Doctor V64

The Doctor V64 (also referred to simply as the V64) is a development and backup device made by Bung Enterprises Ltd that is used in conjunction with the Nintendo 64.

[1] It was the one of the first commercially available backup devices for the Nintendo 64, appearing not long after the console's international release.

Alternatively, Bung produced the "DX256" and "DS1" add-ons to allow (EEPROM and SRAM respectively) saves to be made without using the inserted cartridge.

This allowed developers and homebrew programmers to upload their game images to the Doctor V64 without having to create a CD backup each time.

The Doctor V64 Jr. has no CD drive and plugs into the normal cartridge slot on the top of the Nintendo 64.

Bung Enterprises promoted the event and supplied prizes (usually Doctor V64 related accessories).

Though the unit was sold as a development machine, it could be modified to enable the creation and use of commercial game backups.

Additionally, the cartridge adapter had to be opened and soldered in order to allow for the operational procedure.

This slight change in the N64's plastic casing made the connection to the Doctor V64 difficult to achieve without user modification.

This revision may have been a direct reaction from Nintendo to discourage the use of V64 devices, and may also explain why Bung decided to discontinue the use of this port in the later Doctor V64 Jr. models.

Nintendo made many legal efforts worldwide in order to stop the sale of Doctor V64 units.

[1] They sued Bung directly as well as specific store retailers in Europe and North America for copyright infringement.

Some of the menu items related to game backups were removed from the V64's BIOS near the end of its life due to pressure from Nintendo.

The variance in the power draw of different manufacturers drives at different speeds caused issues with disc spin-ups exceeding the wattage rating of the included Bung PSU.

V64s can read CD-Rs and CD-RWs (provided the installed CD-ROM unit supports rewritable media).