Highlights
- N64 fan discovers rare Nintendo 64 baseball, sparking nostalgic memories for gamers.
- The baseball features a unique N64 logo and was likely part of a marketing campaign for sports titles.
- Gamers value physical merchandise like the N64 baseball and a recent rare find of a sealed copy of Call of Duty: Finest Hour.
A Nintendo 64 fan has recently made quite a nostalgic discovery, unearthing an obscure artifact in an N64-branded baseball most fans and former players of the console are most likely entirely unaware of. The unexpected finding has caught the eye of hundreds of Nintendo 64 fans online, sparking some fond memories of video games from days past.
First released in North America in September 1996, the Nintendo 64 was the third home console released by the video game company, and the first to feature true 3D graphics. Home to now-legendary titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Smash Bros., GoldenEye 007 and more, the N64 remains a soft spot for many seasoned gamers. Players have been able to recapture their nostalgia in recent years thanks to the release of some classic titles via Nintendo Switch Online, with three surprise Nintendo 64 games added to the service last week.
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The sentimental Nintendo 64 baseball was discovered by Reddit user Drolevarg, who posted their unique discovery onto one of the N64 pages of the site. The baseball is rather ordinary in appearance – white leather with red stitching – save for a rather unusual Nintendo logo. The logo features the classic three-dimensional “N” N64 fans are familiar with, but with the word “sports” wrapped around it. The original poster says they received the ball for winning a local home run derby tournament for Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr., a title released that same year in 1998.
Although not entirely confirmed, further research appears to indicate N64 Sports – and its unique logo – was a marketing campaign promoting the consoles latest and greatest in sports titles, including Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. and other professional leagues. While the title may have faded into obscurity – losing out to its competitor All-Star Baseball ’99 for being one of the best baseball games that aren’t MLB The Show – its developer Angel Studios certainly hasn’t, going on to become Rockstar San Diego.
While the rare baseball is certainly a nostalgic find, it isn’t the only major one as of late. A classic Call of Duty fan recently made a surprise discovery, and at a vape shop of all places. The fan posted pictures of a still-sealed copy of Call of Duty: Finest Hour for PS2, the now-iconic franchise’s very first game to release on home consoles. While a vastly different find than the N64 Sports baseball, the vintage items are illustrative of the importance gamers place on physical merchandise they manage to come across.
While Nintendo isn’t exactly known for professional sports sims these days, its various Super Mario sports titles continually prove immensely popular. In what could potentially end a 15-year drought, there are rumors of a new Mario baseball game in the works which could usher in a new series of home run derbies and winnable balls, but only time will tell.
