http://www.g4tv.com/videos/9879/filter-face-off-top-10-best-game-consoles |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702134141/http://www.g4tv.com/videos/9879/filter-face-off-top-10-best-game-consoles/ |archive-date=July 2, 2017 |access-date=May 3, 2013 |publisher=g4tv.com}}</ref>

The [[Aleck 64]] is a Nintendo 64 design in arcade form, designed by Seta in cooperation with Nintendo, and sold from 1998 to 2003 only in Japan.<ref name="Aleck 64 at System16">{{Cite web |title=Seta Aleck64 Hardware |url=http://system16.com/hardware.php?id=816 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203034828/http://www.system16.com/hardware.php?id=816 |archive-date=February 3, 2016 |access-date=November 25, 2015 |publisher=System 16}}</ref>

In 2011, ''[[IGN]]'' ranked it as the ninth-greatest video game console of all time.<ref name="IGN ranking">{{Cite web |last=Hatfield |first=Daemon |title=Nintendo 64 Is Number 9 |url=http://www.ign.com/top-25-consoles/9.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118121547/http://www.ign.com/top-25-consoles/9.html |archive-date=November 18, 2015 |access-date=November 11, 2015 |website=IGN}}</ref>