Nintendo began developing the GameCube in 1998 after entering a partnership with ArtX to design a graphics processing unit. The console was formally announced under the codename "Dolphin" the following year, and was released in 2001 as the GameCube. It is Nintendo's first console to use its own optical discs instead of ROM cartridges, supplemented by writable memory cards for saved games. Unlike its competitors, it is solely focused on gaming and does not play mass media like DVD or CD. The console supports limited online gaming for a few games via a GameCube broadband or modem adapter and can connect to a Game Boy Advance with a link cable for exclusive in-game features using the handheld as a second screen and controller. The GameCube supports e-Reader cards to unlock special features in a few games. The Game Boy Player add-on runs Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance cartridge games.
In 1997, graphics hardware design company ArtX was launched with twenty engineers who had previously worked at SGI. ArtX was led by Wei Yen, who had been SGI's head of Nintendo Operations and of Project Reality, which from 1993 to 1996 had scaled down SGI's supercomputer design to become the Nintendo 64.[15][16]
Development
In May 1998, ArtX entered into a partnership with Nintendo to undertake the complete design of the system logic and graphics processor, codenamed "Flipper)," for Nintendo's sixth-generation video game console.[17] The console went through a series of codenames, including N2000,[18] Star Cube, and Nintendo Advance.[19] On May 12, 1999, Nintendo publicly announced the console during a press conference, giving it the codename "Dolphin" and positioning it as the successor to the Nintendo 64. This announcement also revealed strategic partnerships with IBM for the creation of Dolphin's PowerPC-based CPU, codenamed "Gekko," and with Panasonic (Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.) for the development of its DVD drive and other Dolphin-based devices.[20][16][21] Following this announcement, Nintendo began providing development kits to game developers, including Rare and Retro Studios.[20]
In April 2000, ArtX was acquired by ATI, whereupon the Flipper graphics processor design had already been mostly completed by ArtX and was not overtly influenced by ATI.[15][17] In total, ArtX cofounder Greg Buchner recalled that their portion of the console's hardware design timeline had arced from inception in 1998 to completion in 2000.[15] Of the ArtX acquisition, an ATI spokesperson said, "ATI now becomes a major supplier to the game console market via Nintendo. The Dolphin platform is reputed to be king of the hill in terms of graphics and video performance with 128-bit architecture."[22]
The console was announced as the GameCube at a press conference in Japan on August 25, 2000,[23] abbreviated as both "NGC" and "GC" in Japan[24][25] and "GCN" in Europe and North America.[26] Nintendo unveiled its software lineup for the console at E3 2001, focusing on fifteen launch games, including Luigi's Mansion and Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader.[27] Several games originally scheduled to launch with the console were delayed.[28] It is also the first Nintendo home console since the Famicom not to have a Mario launch game.[29]
Long before the console's launch, Nintendo had developed and patented an early prototype of motion controls for the GameCube, with which developer Factor 5 had experimented for its launch games.[30][20] Greg Thomas, Sega of America's VP of Development said, "What does worry me is Dolphin's sensory controllers [which are rumored to include microphones and headphone jacks] because there's an example of someone thinking about something different." These motion control concepts would not be deployed to consumers for several years, until the Wii Remote.[20]
Prior to the GameCube's release, Nintendo focused resources on the launch of the Game Boy Advance, a handheld game console and successor to the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color. As a result, several games originally destined for the Nintendo 64 console were postponed to become early releases on the GameCube. Concurrently, Nintendo was developing GameCube software provisioning future connectivity with the Game Boy Advance. Certain games, such as The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, can use the handheld as a secondary screen and controller when connected to the console via a link cable.[31][32]
Nintendo began its marketing campaign with the catchphrase "The Nintendo Difference" at its E3 2001 reveal.[27] The goal was to distinguish itself from the competition as an entertainment company.[33] Later advertisements have the slogan, "Born to Play", and game ads feature a rotating cube animation that morphs into a GameCube logo and end with a voice whispering, "GameCube".[34][35] On May 21, 2001, the console's launch price of US$199 was announced, $100 lower than that of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.[6] Nintendo spent $76 million marketing the GameCube.[36]
In September 2020, leaked documents included Nintendo's plans for a GameCube model that would be both portable with a built-in display and dockable to a TV, similar to its later console the Nintendo Switch.[37][38] Other leaks suggest plans for a GameCube successor, codenamed Tako, with HD graphics and slots for SD and memory cards, apparently resulting from a partnership with ATI and scheduled for release in 2005.[39]
