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The is Nintendo's fourth home video game console, belonging to the sixth generation era. The system itself is the most compact and least expensive, next to the Dreamcast, of the sixth generation era consoles. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 and the predecessor of the Wii. The home 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. In North America, the GameCube's final game will be ''Mortal combat XXX''.
Overview
The Nintendo GameCube, codenamed Dolphin, was first announced at E3 in 1999 [1] but kept hidden until August 22, 2000, only one day before Nintendo's SpaceWorld trade show.[3] Shaped roughly like a cube, the console is available in a variety of colors, such as indigo, platinum, and black (also a limited edition ''Resident Evil 4'' platinum and black game console). In Japan, the system is also available in Spice (orange), or in limited edition colors like Crystal White, Mint Green, Copper, and White with black pinstripes.
The Nintendo GameCube uses a proprietary storage medium, the Nintendo GameCube Game Disc, based on Matsushita's optical-disc technology; the discs are approximately 8 centimeters (3 1/8 inches) in diameter (considerably smaller than the 12 cm CDs or DVDs used in other consoles), and have a capacity of approximately 1.5 gigabytes. Contrary to popular belief, GameCube discs are not physically read any differently from a standard DVD disc, but are encrypted with a key derived from the Burst Cutting Area, a 'bar code' unreadable by most DVD drives. This move was intended to prevent unauthorized copying of GCN titles, but was eventually cracked. By exploiting a flaw in ''Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II'', users were able to connect their GameCubes to their PCs and run homebrew programming on the console.[4]
The Nintendo GameCube does not have DVD or audio CD support, but Matsushita's Panasonic Q (described below), only available in Japan, does. Common reasons cited by Nintendo for using this format are to reduce copyright infringement, provide faster loading times due to a smaller disc size, make the system cheaper by avoiding DVD-licensing fees, and a more compact console. The lack of DVD movie support did not make it appealing to the DVD playing audiences, who turned to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox due to their built-in DVD support.[2][1] Despite the protection of a non-standard disc format (essentially a miniature DVD-ROM with non-standard sectors and filesystem formatting), a number of modchips such as the Qoob and ViperGC have been released that, when used in conjunction with a modified BIOS, allow the use of a standard or 8 cm DVD-R to load backed-up, homebrew, bootleg or copied software. The Panasonic Q, released by Panasonic in Japan under license from Nintendo, is manufactured as a modified GameCube unit with added DVD Video and DVD Audio playback functionality. It was never released outside of Japan; production ceased in December 2003. Differences in design make the Panasonic Q incompatible with the Game Boy Player; however, the Panasonic Q Game Boy Player was released to address the problem of the extended pegs on the bottom, allowing play of Game Boy games.
The GameCube can connect to a Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Advance SP to transfer game data. The GameCube can also connect to a Game Boy Micro, but the cable required to connect the two must be custom-made since it has not been otherwise made available. Examples of this functionality include the use of the Game Boy Advance as a controller for the game played. Information related to game play may be displayed on the Game Boy Advance's color screen for added convenience or to avoid the cluttering of the display on the television screen. This functionality has been used to unlock bonuses such as new levels or characters when certain Game Boy Advance and GameCube games are connected together. Up to four Game Boy Advance systems can be connected to the GameCube through the GameCube's four controller ports for multiplayer play. A Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance cable is required for each Game Boy Advance system that is connected to the GameCube; however, this requires a user to buy a GameCube, a Game Boy Advance, and the GameCube version of the title, along with the Game Boy Advance version. Some GameCube titles only use the Game Boy Advance as a screen and do not require a separate Game Boy Advance game.
The GameCube can also connect directly to another GameCube for LAN play. Another television is needed for the second console. The GameCube can connect over LAN with up to eight other GameCubes.
The GameCube was designed for portability, with its small size complemented by a carrying handle; however, this feature over other consoles is minimal since its inexpensive production and selling price are its main advantages. Despite being more compact than the original PlayStation 2 model, the GameCube has overall superior graphics processing power and better Pro Logic sound, but no optical output. The GameCube has a front end menu system which can be accessed by holding the 'A' button while the system boots or by booting with no game inserted. This menu controls settings for memory card data, sound, and the internal clock.
