The Nintendo 64 (commonly N64) is a video game console previously manufactured by Nintendo. It was the fifth console of the company, preceded by the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and succeeded by the Nintendo GameCube in 2001. The system enjoyed a seven-year run, from 1996 until its discontinuation in 2003.
It was designed to be a next generation 32-bit system in partnership with Silicon Graphics. Its higher computational power and speed allowed for more realistic environments, real-time lighting, fluid motion, and general interactivity. Some of the graphical improvemens included anti-aliasing that smoothed out the ragged pixels along the edges of polygons, and texture maps; and Mip Mapping that allowed better quality for texture maps, optimised for the "distance" they are viewed.
Upon its launch, Nintendo chose LucasArts among a dozen of "dream team" to produce blockbuster games. The first arsenal of games for N64, including Shadows of the Empire, were developed inside an emulator run on an SGI Onyx.
Four Star Wars titles were released for the Nintendo 64.
- Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (1996)
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (1998)
- Star Wars: Episode I Racer (1999)
- Star Wars: Episode I: Battle for Naboo (2000)
- The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire