We absolutely love seeing rare hardware emerging from Nintendo's past. Between those Nintendo 64 development cartridges, news of the DS Lite's unused video output, and the prototype Game Boy Advance, we've also got a rare look at a development kit for the Nintendo 64 Disk Drive (64DD).
This comes from Shane Luis, who hosts YouTube channel Rerez. He received a brand-new developers kit, five unused 64DD Development Disks – which are notably blue, compared to the grey retail units – adapters, and an N64 Cartridge, and this Twitter thread offers a carefully documented technical breakdown:
If you aren't aware, the 64DD is a Nintendo 64 expansion that only released in Japan, adding a disk drive underneath and could connect to the internet. It let the N64 use 64MB magnetic disks, allowing for expanded and rewriteable data storage, a real-time clock, and more.
Ultimately, it became a commercial failure, selling 15,000 units and only saw 10 games released, with the rest moving to normal N64 cartridges, GameCube, or cancellation. By deconstructing this rare find, Shane has given us a fascinating look at one of Nintendo's most obscure projects.
[source videogameschronicle.com]
Comments (10)
That's really cool! I love seeing the obscure bits of Nintendo history.
64DD sounds like a bra size
@Would_you_kindly Tits-a me, Mammario!
@Would_you_kindly Could be worse. Wii sounds like it's taking the p**s.
it's sad that most of us will probably never get to try the games that are exclusive to this. (excluding Doshin the Giant.)
it's a shame really, The Mario Artist Games and SimCity looks the most interesting of the exclusives on the 64DD. The Doshin the Giant Sequel looks okay too.
@Thundertron55
Not just N. A lot of old video game stuff is interesting.
I need to box my PS3 and hook up my 3DO. I'm sure fond memories will sour real fast but why not. Now does this TV have AV inputs.......
@Andee Maybe the best comment I’ve seen on this site 😂😂
I got a 64DD a few years ago, the only games I have so far are the F-Zero X Expansion, Doshin the Giant, and Sim City 64. I found a translation on GameFAQs for the track editor in F-Zero, and it’s so much fun. I wish we got to see more of the 64DD, it’s a cool piece of hardware.
Ah yes the N64DD, I remember when that was a cool expansion being talked about in gaming magazines before everything got focused on project Dolphin (aka the Gamecube). The concept for Mario Artist 64 is something that I always wanted to try out although absurdly rare, same with their F-Zero X expansion that let you create custom courses which always looked really cool. Sim City 64 is something I always wanted to experience as well, a shame it never appeared on cartridges.
The N64 really lost it's popularity in those late years, a lot of stuff Nintendo was working on during that era got cancelled or moved to the Gamecube.
Really hope he makes a full-on video about this coming up. He makes really good content.
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