The Nintendo GameCube (ニンテンドーゲームキューブ Nintendō Gēmukyūbu?), officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan[4][5] and GCN in other regions,[6] is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia. It was the successor to the Nintendo 64.
The GameCube sold 21.74 million units worldwide, and was discontinued on February 22, 2007.[2] Its successor, the Wii was released in November 2006.
The Nintendo GameCube was the first Nintendo console to use optical discs as its primary storage medium, after several aborted projects from Nintendo and its partners to utilize optical-based storage media.[citation needed] In contrast with the GameCube's contemporary competitors, Sony's PlayStation 2, Sega's Dreamcast and Microsoft's Xbox, the GameCube uses miniDVD-based discs instead of full-size DVDs. Partially as a result of this, it does not have the DVD-Video playback functionality of these systems, nor the audio CD playback ability of other consoles that use full-size optical discs.
In addition, the GameCube introduced a variety of connectivity options to Nintendo consoles, and was the fourth Nintendo console, after the Nintendo 64DD, Famicom Modem and Satellaview, to support online play officially, via the Nintendo GameCube Broadband Adapter and Modem Adapter (sold separately). It also enabled connectivity to the Game Boy Advance to access exclusive features of certain games or to use the portable system as a controller for the Game Boy Player.
Panasonic also released a DVD player hybrid of the console, the Panasonic Q, which was only released in Japan.
| [1] | |
|---|---|
| [2]
Indigo GameCube and controller | |
| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
| Type | Video game console |
| Generation | Sixth generation |
| Retail availability | |
| Discontinued | February 22, 2007[[[Video:Super Mario Galaxy 2 Music - Slider|thumb|300px|right|Slider Music]] |
| Units sold | Worldwide: 21.74 million
Japan: 4.04 million North America: 12.94 million Europe & Australia: 4.77 million[2] |
| Media | Nintendo GameCube game disc |
| CPU | IBM PowerPC "Gekko", 486 MHz |
| Storage capacity | Nintendo GameCube Memory Card (16 MB max. capacity) |
| Display |
|
| Graphics | ATI "Flipper", 162 MHz |
| Sound | Analog stereo (support for Dolby Pro Logic II) |
| Input | Nintendo GameCube controller, WaveBird, Game Boy Advance, numerous other input devices |
| Connectivity | Nintendo GameCube Broadband Adapter and Modem Adapter |
| Dimensions | 5.9 × 6.3 × 4.3 in
149 × 193 × 112 mm (width × depth × height) |
| Best-selling game | Super Smash Bros. Melee, 7.09 million (as of March 10, 2008)[3] |
| Predecessor | Nintendo 64 |
| Successor | Wii |