System Prototypes...Ultra 64 missing?? **IMAGE HEAVY**

 

System Prototypes...Ultra 64 missing?? **IMAGE HEAVY**

OsakaDon

OsakaDon

Member
Ever since I was a little kid, I would scrub through game magazines and would stare for far too long at early released images of upcoming game systems. Fantasizing about the day I would own one and about the wonderful adventures I would have in the games sure to be released.
I remember seeing pictures in magazines of early NES hardware designs. Cool prototype hardware experimenting with a different design styles. Even looking like different designs for the Japan only Disk System.
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After the NES there was of course the SNES, my personal favorite system of all time. I loved the SNES and I loved getting hyped for it.
The early looks in EGM and Gamefan, and even the game features in Nintendo Power that my friend had a subscription to.
From the prerelease of the SNES to the fabled SNES-CD addon. I remember being glued to magazines for info.
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There I think were either NES remodel prototypes or SNES prototypes.
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Then we move to the infamous Nintendo/Sony Play Station. These were wild times. I'm not going to go too in depth here, cause we know all about this by now, but here are just a few pics.
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Then if I jump a few years later, it was the era of 3D0 successor, the M2. I was so hyped for this system as well as the DreamCast. I loved reading about the new hardware, even when it was originally being discussed as an upgrade to the 3D0.
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We then have the glorious Dreamcast prototypes. These are cool, because many of them were actually physically modeled.
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Now, the one thing I have never seen is any N64 prototypes. I have seen the early pictures of the system when it was called the Ultra 64, but that was just a sticker change on the front of the system.
There have been photos of slight variations of the controller, and even the 64DD which went relatively unchanged, but that's it. I have never seen additional Ultra64/N64 prototypes.
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Now, after this lengthy post, has anyone ever seen an Ultra 64/N64 prototype system design or any other cool system prototype designs?
Darknight

Darknight

"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
Member
I followed that stuff heavily back then and as far as I know, I've never seen early mock ups or prototypes for the system itself beyond the Ultra 64 variant that you showed in the OP. The only thing shown were various SGI boxes and development stations saying it similar tech to Ultra 64 hardware. That and then the arcade boards which clearly wasn't an Ultra 64.
BlueManifest

BlueManifest

One Winged Slayer
Member
Seeing DKC on the snes for the first time was so hype

That prototype 64 controller joystick looks so much better why would they not use that
Ultratech

Ultratech

Member
I followed that stuff heavily back then and as far as I know, I've never seen early mock ups or prototypes for the system itself beyond the Ultra 64 variant that you showed in the OP. The only thing shown were various SGI boxes and development stations saying it similar tech to Ultra 64 hardware. That and then the arcade boards which clearly wasn't an Ultra 64.

Same. Most of what was shown in gaming magazines and the like was basically what was posted above.

The Dev Kits and whatnot are obviously much different, but in no way resemble the actual hardware that released to the public (save the modded N64 for using the Partner 64 stuff, but that was based on Retail hardware however).
maybe they hit gold first time lol

I only ever saw artists impressions of project reality, never any prototypes from nintendo themselves.
Madao

Madao

One Winged Slayer
Member
maybe the N64 was the rare instance where the design hit the final form right away because of how good it was.
I really wish we could’ve gotten that prototype Ultra 64 controller.
It looks like the c-buttons are even larger. Guessing they had to cut the size due to manufacturing costs?

Was there ever a prototype NES disc system that we know about?
phonicjoy

phonicjoy

Member
Yeah it’s too bad we never saw anything like that.

I really liked the NES homecomputer concept they showed at some show


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I don't think there were a lot of Ultra 64 prototypes, but if there were I sure would love to see them.

Basically that Ultra 64 image was the only thing Nintendo has ever released, so maybe they just liked that design from the get go, I'm assuming SGI made it for them?

This does seem to be the case with successive Nintendo systems too though ... GameCube and Wii I don't recall seeing much in the way of prototype designs, though IIRC the GameCube at one point was supposed to be called "StarCube"?

For Switch we've seen the prototype of a Wii U controller with two Wiimotes attached to it.
Varjet

Varjet

Member
This does seem to be the case with successive Nintendo systems too though ... GameCube and Wii I don't recall seeing much in the way of prototype designs, though IIRC the GameCube at one point was supposed to be called "StarCube"?
I remember that too, apparently Nintendo of Japan wanted to go for StarCube and Nintendo of America for GameCube, iirc.
Darknight

Darknight

"I'd buy that for a dollar!"
Member
Man, every time I read Ultra 64 I hear it in the Killer Instinct announcer’s voice.
I bought the arcade board for that sole reason. Felt kind of a historic moment for them to be implying what you're seeing is what you should expect out of the Ultra 64 only to be nowhere near that in the end.
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