GameCube

Nintendo GameCube

An indigo GameCube with 251-block memory card inside (right) and GameCube controller
Also known as	Dolphin (code name)
Developer	Nintendo
Manufacturer	Nintendo Foxconn
Type	Home video game console
Generation	Sixth generation
Release date	JP: September 14, 2001[2] NA: November 18, 2001[1] EU: May 3, 2002[3] AU: May 17, 2002[4]
Lifespan	2001 (2001)–2007 (2007)
Introductory price	$199[5]
Discontinued	JP: October 28, 2007 AU: December 3, 2007 EU: May 17, 2008 NA: June 15, 2009
Units sold	Worldwide: 21.74 million Americas: 12.94 million Japan: 4.04 million Other regions: 4.77 million[6]
Media	GameCube Game Disc Game Pak (Game Boy Player required)
Operating system	Proprietary Nintendo operating system
CPU	32-bit IBM PowerPC 750CXe Gekko @ 486 MHz
Memory	24 MB of 1T-SRAM @ 324MHz as system RAM 3 MB of embedded 1T-SRAM as video RAM 16 MB of DRAM as I/O buffer RAM
Removable storage	GameCube memory card (16 MB max. capacity)
Display	Composite video S-Video (NTSC consoles only) RGB SCART (PAL consoles only) YPBPR component video/d-terminal (DOL-001 models only)[a]
Graphics	ATI Flipper GPU @ 162 MHz with 3MB embedded 1T-SRAM
Sound	Analog stereo (Dolby Pro Logic II)
Controller input	GameCube controller, WaveBird, Game Boy Advance, various other input devices
Connectivity	900 MHz/2.4 GHz wireless RF via WaveBird receiver Broadband via GameCube Broadband Adapter 56k Dial-up via GameCube Modem Adapter
Power	46-watt AC adapter (DOL-001) 48-watt AC adapter (DOL-101)
Online services	LAN Phantasy Star Online[7] Homeland
Dimensions	150 × 161 × 110 mm[8] 5.9 × 6.3 × 4.3 in (width × depth × height)
Mass	1,400 g[8] 3 lb. 1 oz.
Best-selling game	Super Smash Bros. Melee, Over 7 million [9]
Backward compatibility	Select Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games via Game Boy Player
Predecessor	Nintendo 64
Successor	Wii
Website	Official website

The Nintendo GameCube (also called GameCube, NGC, GCN, or GC for short) is the fourth home video game console made by Nintendo. The console was released on September 14, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia. The GameCube sold 21.74 million units worldwide.

The GameCube had many new features compared to the previous Nintendo video game console, the Nintendo 64. It was the first Nintendo console to support online gaming (playing together without wires). It could also connect to the Game Boy Player to play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games.

The GameCube was discontinued in early 2009 to focus production on the Wii and DS.^[6] It was discontinued in Japan on October 28, 2007, Australia on December 3, 2007 and Europe on May 17, 2008. The last game for the console was Madden NFL 08 (also released for the Wii and Nintendo DS), which was released on August 14, 2007. However, first-party development (when the creator, Nintendo, was making games for the console) ended six months before that.

Nintendo's next console is called the Wii, released in 2006. The original model of the Wii is able to play games made for the GameCube.

Nintendo was originally the most popular video game company. However, in the late 1990s, the PlayStation began to hurt Nintendo's business. For the first time, Nintendo's main console at the time, the Nintendo 64, was not the best-selling console.^[10] It sold over thirty million units, which was good, but only half of what Nintendo's earlier NES did. Nintendo was starting to fear, but they decided to try again.

The GameCube was given lots more power than the Nintendo 64, as well as features that were used by other consoles before. Some of these features were games stored on discs, and memory cards used to store game data. The GameCube used more detailed 3D models, and Nintendo put new series of games on the system, along with sequels of past games.

In the end, the Nintendo GameCube did not do what Nintendo hoped it would do. It ended up selling just 21 million units, worse than the Nintendo 64.^[11] The PlayStation 2 was already the most common game console to buy, simply because it could play DVDs and had many more games. Another reason the GameCube sold poorly is because it used special discs, which were smaller than discs with a normal size and could hold less data for the game developers to use. Another problem was how some people saw the GameCube; it looked like a toy to many young adults.

Like its name indicates, the GameCube is shaped like a cube. It also has a handle on the back. The original color of the console is purple, but different versions of the GameCube were made with different colors.

The GameCube's controllers have two analog joysticks. In many games, one of them is used to control a character, while the other is used to control the camera, or some other secondary function. In addition to the analog sticks and the directional pad (D-pad), there are eight buttons: A, B, Y, X, L, R, Z, and Start.

Nintendo later released a wireless version of the controller, called the WaveBird. Instead of wires, it used RF signals to communicate with the console and was powered by standard AA batteries.

The Nintendo GameCube was known for its popular first-party games (the ones also made by its creator, Nintendo), including:

• Luigi's Mansion
• Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
• Pikmin and Pikmin 2
• Super Smash Bros. Melee
• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
• Super Mario Sunshine
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
• Mario Party 4, Mario Party 5, Mario Party 6, and Mario Party 7
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
• Wave Race Blue Storm

Notes