A GameShark was released for the Nintendo 64 in late August 1997.[4] The Nintendo 64 GameShark was the most popular cheating device available for the system, becoming popular after well-known titles such as GoldenEye 007 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time were released. Because of the complex nature of these games, there were many aspects of them which could be modified to produce unique effects. For example, unused content was discovered such as a distant tower on the "Dam" level of GoldenEye 007.
The Nintendo 64 GameShark Pro featured an in-game code search menu. Versions 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 had a parallel port on the back, allowing the device to be connected to a PC with a program called SharkLink. This was intended primarily to make entering a large number of codes easier but was also used for advanced hacking. The in-game code search required that an Expansion Pak be installed and that the game did not actively use the Pak for memory.
The Nintendo 64 GameShark also bypasses the console's regional lockout, allowing games from any region to be played on the same unit.