The controller has the traditional directional pad, two analog sticks, and eight buttons: A, B, X, Y, Z, L, R, and pause/start. Like the Nintendo 64 controller, it features no select button. The C buttons have been replaced by an analog C stick. The analog sticks do not have added "clickable" button functionality—unlike other such consoles of the era—but both L and R shoulder buttons are analog, able to detect force applied to them before "clicking," essentially doubling their functionality.
Nintendo released a network adapter for the GameCube during the Christmas season of 2002, but did not promote or support online gaming as heavily as Sony or Microsoft. Two adaptors were released: the Nintendo GameCube Modem Adapter for dial-up and the Nintendo GameCube Broadband Adapter for broadband. The only high-profile title that requires the adapter is Sega's ''Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II''. Instead, Nintendo focused more on Game Boy Advance connectivity.
Despite the answer of "no" by Nintendo of America Vice President of Marketing Perrin Kaplan in a Game Daily interview when asked about the production of the Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo UK and Nintendo of America both confirm that Kaplan is incorrect and that worldwide both Nintendo GameCube hardware and First-Party Nintendo GameCube software are still produced, shipped to stores, and selling.[5][6][7]
Software library
Launch titles
The GameCube launched in North America with the following twelve games:
| Title | Developer | Publisher(s) |
|---|---|---|
| ''All-Star Baseball 2002'' | Acclaim | Acclaim |
| ''Batman Vengeance'' | Ubisoft | Ubisoft |
| ''Crazy Taxi'' | Hitmaker | Sega |
| ''Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2'' | Z-Axis | Acclaim |
| ''Disney's Tarzan Untamed'' | Ubisoft | Ubisoft |
| ''Luigi's Mansion'' | Nintendo | Nintendo |
| ''Madden NFL 2002'' | Tiburon | EA Sports |
| ''NHL Hitz 20-02'' | EA Black Box | Midway |
| '' | Factor 5 | LucasArts |
| ''Super Monkey Ball'' | Amusement Vision | Sega |
| ''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3'' | Neversoft | Activision |
| '' | NST | Nintendo |
Main articles: List of Nintendo GameCube games
The Nintendo GameCube currently has over 700 games available in its library.
Key first-party titles
The Nintendo GameCube software library contains such traditional Nintendo series as ''Mario'', ''The Legend of Zelda'', ''Metroid'', and ''Pokémon''.
Some of the more popular first-party titles include:
★ ''Animal Crossing'' ★ ''Custom Robo'' ★ '' ★ ''Kirby Air Ride'' ★ ''Luigi's Mansion'' ★ '' ★ '' | ★ ''Mario Party 4, 5, 6 and 7'' ★ ''Mario Power Tennis'' ★ ''Metroid Prime'' ★ '' ★ '' ★ ''Pikmin'' ★ ''Pikmin 2'' | ★ ''Pokémon Colosseum'' ★ '' ★ ''Super Mario Sunshine'' ★ ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' ★ '' ★ '' |
One of the defining aspects of the Nintendo GameCube is the rejuvenated relationship between Nintendo and its licensees. Unlike previous generations in which Nintendo was seen by some as bullying its third-party game developers, Nintendo openly sought game-development aid on the Nintendo GameCube. Sometimes, Nintendo would merely request that a third-party developer produce a game based on the third-party's own game franchises; other times, Nintendo would request that the third-party developer produce a game based on Nintendo's own game franchises. In both cases, Nintendo often took an active role in cooperating with the developer. This policy on Nintendo's part resulted in many exclusive third-party games for the Nintendo GameCube, and the arrival of multiformat titles on the platform. Because of these efforts, GameCube owners tend to support first-party games more heavily than third party games, whereas the reverse is true for PlayStation 2 and Xbox owners, as fewer high-quality first-party titles exist on those platforms.
