The Real Reason This N64 Is Causing So Much Commotion
Those around during the heyday of the Nintendo 64 may look back upon the machine with fond memories. The N64 brought both Mario and Link into 3D for the first time. It hosted the debut of Super Smash Bros. The Nintendo 64 gave console gamers controller rumble for the very first time.
Unfortunately, the N64 had some misfires, too. One of them — an add-on called the Nintendo 64 Disk Drive, or 64DD — recently became a hot topic on Twitter thanks to a video game YouTuber.
Back on March 24, Shane Luis posted some rather impressive images of a Nintendo 64 Disk Drive Development Kit. Luis was, as he put it, "asked to verify and photograph" the item, and decided to tweet out photos he took during the unboxing process. The entire package appeared to be in pretty decent shape — it was "new in box," with all of the inserts, cartridges, and other accessories intact. In the replies, some gamers expressed outright astonishment at seeing such a unique relic from Nintendo's past.
"Stunning. Such amazing closeups of such a rare piece of gaming history," wrote one user. "I love when private collectors are willing to give us glimpses of things so valuable instead of holding all the excitement for themselves."
"Wow, I can't believe I am watching this," tweeted another. "It's like watching someone find an archaeological treasure."
For a bit of context, what makes this particular item so intriguing is the fact that it's a development kit. The Nintendo 64DD never made it to North America, but it did release in Japan. For that reason, the add-on can still be found floating around. You could buy one right now on eBay if you wanted to.
A development kit for the 64DD, however, is rare taken to the extreme. Nintendo called it quits on the 64DD before the add-on ever got a global release, so there are fewer consumer models floating around than there might otherwise be. That should offer some hint as to how many studios ended up getting their hands on a development kit. There are likely very few of these in active circulation.
There's no indication this particular 64DD dev kit will be going anywhere. Luis tweeted that he was asked to take some pictures, but didn't let on about whether or not the collector he took them for was selling. So if you have your heart set on getting a Nintendo 64 Disk Drive Development Kit, you might want to find a new white whale to chase. These don't turn up very often.