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The 'Rumble Pak' is a device from Nintendo that provides haptic feedback while playing video games. Games that support the Rumble Pak cause it to vibrate in select situations, such as when firing a weapon or receiving damage, to immerse the player in the game. Versions of the Rumble Pak are available for the Nintendo 64, the Nintendo DS, and the Nintendo DS Lite.

Contents

Nintendo 64

Nintendo DS

List of Nintendo DS games supporting the Rumble Pak

Notes

Nintendo 64

The original Rumble Pak, designed for the Nintendo 64 controller, was released in April 1997 in Japan, May 1997 in North America, and October 1997 in Europe. It requires two AAA batteries and is inserted into the controller's memory cartridge slot, which prevents the use of the Controller Pak in the same controller. This usually has little impact, as Nintendo 64 games are cartridge based and have the ability to store saved data in the cartridge. For games that support the Controller Pak, it is possible to switch between accessories at certain points, a method known as "hot swapping".^[1]
The Rumble Pak was introduced bundled with the game ''Star Fox 64'' (known as ''Lylat Wars'' in PAL territories) and made available as a separate purchase two months later. Rumble Pak support soon became a standard for N64 games. Launch titles ''Wave Race 64'' and ''Super Mario 64'' were re-released in Japan in July 1997 with Rumble Pak support.^[2][3]
Several third-party versions of the Rumble Pak, such as the Tremor Pak, followed. Some draw power from the controller instead of batteries, but the lower power makes them less effective. The TremorPak Plus allows a memory card to be inserted simultaneously, eliminating the need to switch between two accessories.^[4] The Hyper Pak Plus contains internal memory and allows the user to adjust the amount of feedback.^[5]

Nintendo DS

The Rumble Pak for the Nintendo DS is a DS Option Pak shaped like a Game Boy Advance cartridge and is designed to be inserted in the system's Game Boy Advance game slot. In North America, it was first made available bundled with ''Metroid Prime Pinball'',^[6] but is now available through promotions^[7] or as a stand-alone purchase. The accessory was released in a different way in Europe due to a delay of the European release of Metroid Prime Pinball. Various DS games supporting it (''Metroid Prime Hunters'', ''Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time'', and the recent ''42 All-Time Classics'', aka Clubhouse Games) had been released in Europe before the accessory was readily available under an 'official' release. However Codestorm, Nintendo's UK customer services contractor sell original-DS-style Rumble Paks as a spare part for a little under £10. The accessory was officially released as a pack in with the game 'Actionloop' in the UK.
Although the Rumble Pak works with both the Nintendo DS and the redesigned Nintendo DS Lite, it protrudes from the Nintendo DS Lite when inserted. For this reason, a smaller version of the Rumble Pak is available in Japan, which is flush with the system when inserted. It was initially available in just black, but other colours produced by 3rd party manufacturer eWin, such as white (see picture), have been released. Other colour variations and releases in other regions have yet to be announced.

List of Nintendo DS games supporting the Rumble Pak

★ ''Clubhouse Games'' (also known as ''42 All-Time Classics'' in Europe)

★ ''Custom Robo Arena''

★ ''Diddy Kong Racing DS''

★ ''Elite Beat Agents''

★ ''

★ ''

★ ''Actionloop'' (also known as ''Magnetica'') (Rumble Pak comes with this game in the UK.)

★ ''

★ ''Metroid Prime Pinball'' (Bundled with Rumble Pak.)

★ ''Metroid Prime Hunters''

★ ''Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii : Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 ''

★ ''Picross DS''

★ ''Star Fox Command''

★ ''

★ ''Super Princess Peach''

Notes

1. Rumble Pak Titles On the Rise
2. Super Mario 64 Info
3. Wave Race 64 Info
4. TremorPak Plus IGN Staff
5. Hyper Pak Plus IGN Staff
6. Metroid Pinball Rumbles
7. Free Rumbles with Metroid Prime Hunters