Major second and third-party titles
Market share
Despite Nintendo's efforts, the GameCube is not recapturing the market share held by the company's earlier consoles. "Family-friendly" appeal and lack of third-party support skew the GameCube toward a younger market (see chart), which represents a minority of the gaming population. Some third-party games popular with teenagers or adults such as first-person shooters and the controversial ''Grand Theft Auto'' series were skipping a GameCube port in favor of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The GameCube does, however, have over forty M (for Mature) rated games, which is a considerably larger amount than Nintendo's previous consoles.
Also, due to Nintendo's lack of support for the online capabilities of the GameCube, as opposed to Microsoft and later Sony, who actively promoted online gaming by releasing first-party online titles and soliciting developers, many multiplatform games with online functionality are released offline-only on the GameCube. Although online support was added in late 2002 and both Sony and Nintendo followed a similar decentralized online model (in contrast to the centralized Xbox Live), lower sales of the GameCube versions of games during its launch year preclude developers from including online support. The 1.5 gigabyte proprietary disc format may also have been a limiting factor since the Xbox and PS2 use the 8.5 gigabyte dual layer DVD. However, the Nintendo disc still has sufficient room for most games, although a few games tend to have less extra content than other versions, and video compression for some games is slightly more apparent.
The strong preference of GameCube owners for first-party titles is also putting the system at odds with independent third party developers. Cross-platform games—such as sports franchises released by Electronic Arts—are selling far below their PlayStation 2 and Xbox counterparts, prompting developers to scale back or completely cease support for the GameCube. After several years of losing money from developing for Nintendo's system, Eidos Interactive announced in September 2003 that it would end support for the GameCube, cancelling several titles that had been in development.[8] Since then, however, Eidos has resumed development[9] of GameCube titles, releasing hit games such as '' and ''. Due to sagging sales, Nintendo had to cut GameCube production in order to sell off surpluses. In October 2002, Nintendo issued a profit warning.[10] Sales have rebounded slightly after a price drop to US$99 on September 24 2003[11] and the release of the '' bundle. Since this period, GameCube sales have continued to be steady, particularly in Japan, but the GameCube is still in third place in worldwide sales.
As of June 30, 2007, Nintendo has sold a total of 21.63 million Nintendo GameCube units worldwide, selling 4.02 million units in Japan, 12.84 million units in the Americas, and 4.76 million units elsewhere.1 This compares to 117.89 million PlayStation 2 units shipped as of March 31, 2007,[12] and over 24 million Xbox units sold.[13]
Some third-party companies, such as Ubisoft, THQ, Disney Interactive Studios, Humongous Entertainment, and EA Sports, will continue to release GameCube games in 2007.[14][15][16][17] Some of these titles are ''TMNT'', ''Meet the Robinsons'', ''Backyard Baseball 2007'', ''Surf's Up!'', '', ''Ratatouille'', ''Madden NFL 08'', and ''.
Online play
The GameCube was at one point online compatible by using a GameCube Modem Adapter or Broadband Adapter. However, online play was ended as of April 2007 and only LAN Gameplay is still available, by playing either ''Mario Kart Double Dash!!'', ''1080° Avalanche'' or ''Kirby Air Ride''.
Hardware specifications
The GameCube's model numbers, DOL-001 and 101, are a reference to its "Dolphin" codename. All of its official accessories and peripherals have model numbers beginning with DOL as well. Also, many other Nintendo hardware before and after the GameCube has its developers codename as a model number. Another Dolphin reference, "Flipper" is the name of the GPU for the GameCube.
Some benchmarks provided by third-party testing facilities indicate that some of these specifications, especially those relating to performance, may be conservative. One of Nintendo's primary objectives in designing the GameCube hardware was to overcome the perceived limitations and difficulties of programming for the N64 architecture, creating an affordable, well-balanced, developer-friendly console that still performs competitively against its rivals. On a side note, unofficial reports claim that the Wii's architecture is derived from that of the GameCube.
Central processing unit
IBM PowerPC "Gekko" processor
'486 MHz IBM "Gekko" PowerPC CPU.'
★ PowerPC 750CXe based core.Game Consoles: A Look Ahead, Ace's Hardware, December 14, 2003.
★ 180 nm IBM copper-wire process. 43 mm² die. 4.9 W dissipation.
