Nintendo 64DD

Nintendo 64DD with game.

The Nintendo 64DD was a expansion was the Nintendo 64. The DD stands for dynamic drive and it plugs into the EXTension Port at the bottom of the Nintendo 64.

The 64DD was first announced at 1995's SpaceWorld (then called Shoshinkai). One of the games shown was called Creator, a music and animation program. However, the game was not playable.

The 64DD was first available in Japan on December 1, 1999. Nintendo anticipated that the system would be a failure and only sold it through a subscription service called RANDNet. Nintendo only supported it for a short time and only nine games for the 64DD were created. Most of the other games were either canceled or put on the Nintendo 64.

The 64DD was supposed to be Nintendo's answer to the Playstation's CD-ROM. The system used magnetic disks which could hold 64MB of data (equivalent to a cartridge, but not nearly as much as a Playstation disc). The disks were rewritable, allowing the player to save on the disc. Along with standalone games, expansions to existing games were proposed.

RANDNet, similar to the Super Nintendo's Satellaview, was an onine subscription service for the 64DD. Players with a subscription could chat, read and write email, and play games online. Customers who bought a unit through the internet got a subscription to RANDnet and two games every month as well as magazines and newsletters relating to the system. RANDnet stands for "Recruit and Nintendo Entertainment". It was a joint company set up for the 64DD.

Games

Released Games

• F-Zero X Expansion Kit
• Japan Pro Golf Tour 64
• Kyojin no Doshin 1
• Kyojin no Doshin: Kaihou Sensen Chibikko Chikko Daishuugou
• Mario Artist: Communication Kit
• Mario Artist: Paint Studio
• Mario Artist: Polygon Studio
• Mario Artist: Talent Studio
• RANDNet Disk
• SimCity 64

Games Ported to a Different System

• Banjo-Tooie
• Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest
• Hybrid Heaven
• Kirby 64
• Mission Impossible
• Morita Shogi 64
• Mother 3
• Pokemon Stadium
• Paper Mario
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask