US Prototype Of N64 Disk Drive Discovered
Back before the Nintendo 64 ever even came out, Nintendo was promising an add-on would make up for the shortcomings and diminished space of the cartridge format. It would be a Zip Drive-like attachment called the N64 Disk Drive, or going by its final name, the 64DD. But the 64DD hit multiple delays in development and many of the titles that were supposed to show it off (like Ocarina of Time) were ported down to the cartridge format instead.
It would take until 1999 for the 64DD to see release, but only in Japan, backed by an even smaller game lineup than the Virtual Boy. The launch was ignored and the 64DD went on clearance in no time. Of course, today it is worth much more due to its rarity. Imagine how much the prototype for the American version would be worth!
“But how can a US version even exist if the Japanese version flopped so hard?” you might ask. Simply because development took so long. Former Sierra game developer Jason Lindsey discovered the existence of a US 64DD model and purchased it near Seattle. According to the serial information, the proto was created in 1997.
Unfortunately it can’t run anything. You might expect that since no games came out for it here, but the unit actually came with a blue disk. Lindsey was curious about its contents (as is everyone else) but the 64DD refuses to read it. There’s no way to tell if there’s even anything on it.
But it does display a US version of the boot-up and idle screen, with English text — proof that localization went that far. You can read more about the discovery at Ars Technica, including an interview with a former Nintendo support specialist who worked on the device 20 years ago.