★ Roughly 50 new vector instructions.
★ 32-bit ALU. 64-bit FPU, usable as 2x32-bit SIMD
★
★ 1.9Gflops on fpu (10Gflops means the whole unit in operations such as geometry engine, T&L, TEV and other, this number is not all on the CPU)
★ 64-bit enhanced PowerPC 60x front side bus to GPU/chipset. 162 MHz clock. 1.3 GB/s peak bandwidth.
★ 64 KiB L1 cache (32 KiB I/32 KiB D). 8-way associative. 256 KiB on-die L2 cache. 2-way associative.
★ 1125 DMIPS (dhrystone 2.1)
System memory
'43 MiB total non-unified RAM'
★ 24 MiB MoSys 1T-SRAM (codenamed "Splash") main system RAM. 324 MHz, 64-bit bus. 2.7 GB/s bandwidth.
★ 3 MiB embedded 1T-SRAM within "Flipper".GCN Technical Specifications, Nintendo.com, accessed December 26, 2006.
★
★ Split into 1 MiB texture buffer and 2 MiB frame buffer.
★
★ 10.4 GB/s texture bandwidth (peak). 7.6 GB/s framebuffer bandwidth (peak). ~6.2 ns latency.
★ 16 MiB DRAM used as buffer for DVD drive and audio. 81 MHz, 8-bit bus. 81 MB/s bandwidth.
Graphics processing unit and system chipset
'162 MHz "Flipper" LSI. 180 nm NEC eDRAM-compatible process. Co-developed by Nintendo and ArtX. '
★ 4 pixel pipelines with 1 texture unit each
★ TEV "Texture EnVironment" engine (similar to "pixel shader")The TEV on the Gamecube, Beyond3D forum, July, 2002.Nintendo's GameCube Technical Overview, Dreamcast Technical Pages, accessed December 26, 2006.
★ Fixed-function hardware transform and lighting (T&L). 12+ million polygons/s in-game.
★ 648 megapixels/second (162 MHz x 4 pipelines), 648 megatexels/second (648 MP x 1 texture units) (peak)
★
★ Peak triangle performance: 20,250,000 32pixel triangles/sec raw and with 1 texture and lit
★
★
★ 337,500 triangles a frame at 60fps
★
★
★ 675,000 triangles a frame at 30fps
★ 8 texture layers per pass, texture compression, full scene anti-aliasing
★ Bilinear, trilinear, and anisotropic texture filtering
★ Multi-texturing, bump mapping, reflection mapping, 24-bit z-buffer
★ 24-bit RGB / 32-bit RGBA color depth.
★
★ Hardware limitations sometimes require a 6r+6g+6b+6a mode (18-bit color), resulting in color banding.
★ 640×480 interlaced or progressive scan
★ Integrated audio processor: Custom 81 MHz Macronix DSP
★
★ Instruction Memory: 8 KiB RAM, 8 KiB ROM
★
★ Data Memory: 8 KiB RAM, 4 KiB ROM
★
★ 64 channels 16-bit 48 kHz ADPCM
★
★ Dolby Pro Logic II encoded within stereophonic output
Storage media
A GameCube ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' disc.
★ Matsushita (2.000 MB/s–3.125 MB/s) CAV mini-DVD-like 8 cm optical disk. Average access time: 128 ms; Capacity: 1.5 GB.
★ Memory cards of varying sizes for saved game storage.
The 'Nintendo GameCube Game Disc' is the medium for the Nintendo GameCube, created by Matsushita. Chosen to prevent unauthorized copying and to avoid licensing fees to the DVD Consortium, it is Nintendo's first non-cartridge storage method. Some games which contain large amounts of voice acting or pre-rendered video (for example, ''Tales of Symphonia'') have been released on two discs; however, only twenty five have been released on two discs, and no games have required a third disc.
The Nintendo GameCube can also accept Mini CD-ROM discs, provided that they are formatted to the same protocols. Only third party items such as the Action Replay boot disc, FreeLoader, and Advance Game Port boot disc are mini CD-ROM's manufactured by third party companies.
