History of Computers - Nintendo 64
Introduction
The Nintendo 64 was another revolutionary gaming console that was released by Nintendo in 1996. This console would be Nintendo's third gaming console released, and it was met with incredible success when it released. The Nintendo 64 featured such classic games as Super Mario 64, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Banjo-Kazooie and much more.
Overview
Named the Nintendo 64 because of its 64 bit central processing unit, it was the first gaming console to feature this type of processor, and also one of the first to feature a more realistic 3D gaming experience. The 64 bit processor allowed the gaming system to do more things, and do those things faster. For its controller, it was the first to release an analog stick along with a D-padAfter its release in June of 1996, Nintendo sold around 500,000 consoles of the Nintendo 64. Its primary competitors at the time were Sony’s Playstation and the Sega Saturn, which released around the same time. [1] [2]
Significance
The Nintendo 64 was important because, since it featured 3D gameplay, it revolutionized the gaming industry as a whole. Since it used an analog stick along with a D-pad on the controller, it set a standard for gaming controllers, as the Sony Playstation featured a Dual Analog controller. This Dual Analog Controller would be used for almost all gaming consoles created in the future. The introduction of the 64 bit processor in the Nintendo 64 not only let the system run complex games for its time, but it also led to future gaming consoles to use the same type of processor, since it was just better than the 32 bit processor. Overall, this console would eventually lead to the development of more modern day gaming systems (like the Playstation 2, the Xbox, and beyond).