The GameCube was launched in Japan on September 14, 2001.[40] Approximately 500,000 units were shipped in time to retailers.[41] The console was scheduled to launch two months later in North America on November 5, 2001, but the date was pushed back in an effort to increase the number of available units.[42] The console eventually launched in North America on November 18, 2001, with over 700,000 units shipped to the region.[1] Other regions followed suit the following year beginning with Europe in the second quarter of 2002.[43]
Throughout the mid 2000s, GameCube hardware sales remained far behind its direct competitor the PlayStation 2, and slightly behind the Xbox, though there were brief periods when the console would outsell both.[45][46][47] The console's family-friendly appeal and lack of support from certain third-party developers skewed the GameCube toward a younger market, which was a minority of the gaming population during the sixth-generation.[48] Many third-party games popular with teenagers or adults, such as the blockbuster Grand Theft Auto series and several key first-person shooters, skipped the GameCube entirely in favor of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.[49][50] However, many gaming journalists and analysts noted that Nintendo's primary focus on younger audiences, and its family-friendly image, was the biggest advantage and disadvantage at a time when video games were aimed at more mature audiences.[l] Nintendo was successful with games aimed at a more mature audience.[60][61][62][63]
As of June 2003[update], the GameCube had a 13% market share, tying with the Xbox in sales but far below the 60% of the PlayStation 2.[64][65] However, despite slow sales and tough competition,[66] Nintendo's position improved by 2003 and 2004.[67][68][69] The American market share for the GameCube had gone up from 19% to 37% in one year alone due to price cuts and high-quality games.[m] One article stated that by early 2004, the GameCube had 39% market share in America.[79] By Christmas of 2003, Nintendo of America's president, George Harrison, reported that the company's price cuts down to just under $100 quadrupled sales in the American market.[80][81][82] GameCube's profitability never reached that of the PlayStation 2 or Game Boy Advance.[83][84][85] However, it was more profitable than the Xbox.[86][87]
GameCube's first two years had slow sales and struggles, and by 2004 and 2005 vastly improved to a 32% share of the hardware market in Europe.[88][89] Due to price drops, which saved it in the American markets,[90] and high-quality games from various developers, such as Pokémon Colosseum and Resident Evil 4,[91][92] the GameCube improved to put Xbox down to third place.[93][94][95][96][97] The top three European countries for GameCube success included the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, and modestly in Spain and Italy.[n] Though falling behind the PlayStation 2 in Europe, the GameCube was successful and profitable there.[102]
Discontinuation
Nintendo launched the Wii, the home console successor to the GameCube, on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 in other regions. In February 2007, Nintendo announced that it had ceased first-party support for the GameCube and that the console had been discontinued, as it was shifting its manufacturing and development efforts towards the Wii and Nintendo DS.[103][104] GameCube controllers, game discs, and certain accessories continued to be supported via the Wii's backward compatibility, although this feature was removed in later iterations of the Wii console. The final game officially released on the GameCube was Madden NFL 08, on August 14, 2007. Several games originally developed for the GameCube were either reworked for a Wii release, such as Super Paper Mario, or released on both consoles, such as the Wii launch game The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Howard Cheng, technical director of Nintendo technology development, said the company's goal was to select a "simple RISC architecture" to help speed the development of games by making it easier on software developers. IGN reported that the system was "designed from the get-go to attract third-party developers by offering more power at a cheaper price. Nintendo's design document for the console specifies that cost is of utmost importance, followed by space."[18] Hardware partner ArtX's Vice President Greg Buchner stated that their guiding thought on the console's hardware design was to target the developers rather than the players, and to "look into a crystal ball" and discern "what's going to allow the Miyamoto-sans of the world to develop the best games".[15]
We thought about the developers as our main customers. In particular, for GameCube, we spent three years working with Nintendo of America and with all sorts of developers, trying to understand the challenges, needs, and problems they face. First among these is the rising cost of development. The GameCube can see high performance without too much trouble; it isn't a quirky design, but a very clean one. It was important we didn't require jumping through hoops for high performance to be achieved. On top of that, it is rich in features, and we worked to include a dream group of technical features that developers requested.