Connectivity
★ 4 controller ports, 2 memory card slots
★ Analog audiovisual port: interlaced YPbPr (composite, Y/C) and RGB video, stereophonic analog audio.
★ Digital audiovisual port: digital interlaced or progressive scan YCbCr video, stereophonic I²C sound.
★ Resolutions: 480i, 576i, 480p
★ High-speed Serial Ports: 2
★ High-speed Parallel Ports: 1
★ Power supply output: DC12 volts x 3.25 amperes
★ Physical Measurements: 110 mm (H) × 150 mm (W) × 161 mm (D); [4.3"(H) × 5.9"(W) × 6.3"(D)]
The analog AV port was identical to and compatible with the one used in Nintendo's earlier SNES, and N64 systems.
Less than one percent of GameCube owners used the digital AV port,[18] therefore the digital output was eventually removed from the design to reduce the system's manufacturing costs. (See Official Information).
The standard 'GameCube controller' is a standard wing grip design, and is designed to fit well in one's hands. It totals eight buttons, two analog sticks and a D-pad. The primary analog stick is on the left, with the D-pad below it. On the right are four buttons; a large green "A" button in the center, a smaller red "B" button to the left, an "X" button to the right and a "Y" button to the top. Below those, there is a yellow "C" stick, which often serves different functions, from controlling the camera, to one similar to that of the right analog stick on a DualShock 2 controller. The start/pause button is in the middle of the controller.
On the top of the controller there are two analog shoulder buttons marked "L" and "R", as well as one digital one marked "Z". The "L" and "R" shoulder buttons the main innovation, have both digital and analog capabilities. In analog mode, it has an additional 'click' when fully depressed. In digital mode, it will register it as digital only when fully depressed. This serves as two additional buttons on the controller without the need to actually add physical buttons. This works by means of a dual-sensor system inside the controller, a slider piece, which is moved by pressing down on the shoulder button and a separate button press pad at the base.
Like most analog controllers, the GameCube controller self-calibrates when the console is switched on, setting the current analog stick and L and R buttons' positions as "neutral," which may cause problems if the controls are not actually in their neutral position during calibration. Holding down X, Y and start/pause for three seconds at any time will recalibrate the controller. Unplugging and reconnecting the controller, and in the case of the wireless WaveBird controller, turning the controller off and back on, will also force a recalibration. The game actually recognizes the holding down of X, Y, and start/pause as unplugging the controller and doing so results in an error message about the controller being unplugged, even if it is not.
Some earlier and later revisions of the GameCube consoles developed disc read problems with the optical pickup becoming thermal sensitive over time, causing read errors when the console reached normal operating temperature. Failures of this sort require replacement of the optical pickup. Affected consoles had sometimes been serviced free of charge by Nintendo even after the expiration of the warranty period.
Accessories and peripherals
First-party/officially licensed
★ 'Controller' (Standard colors include Indigo, Black, Spice (Orange), Emerald Blue (Green - Only available in Japan), Platinum, and Indigo-clear). There are also many limited edition controllers available such as a split blue and red, with the Mario "M" logo replacing the regular GameCube logo seen on standard controllers (there have also been green and blue Luigi "L" controllers and similarly yellow and pale blue Wario "W" controller). There are also specially colored controllers bundled with systems, such as the Mobile Suit Gundam Edition (Red), Symphonic Green Edition (Turquoise Green) and the Final Fantasy Crystal White Edition (Pearl White). The controller can also be used to play certain games on the Wii system.
★ 'WaveBird' – RF wireless controller.
★ 'Memory Card 59' (4 Mib), '251' (16 Mib), or '1019' (64 Mib) blocks, with a maximum of 127 files can be stored on a single card (Memory Card 59 bundled with ''Animal Crossing''). Each card requires 5 blocks of system data meaning that the actual size of cards are 64, 256 and 1024 respectively.
★ 'Nintendo GameCube-Game Boy Advance cable' – for games that support connectivity between the GameCube and the Game Boy Advance (bundled with some games).
★ 'Modem or Broadband adapter' – for internet or LAN play (both of which connect to the Serial Port 1).
