Here's a Nintendo 64DD development kit in pristine condition Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Here's a Nintendo 64DD development kit in pristine condition Disc-uss. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Updated on 25 Mar 2021 19 comments Remarkable photos of a pristine Nintendo 64DD development kit have been published online, giving a rare look at a piece of hardware few have ever seen. The 64DD - Nintendo's disc-based expansion unit for the N64 - is uncommon enough on these shores, since it was never officially released outside of Japan. Watch on YouTube These photos, posted on Twitter by YouTuber Shane Luis, show the far rarer development kit version of the hardware. These units were sent by Nintendo to a handful of studios so they could be used to make and test games for the add-on. 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- Shane Luis (@RerezTV) March 24, 2021 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings Included in the box - which seems to have never been previously opened - are a collection of five blank 64DD development discs. These are coloured blue, to differentiate them from the grey discs released at retail. The same colouring is used for the unit's disk slot. There's also an N64 test cartridge and several adaptors which fit into an N64's cartridge slot, modifying the console for development usage. One of these allows for two cartridges to be loaded by an N64 at the same time, via a rather Frankenstein-like contraption: When attached together they mount directly on the top of a Nintendo 64 through the cartridge slot like this. pic.twitter.com/oCitZEqyUz- Shane Luis (@RerezTV) March 24, 2021 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings Nintendo launched the N64DD in Japan in December 1999, alongside Mario Artist: Paint Studio and Doshin the Giant. A handful of further games followed, but the system was quietly put to rest less than a year later. Numerous in-development projects were then ported to the GameCube instead. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store