Installation is quick and painless. After removing the Jumper Pak with the included plastic tool and installing the Expansion Pak, you simply attach the DD to the bottom of the N64 via two knobs. The DD's pegs fit perfectly into the holes on the underside of the N64, and the protruding expansion port snaps right into the console's expansion bay. The last step is to turn the two knobs to secure the connection. That's it. Interestingly, there is a small groove on the top of the DD that leads from the back of the drive to the front that looks like it was designed to run a thin cable from the N64's fourth controller slot to the back of the unit. While it's not documented what exactly the groove was supposed to be used for, it works fine with the N64 Microphone (you can run it underneath the N64 and plug it into the back of the Capture Cart).

Operation of the DD is even simpler. The drive is powered by the N64, so you don't need to plug it in or switch it on. There is only one button, a mechanical gray push button that functions just like a Floppy Disk ejector. It couldn't be easier to use. To see the 64DD's boot-up screen, which has Mario play around a 3D "N", or set the date and time, you can switch on your N64 without a cart plugged in. Once you insert a disk, the DD will start to load the game. Note that this will only happen when there is no game cartridge in the N64. However, some titles like F-Zero X or Ocarina of Time have so-called "64DD hooks" -- which means they were programmed to recognize whether the 64DD is hooked up or whether compatible software is in the drive. For example, if you're playing F-Zero X and you don't have the Expansion Kit disk in your DD, the game will completely ignore the DD. Once you stick the disk into the drive, it will recognize the software and boot the disk.

Load times are minimal. When saving or loading custom data, like with F-Zero X, the drive takes a maximum of three seconds to deliver the goods. Some of the more complex DD-only titles, such as the Mario Artist apps, take a little longer when you're switching between the different modes. However, load time never seems to exceed five seconds.

Apart from the large size (the drive alone is 78mm tall, which makes it hard to fit the N64/DD combo into an AV rack), I have no complaints with the design of the unit from a hardware standpoint. In comparison to some of the third-party peripherals out there, like the Tristar 64, the 64DD really makes you appreciate Nintendo®'s knack for simplistic but solid design. There are no sharp edges, nothing rattles and your N64 will function as well as before.

Of course, the DD is only half the equation. The drive comes with a number of peripherals, including the Modem Cartridge, the Capture Cart, a Microphone (also included with Hey You, Pikachu) and the Nintendo® Mouse. Each peripheral is equally well designed -- although it would have been nice if Nintendo® could have come up with something a bit more "couch friendly" than the mouse... To learn more about the games and the peripherals that work with them, be sure to read part 3 of this feature series next week.