★ 'Game Boy Player' – to play Game Boy games on the television, using either a GameCube controller or a connected Game Boy Advance (which connects to the Hi Speed Port).
★ 'AV cables' – included with the GameCube. Provides noticeably clearer and sharper picture quality and clearer audio than an RF Switch, identical to and compatible with earlier Nintendo AV cables.
★ 'Component video cable' (for progressive scan (480p) support) which requires a GameCube with Digital Video Output. This cable was not only a cable, but actually a tiny video card as well, using the Macronix CMPV-DOL video chip. This was needed in order to convert the YCbCr digital video coming from the console to the YPbPr analog format used by component video equipment. While CMPV-DOL’s reconfigurability allows it to carry out unusual functions such as YCbCr to RGBHV conversion, the component video cable does not take advantage of the digital audio from the console’s digital port. This means that one must use an analog cable in the other port to get audio.
★ 'D-Terminal Video Cable' – allows Progressive Scan mode to be enabled through a D-Terminal port on a TV. It was sold in Japan only. Identical to the Component Video Cable but for its connector, it also requires a digital AV port and needs a separate analog cable for audio.
★ 'RGB Cable' – provides a better quality picture than composite cables. It utilizes the SCART connector standard and is sold in Europe only.
★ 'S-Video Cable' – provides a better quality picture than composite RCA cables, although not up to that of the Component Cable, identical to and compatible with earlier Nintendo S-Video cables. Only NTSC GameCubes could use the S-Video cable.
★ 'RF Switch/RF Modulator' – for connection to older televisions, identical to and compatible with earlier Nintendo RF modulators.
Nintendo's DK Bongos, an accessory used for rhythm games
★ 'DK Bongos' for use with the music games ''Donkey Konga'', ''Donkey Konga 2'' and ''Donkey Konga 3'', the Donkey Kong platform title ''Donkey Kong Jungle Beat''. A racing game, ''DK Bongo Blast'', was cancelled on the GameCube in favor of the Wii – however, the game no longer supports the Bongos. (Donkey Konga and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat were bundled with DK Bongos compatible games.)
★ 'Microphone', which plugs into memory card slot, for use with ''Mario Party 6'', ''Mario Party 7'', and ''Karaoke Revolution Party''. ''Odama'' also includes a microphone clip to clip on to the controller. Commands are issued when you hold the X button on the controller. The microphone bundled with ''Mario Party 6 and 7'' and ''Odama'' is grey, while the mic bundled with ''KRP'' is black.
★ ''SD Card Adapter', for games exhibiting the SD Card logo like ''Animal Forest e+''. This official Nintendo accessory is currently sold in Japan only.
★ 'Action Pad', included with ''. It has 4 arrows.
★ 'Beat Pad', made by Mad Catz and officially licensed by Nintendo, included with the game ''MC Groovz Dance Craze''. Also sold separately. It has 8 arrows.
★ 'ASCII keyboard controller', resembling a standard GameCube controller pad stretched to accommodate an alphanumeric keyboard in the center. The keyboard requires the use of two controller ports, and contains both Roman and Japanese hiragana characters. It is considered particularly useful for ''Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II'' and is difficult, though not impossible, to acquire outside of Japan. A cheaper and easier keyboard to import is made by Datel, although most people opt to purchase just an adapter so they can use their own PC keyboards.
★ 'Hori Game Boy Player Controller' – A controller designed to play with the Game Boy Player. It only came in the colors Indigo and Jet Black. The controller is in the shape of a Super Nintendo control pad. It does not include the Control Stick or C-Stick, and the R and L buttons lack a range of pressure sensitivity; thus, only uses the D-Pad for movement and the usual buttons for playing. Although meant for the Game Boy Player, this pad can still be used with certain 2-D GameCube games, such as ''Alien Hominid'', ''Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO'', ''Mega Man Anniversary Collection'', ''Sonic Mega Collection'', ''Sonic Gems Collection'', or a few 3-D Gamecube games that support D-pad movement, like '' and '' for example.
