The Nintendo 64 (ニンテンドー64, Nintendō Rokujūyon), often abbreviated as N64, is Nintendo's third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit processor, it debuted on June 23, 1996 in Japan, and was later released in North America on September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As of March 31, 2006, the Nintendo 64 has sold 32.9 million units worldwide.