Playing with power

10 nostalgic images to celebrate the N64's 25th anniversary

by Robin Bea

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You might not be prepared to hear this, but the Nintendo 64 turned 25 years old on June 23, 2021.

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Nintendo’s iconic console introduced players to 3D and launched gaming on a collision course with ‘90s pop culture.

Here are 10 nostalgic images from 25 years of the Nintendo 64

Unlike the PlayStation, the Nintendo 64 used cartridges, which don’t hold as much data as CDs but load faster.

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The console also introduced accessories like the Transfer Pak, which let players move data before the N64 and Game Boy.

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Here’s Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto showing off the N64’s famously quirky controller at E3 1996 long before he becomes a household name.

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At E3 1999, young Anakin Skywalker himself (Jake Lloyd) demos the only good thing to come out of the Star Wars prequels: Star Wars Episode 1 Racer on Nintendo 64.

NBA Jam The Book

James Bond actresses Maud Adams and Grace Jones go head-to-head in Goldeneye at the game’s launch party.

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Boxers Laila Ali and Jacqui Frazier — daughters of Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier — promote an upcoming match with a round of Pokémon Stadium 2.

Ali won both.

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Wrestlers The Rock and Mankind enjoy a friendly N64 game, presumably just before pummeling each other with steel chairs.

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Micro 64

The N64’s controller made for an eye-catching prop in plenty of ‘90s and 2000s TV, like Everybody Loves Raymond, starting a proud tradition of actors not knowing how to hold controllers on camera.

Most importantly, the Nintendo 64 sent kids into absolute hysterics, as the coolest gift you could possibly get — until the launch of the GameCube.

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