★ 'Logitech Speed Force Racing Wheel' – An officially licensed force feedback steering wheel made exclusively for the GameCube. It is supported by a number of games, including ''F-Zero GX'', ''R: Racing Evolution'', ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'', ''Burnout 2'', and the ''Need for Speed'' series, among others. There is also an optional accessory pack which includes foot pedals and a lap attachment.
★ 'ProDG' – An officially licensed development tool for the GameCube. In a photo from the product's homepage (SNSYS: ProDG), the cable appears to be protruding from the left side of the case where the Serial Port 2 should be. If this ''does'' connect to that port, this would be the only accessory known to do this.
★ 'Panasonic LCD Screen' – An officially licensed monitor screen for the GameCube by Panasonic that was used on the GameCube display models at the 2002 Electronic Entertainment Expo. It connected into the GameCube's digital AV out port. The screen had a brace like an easel to prop it up snugly on top of the GameCube. No price or release date was announced for this accessory as this might have been made just for the E3 showings.
Third party
★ 'Action Replay' – A cheat device made by Datel, allowing gamers to enter codes to cheat at games. A FreeLoader is also included with the software. It contains a boot disc with the codes and startup, and a dongle that connects into memory card slot B. The dongle could only be used for saving codes. It is compatible with the Wii for GameCube games.
★ 'Action Replay MAX' – An Action Replay with a bigger dongle. The dongle can not only save codes, but also can be used as a 64 Mib card with 1019 blocks. It is compatible with the Wii for GameCube games.
★ 'FreeLoader' – Made by Datel, this disc disables the regional lockout in the GameCube, allowing games from any region (PAL, NTSC, NTSC-J, etc.) to be played on a console from any region. Some Freeloaders are compatible with the Wii, Allowing out of region GameCube games on it.
★ 'Advance Game Port' – Datel's version of the Game Boy Player. This dongle would connect to memory card slot B and would be booted up with the included boot disc. Some models had code generators for built in cheat devices. The advantage was that no removal of plates on the bottom, nor tools, were needed to install it. There are a few problems with the audio and video framerate and was not 100% compatible with GBA games.
★ 'Pelican Bongos' – These bongos made by Pelican Accessories are a much darker color and have a 10% larger surface than the Nintendo bongos.
★ 'MAX Drive' – This device consists of a dongle, USB cable, and a PC software disc, which allows the user to upload game saves from a memory card to a PC to be stored there or sent over the Internet. However, there have been reports of this device corrupting save files, not always connecting to a PC, and sometimes refusing to receive information from the PC.
★ 'Powerboard' – A USB keyboard by Datel with a GameCube matching unit that could be used with the online Phantasy Star games. It could also be used to edit/add codes to the Action Replay.
★ 'MAX Memory' – This 128 Mib dongle by Datel contains up to 2043 blocks of data and is the largest memory card for the GameCube to date.
★ 'Innovation INNOV3102 Controller Adaptor' – This matching unit allows PlayStation and PS2 controllers to be used on the GameCube.
★ 'Hais GameCube Smart Joy (HS2125C)' – This adapter allows the connection of PlayStation 1 and 2 controllers to be used on the GameCube.
★ 'Controller Extension' – An extension cable for the controller, allowing the user to be farther away from the GameCube.
★ 'LCD Screen' – LCD screens made by a variety of manufacturers (Intec, Mad Catz, Zenith) that snap onto the GameCube and thus allow you to play it without a television. This would make it somewhat portable for taking it on trips or in the car. The screen piggy backed onto the GameCube's power supply for its power and connects to the digital AV out.
★ 'Battery Pack' – This battery pack made by Intec attaches securely to the bottom of the gamecube with its provided screws and offers about two hours worth of game time on a charge. It was designed to work with an LCD screen.
★ 'SD Media Launcher' – Allows homebrew games to be played on the GameCube. The dongle connects into the memory card slot and contains a removable SD card which holds the games. Also has a boot disc for starting the unit up, a 1 GB SD card, and a USB SD card adaptor for uploading games from your PC to your GameCube. Will also work on Wii systems in GameCube mode with firmware versions before 3.0.
