Describing it as 'the first writable bulk data storage device for a modern video game console', Nintendo designed the 64DD as an enabling technology platform for the development of new genres of games and applications, dozens of which were in development for several years. The system could connect to the Internet through a dedicated online service, Randnet, for e-commerce, online gaming, and media sharing. Its games and hardware accessories let the user create movies, characters, and animations to use within various other games and shared online. Plugging into the extension port on the underside of the console, the 64DD allows the Nintendo 64 to use proprietary 64MB magnetic disks for expanded and rewritable data storage, a real-time clock for persistent game world design, and a standard font and audio library for further storage efficiency. The '64' references both the Nintendo 64 console and the 64MB storage capacity of the disks, and 'DD' is short for 'disk drive' or 'dynamic drive'. It was announced in 1995, prior to the Nintendo 64's 1996 launch, and after numerous delays was released in Japan on December 13, 1999. The 64DD is a magnetic floppy disk drive peripheral for the Nintendo 64 game console developed by Nintendo.
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