The 64DD is a peripheral designed to enhance the capabilities of the Nintendo N64. It arrived in 1999, launching exclusively in Japan, and could be attached to the bottom of the Nintendo 64. Designed to enable the fifth-generation system to offer different experiences, from online games to new applications, the 64DD faced extensive delays. It was a commercial failure, selling just a few thousand copies before the accessory was quietly discontinued, while proposed games for the 64DD were either transferred to run on a standard Nintendo 64 or revived on the more powerful GameCube several years later.
The main draw of the 64DD was its ability to utilize Randnet, an internet service that lets those using the console access the world wide web in a limited fashion. Randnet was designed to do everyday tasks, such as sending emails, as well as allowing players to download games and even run an NES emulator. Meanwhile, the writable 64MB disk drive system could be used to store data and create content directly on the console. For many people, though, the 64DD failed to deliver many of its proposed features.
With the 64DD selling so few copies, the hardware has become quite rare in the intervening years as there are simply few in public hands. That has driven up the price of the 64DD and made it worth anywhere from $1,500 to almost $8,000.
[Featured image by Evan-Amos via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]
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