★ 'MAX Media Player' – Allows videos and other downloadable media to be played on a Game Cube. Movies and media are transferred to the included 1 GB Micro SD card, that is then inserted into a dongle for the Game Cube and into memory card slot B. The kit also includes boot disc, SD adapter (for use on the Wii in GameCube mode), USB micro SD Card adaptor, and a small remote control for easy management.
★ 'Hip Screen' – By Hip Gear, this is a controller that features a small full color LCD screen on it. Its size was roughly that of the Game Boy Advance, so games that had very fine text could not be well read on it.
★ 'VGA Adapter' – created from modified component and d-terminal cables, allows GameCube play on a standard computer monitor in full 480p.
North American marketing
Nintendo has used several advertising strategies and techniques for the GameCube. The earliest commercials displayed a rotating cube video, which would quickly morph into the GameCube logo. A female voice whispered "GameCube". This was usually after the normal commercial for a GameCube game. Later on, Nintendo incorporated a video clip before the normal clip for the GameCube game would begin, similar to the brief PlayStation 2 logo before a commercial featuring the game. It basically rotated around what appeared to be the top of a GameCube console, with the lettering being slightly 3D. The lettering would begin as a wave, only to settle on the top of the pictured console.
Subsequent ad campaigns had Nintendo advertising with a "Who Are You" tangent, essentially marketing the wide range of games Nintendo offers. The idea behind the "Who Are You?" campaign is that "you are what you play"; the kind of game a gamer enjoys playing suggests a dominant trait in that gamer's personality. The "Who Are You" logo is similar to graffiti lettering. Most of the "Who Are You?" commercials advertised games developed or published by Nintendo, but some developers paid Nintendo to promote their games, using Nintendo's marketing and advertising resources. One example is the advertisement campaign for Square Enix's GameCube-exclusive ''Final Fantasy'' game, ''Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles''.
Some unexpected marketing came from the 2006 musical single by Mike Jones entitled ''Still Tippin'.'' The system is mentioned in a line by guest artist Slim Thug: ''"Blowing on the endo, GameCube Nintendo/Five percent tint so you can't see up in my window."''
Price history
| '''North America''' ★ US$199.99 (November 18, 2001, Launch Price) (C$299.99)[19] ★ US$149.99 (May 13, 2002) (C$229.99) ★ US$99.99 (September 24, 2003)'''Japan''' ★ JP¥25,000 yen (September 14, 2001 launch price) ★ JP¥? (May 13, 2003) ★ JP¥14,800 (September 25,2003) | '''United Kingdom''' ★ GB£129.99 (May 3, 2002, launch price) ★ GB£29.99 (Present)'''Eurozone''' ★ €199/219 (May 3, 2002, launch price) ★ €99 (present)'''Australia''' ★ AU$329.99 (May 17, 2002, launch price) ★ AU$99.99 (present) |
See also
★ List of Nintendo GameCube network games
★ List of Player's Choice games
References
1. Consolidated Financial Highlights
2. Super Smash Bros. Melee
3. The Ultimate GameCube FAQ IGN Staff
4. How do I rip GC games?
5. Nintendo denies Cube axing Rob Purchese
6. Nintendo denies ending GameCube support Matt Martin
7. GameCube on: the 'Cube is officially not dead -- yet Ryan Block
8. Eidos to Pull GCN Support
9. Game Companies : Eidos Interactive
10. Nintendo shares fall after profit warning
11. Nintendo GameCube Price Drops to !
12. Cumulative Production Shipments of Hardware / PlayStation®2
13. WMS: 360 Going Strong; Original Xbox 'Abandoned'
14. Surf's Up official Press Release
15. Ratatouille official Press Release
16. Madden NFL 08 official Press Release
17. Disney Showcases E3 Lineup
18. Nintendo's Gamecube Component FAQ page
19. News Archive For May 2001
External links
★ Nintendo GameCube Official site by Nintendo of America
★ 1UP.com: GameCube
★ GNU/Linux on the Nintendo GameCube
★ GameSpot
★ IGNCube
★ Dolby – Dolby's Guide to audio on the Nintendo GameCube
★ Gamecube digital connector pinout
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