Welcome to 30 Ridiculous Retro Rumors, a brand new series that will run daily between November 26 and December 25, 2015. This is a series where we debunk some of the craziest rumors and predictions of all time. We're FINALLY giving Quartermann a break, because today's rumor comes from Die Hard Game Fan. Here we see another magazine attempt to predict the Nintendo 64's launch details and come up wrong. See for yourself in today's episode of 30 Ridiculous Retro Rumors.


This is a real rumor taken directly from the December 1990 issue of Die Hard Game Fan ...


Only three years after the launch of the Super NES, Die Hard Game Fan couldn't wait to talk about Nintendo's 64-bit super system. Then known as the Ultra 64, the Game Fan editors predicted that the system would come with either Killer Instinct or Cruis'n USA as a pack-in and launch for $250. And as if that's not specific enough, the system's price would drop to an "amazing" $199 during Christmas 1995.

In reality, the Nintendo 64 launched in September of 1996, not "May or June '95" as predicted. Neither Killer Instinct nor Cruis'n USA came with the system, as Nintendo bucked the trend and shipped the system without a pack-in. What's more, neither of those games even made the N64's launch, with Killer Instinct Gold dropping in November and Cruis'n USA lagging behind in December.

Die Hard Game Fan also failed to predict the launch price, though they came closer than you might think. Although the Nintendo 64 debuted at $199, it was originally slated to come with a $249 price point. The change was made after Sony and Sega aggressively cut prices to blunt the Nintendo 64's impact.

If there's anything we can take away from Game Fan's rumor mongering, it's that you should never predict a Nintendo product will launch early. Always put your money on a delay.