You might not be prepared to hear this, but the Nintendo 64 turned 25 years old on June 23, 2021.
luza studios/iStock Unreleased/Getty Images
Nintendo’s iconic console introduced players to 3D and launched gaming on a collision course with ‘90s pop culture.
JOHN T. BARR/AFP/Getty Images
Here’s Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto showing off the N64’s famously quirky controller at E3 1996 long before he becomes a household name.
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.
James Bond actresses Maud Adams and Grace Jones go head-to-head in Goldeneye at the game’s launch party.
SCOTT NELSON/AFP/Getty Images
Boxers Laila Ali and Jacqui Frazier — daughters of Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier — promote an upcoming match with a round of Pokémon Stadium 2.
Wrestlers The Rock and Mankind enjoy a friendly N64 game, presumably just before pummeling each other with steel chairs.
Most importantly, the Nintendo 64 sent kids into absolute hysterics, as the coolest gift you could possibly get — until the launch of the GameCube.