We have to admit we do get a little giddy when we see rare retro gaming hardware, especially when that hardware comes from the traditionally secretive Nintendo.
Safe to say, our giddiness meter has hit boiling point with thislengthy Twitter threadby YouTuber Shane Luis in which he breaks down a complete unboxing of an extremely rare device, theNintendo 64DD Development Kit.
For those not in the know, the 64DD was a expansion for the Nintendo 64 that essentially added a disk drive to the console. It supported 64MB magnetic disks that offered a writable storage solution for players who, until then, could only save on a cartridge’s small battery back-up or a 32KB memory card plugged into the controller.
I was asked to verify and photograph a Nintendo 64 Disk Drive (64DD) Development Kit from a private video game collector. The system was new in box and needed to be carefully documented.This is what it looks like to unbox one.pic.twitter.com/X2PflhtemW
This storage allowed for a variety of new possibilities, but ultimately only 10 disks were released for the 64DD – the four-part Mario Artist creative suite, Doshin the Giant and a second expansion disk, SimCity 64, F-Zero X Expansion Kit, Japan Pro Golf Tour 64 and a dialup utility disk.
Because so few games were actually developed for the thing, then, it should come as no surprise that development kits for it are obscenely rare, so to not only have one but have it brand new in its box? This sort of thing may never be seen again.
Luis was sent the system by a private video game collector, who asked him to verify and photograph the system. The resulting Twitter thread offers a wealth of high-quality photos of the hardware, as well as an explanation breaking it all down. Among other things, Luis explains that:
Chances are you either fall into two camps here – you’re either wondering why this is a big deal, or (if you’re like us) you’re fascinated to get a detailed look at an extremely rare piece ofNintendohardware, especially one from an era where Nintendo was significantly more secretive than it even is now.
If you want to see all the photos in high quality, Luis has added them all to theInternet Archive.
