Nike has dropped plenty of memorable Playstation sneakers including the rare Air Force Ones and most recently Paul George’s line has seen an exclusive Playstation colorway. Now, the House That Mario Built gets its chance to be immortalized on a Nike sneaker. This upcoming Nike Air Max 97 implements design features from one of the greatest gaming consoles of all time–the Nintendo 64. The N64 was a revolution, it was the first video game console to successfully implement the analog stick and the full 360 control it allowed completely revolutionized gaming. The access to full spectrum of movement it allowed games to pivot to the open world style adventures we love today. Mario evolved from a side-scrolling platformer to a world full of adventure in Super Mario 64. Goldeneye 64 set the standard for shooting games and the analog stick allowed for movements only PC gamers had experienced. So its only right to recognize such a game changing system via one of the coolest sneakers of all time.
Image via Nike
This Air Max 97 hits all the right buttons. Though the N64 was available in a sundry of colorways, undoubtedly the most recognizable is the plain gray color which finds itself represented on the 97 as the base color. The bottom two of the Air Max 97’s iconic wraparound bands are blue and green representing the A and B buttons respectively. The upper is covered with a multitude of tiny triangles reflecting the directional and control pads found on the console’s controller. The C-pad is once again reflected in the pop of yellow in the legendary air bubble. That collection of color plus the hits of red found on the start button are also a homage to the N64’s multicolor logo. At the tongue you’ll find “Reset” and “Power” badges instead of the typical Nike branding. The inside of the shoes even get the retro treatment with a ESRB label inspired Nike badge printed on the insole with a “Designed in 1997” stamp. To tie the whole piece together, the heel tabs features “Air Max” in the style of Nintendo’s quintessential logo. This epic collection is set to drop sometime this summer. Get your RumblePaks ready.
Image via Nike
Image via Nike
Image via Nike
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