The Nintendo 64 (N64) console did have a form of region locking, although it was not as strict as in some other gaming consoles. The region locking on the N64 was implemented through physical mechanisms rather than software restrictions.
The N64 was released in different versions for different regions, primarily the United States and Japan. The hardware of the console itself was nearly identical between these regions, with only minor differences in terms of power supply and video output. This made the consoles from these regions essentially interchangeable.
However, the region locking on the N64 was present in the cartridges rather than the console itself. Each N64 cartridge had a physical notch on the back edge, and the console had a corresponding peg inside the cartridge slot. This notch and peg mechanism ensured that cartridges from one region could not be inserted and played on a console from another region.
For example, if you had a Japanese N64 console, you would only be able to play Japanese cartridges that had the matching notch. Similarly, if you had a US N64 console, you would only be able to play US cartridges with the notch that matched the peg in the console. This meant that games from one region could not be played on consoles from another region, unless modifications were made to bypass the region locking mechanism.
It is worth noting that there were some exceptions to this region locking system. Some developers opted to release their games in multiple regions and produced cartridges that were compatible with both US and Japanese consoles. These cartridges were typically labeled as “NTSC-J” (Japanese) or “NTSC-U” (US), indicating their compatibility with both regions. This allowed players to import games from other regions and play them on their consoles.
In addition to the physical region locking, there were also some slight differences in game compatibility and localization between the US and Japanese versions of certain games. Some games were released exclusively in one region and not the other. Others had different names or slightly altered content depending on the region. These differences were not directly related to the region locking mechanism, but rather reflected the localization decisions made by game publishers.
As a personal anecdote, I remember growing up with an N64 console in the US and occasionally being intrigued by the availability of Japanese-exclusive games. However, due to the region locking, I was unable to play those games on my US console without resorting to modifications or importing a Japanese console. This region locking system did limit the accessibility of games from different regions, but it also helped to control the distribution and sales of games in specific markets.
While the N64 did have a form of region locking, it was not as strict as in some other gaming consoles. The region locking was implemented through physical mechanisms in the cartridges rather than the software or firmware of the console itself. This allowed for some flexibility in game compatibility and the option to import games from other regions, albeit with certain limitations.