Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This CNN news segment from 1996 captures such a huge moment in gaming history. Nintendo launched the N64 in Japan back in June that year and sold out their entire 300,000 unit shipment on day one alone. When it hit North America that September, the console launched with just two games, Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64, but Mario 64 alone ended up grossing 140 million dollars in the US within its first three months, selling over two million copies and becoming the best selling game of the whole year by dollar sales. Peter Main, who was Executive VP of Nintendo of America at the time, spoke about the launch here, and honestly it says a lot that mainstream news outlets like CNN were covering a video game console like a real cultural event. Demand got so intense in the gap between the Japan and US launches that gray market importers were charging up to 699 dollars plus shipping just to get an early unit into eager hands. Seeing Mario's first 3D adventure covered on actual news broadcasts really shows how big this console became almost instantly. Did you get your N64 right at launch or did you have to wait a bit like most people?
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This CNN news segment from 1996 captures such a huge moment in gaming history. Nintendo launched the N64 in Japan back in June that year and sold out their entire 300,000 unit shipment on day one alone. When it hit North America that September, the console launched with just two games, Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64, but Mario 64 alone ended up grossing 140 million dollars in the US within its first three months, selling over two million copies and becoming the best selling game of the whole year by dollar sales. Peter Main, who was Executive VP of Nintendo of America at the time, spoke about the launch here, and honestly it says a lot that mainstream news outlets like CNN were covering a video game console like a real cultural event. Demand got so intense in the gap between the Japan and US launches that gray market importers were charging up to 699 dollars plus shipping just to get an early unit into eager hands. Seeing Mario's first 3D adventure covered on actual news broadcasts really shows how big this console became almost instantly. Did you get your N64 right at launch or did you have to wait a bit like most people?
Subscribe to Game Forest GF for retro gaming content every single day.
#nintendo64 #n64 #supermario64 #retrogaming #90snostalgia #gaminghistory #vintagenews #90sgaming #classicgaming #retroconsole #videogamehistory #nintendonostalgia #cnnnews #gameforestgf #youtubeshorts #gaming
