GamesMaster Feature: 64DD

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Published on November 2, 2020 12:00:02 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI2pcw46Szs

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The 64DD[a] is a magnetic disk drive peripheral for the Nintendo 64 game console developed by Nintendo. It was originally announced in 1995, prior to the Nintendo 64's 1996 launch, and after numerous delays was finally released only in Japan on December 1, 1999. The "64" references both the Nintendo 64 console and the 64 MB storage capacity of the disks,[4] and "DD" is short for "disk drive" or "dynamic drive".[2]

Plugging into the extension port on the underside of the console, it allows the Nintendo 64 to use proprietary 64 MB magnetic disks for expanded and rewritable data storage, a real-time clock for persistent game world design, and a standard font and audio library for further storage efficiency. Furthermore, the 64DD's games and hardware accessories let the user create movies, characters, and animations to be used within various other games and shared online. The system could connect to the Internet through a now-defunct dedicated online service called Randnet for e-commerce,[5] online gaming, and media sharing.[6] Calling it "the first writable bulk data storage device for a modern video game console",[7] Nintendo designed the 64DD as an enabling technology platform for the development of new genres of games and applications,[8] dozens of which were in development for several years.

Only ten disks were released until the unit was discontinued in February 2001, with 15,000 Randnet subscribers at the time. It was a commercial failure,[9] with at least 15,000 total units being sold.[1] With the decline of the 64DD's commercial viability, most such games were ultimately delivered on Nintendo 64 cartridges alone, ported to other consoles like the GameCube, or canceled altogether.

IGN summarized the 64DD as "an appealing creativity package"[6] "targeted at a certain type of user"[2] "that delivered a well-designed user-driven experience"—and a "limited online experiment at the same time", which partially fulfilled Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi's "longtime dream of a network that connects Nintendo consoles all across the nation".[2]