In 1996, Nintendo needed a hit. Japan was struggling through a long-lasting economic depression and their previous hit game console, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, was starting to show it's age. While the SNES had a 16-bit processor, the newly released  and sales of their previously hit game system, the Super Nintendeo Entertainment System (SNES) were cratering as more technically advanced consoles hit the market. The Saturn

The N64 is probably best known for Nintendo Games with classic Nintendo characters like Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, and Pokémon Stadium. These games are known for their bright colors and low polygon-count character designs that give characters pronounced and well defined edges. However, the N64's co-processor was powerful enough to go beyond just these designs, and while when we think of N64 we might think of all-ages titles, the console saw it's share of hits for more mature players too, like Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark, and even sports titles like WWF No Mercy. It was a versatile console that had something for everyone.

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZXaljfzHhA

- Named for it's 64 bit processor,

- That processor, along with the "Reality Coprocessor" enabled sound a graphics processed separately. What that really means, is that the console had enough compute power to deliver 3D Graphics, a first for Nintendo

- First controller to come with a thumbstick standard

- Big hit in North America especially, even though on release there were only 2 games available. Pilotwings and Super Mario 64

- Were these features unique? RUmble Pak, 4 player games

- Development kit cost 250k aka 540k in modern money?? that's insane.

- Development began in 1993, released in 96

- Originally named the Ultra 64

- Gotta mention the controller

- The Iconic Rom Cartridges were a controversial choice. CD-Roms were more popular at the time, and they were faster and cheaper to produce. Meanwhile, the plastic cartridges had very limited storage. However, Nintendo made the decision to use these iconic cartridges as a technique to avoid piracy. (Because CDs were so common, so were the tools you'd need to copy files from them!) As an added benefit to Nintendo, this allowed a

They had very limited storage for the time.

- Pretty much everybody introduced haptic feedback (Rumblepak) this year, but the N64 led the charge (Teslasuit)

- No modern history of the N64 would be complete without acknowledge the immense impact the platform has had on modern developers, artists, and storytellers. N64 games' very particular aesthetic, which you could characterize by things like: big blocky polygons, cartoony characters with bright color designs that nintendo was known for, and short draw distances,

Reference

https://teslasuit.io/blog/history-haptic-technology/