Which Nintendo console launched in Japan on June 23, 1996?

The Nintendo 64 launched in Japan on June 23, 1996.

Nintendo released the system as the successor to the Super Famicom and marketed it as a 64-bit console. Its name referred to the 64-bit processor used in the system, while its distinctive controller featured an analog stick designed for movement in 3D games.

The Japanese launch included Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64. Super Mario 64 demonstrated how a platform game could work in a freely explorable three-dimensional environment, while Pilotwings 64 showcased flight simulation and varied camera movement.

The Nintendo 64 arrived in North America later in 1996 and in Europe in 1997. It used cartridges rather than the optical discs adopted by competitors and by Nintendo’s later GameCube. The June 23 date therefore identifies the Japanese launch, not the console’s North American or European release.