Initiating the GameCube's design in 1998, Nintendo partnered with ArtX (then acquired by ATI Technologies during development) for the system logic and the GPU,[17] and with IBM for the CPU. IBM designed a 32-bit PowerPC-based processor with custom architectural extensions for the next-generation console, known as Gekko, which runs at 486 MHz and features a floating point unit (FPU) capable of a total throughput of 1.9 GFLOPS[106] and a peak of 10.5 GFLOPS.[107] Described as "an extension of the IBM PowerPC architecture", the Gekko CPU is based on the PowerPC 750CXe with IBM's 0.18μm CMOS technology, which features copper interconnects.[16] Codenamed Flipper, the GPU runs at 162 MHz, and in addition to graphics manages other tasks through its audio and input/output (I/O) processors.[106][108][109][110]
The GameCube is Nintendo's first console to not use primarily cartridge media, following the Famicom Data Recorder, Famicom Disk System, SNES-CD, and 64DD which represent past explorations of complementary storage technologies.[111] The GameCube introduced a proprietary miniDVD optical disc format for up to 1.5 GB of data.[112] It was designed by Matsushita Electric Industrial (now Panasonic Corporation) with a proprietary copy-protection scheme unlike the Content Scramble System (CSS) in standard DVDs.[113] The size is sufficient for most games, although a few multi-platform games require an extra disc, higher video compression, or removal of content. By comparison, the PlayStation 2 and Xbox use CDs and DVDs up to 8.5 GB.
Like its predecessor, the Nintendo 64, GameCube models were produced in several different color motifs. The system launched in "Indigo", the primary color shown in advertising and on the logo, and in "Jet Black".[114] One year later, Nintendo released a "Platinum" limited-edition GameCube, which uses a silver color scheme for both the console and controller.[115] A "Spice" orange-colored console was eventually released only in Japan, though that scheme is only on controllers released in other countries.[116]
Nintendo developed stereoscopic 3D technology for the GameCube, supported by one launch game, Luigi's Mansion. However, the feature never reached production. 3D televisions were not widespread, and it was deemed that compatible displays and crystals for the add-on accessories would be too cost-prohibitive for the consumer.[117][118][119] Two audio Easter eggs can be invoked when the power is activated with the "Z" button on the Player 1 controller held down, or with four controllers connected and holding down the "Z" buttons.[120]
Memory Card 59
The GameCube features two memory card ports for saving game data. Nintendo released three memory card options: Memory Card 59 in gray (512 KB), Memory Card 251 in black (2 MB), and Memory Card 1019 in white (8 MB). These are often advertised in megabits instead: 4 Mb, 16 Mb, and 64 Mb, respectively.[121] Memory cards with larger capacities were released by third-party manufacturers.[122]
Nintendo learned from its experiences—both positive and negative—with the Nintendo 64's three-handled controller design and chose a two-handled, "handlebar" design for the GameCube. The shape was popularized by Sony's PlayStation controller released in 1994 and its follow-up DualShock series in 1997 with vibration feedback and two analog sticks to improve the 3D experience. Nintendo and Microsoft designed similar features in the controllers for their sixth-generation consoles, but instead of having the analog sticks in parallel, they are staggered by swapping the positions of the directional pad (d-pad) and left analog stick. The GameCube controller features a total of eight buttons, two analog sticks, a d-pad, and a rumble motor. The primary analog stick is on the left with the d-pad located below and closer to the center. 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 at the top. Below and to the inside is a yellow "C" analog stick, which often serves a variety of in-game functions, such as controlling the camera angle. The Start/Pause button is located in the middle, and the rumble motor is encased within the center of the controller.[123][124][125]
On the top are two "pressure-sensitive" trigger buttons marked "L" and "R". Each essentially provides two functions: one analog and one digital. As the trigger is depressed, it emits an increasing analog signal. Once fully depressed, the trigger "clicks" with a digital signal that a game can use for a separate function. There is also a purple, digital button on the right side marked "Z".[126]
The A button has a uniquely prominent size and placement, having been the primary action button in past Nintendo controller designs. The rubberized analog stick, within the overall button orientation, addresses "Nintendo thumb" pain.[127][128]
In 2002, Nintendo introduced the WaveBird Wireless Controller, the first wireless gamepad developed by a first-party console manufacturer. The RF-based wireless controller is similar in design to the standard controller. It communicates with the GameCube with a wireless receiver dongle. Powered by two AA batteries, it lacks vibration.[129]
The Panasonic Q[o] is a hybrid version of the GameCube with a standard DVD player, developed by Panasonic in a strategic alliance with Nintendo to develop the optical drive for the original GameCube hardware.[133] Its stainless steel case is completely revised with a DVD-sized front-loading tray, a backlitLCD screen with playback controls, and a carrying handle like the GameCube.[134] Announced by Panasonic on October 19, 2001, it was released exclusively in Japan on December 14 at a suggested retail price of ¥39,800; however, low sales resulted in Panasonic announcing the discontinuation of the Q on December 18, 2003.[133][135][136] The Q supports CDs, DVDs, and GameCube discs but there is virtually no integration between the GameCube and DVD player modes.[134][135][137][138]
The GameCube is Nintendo's first home console with a system menu, activated by powering on without a valid game disc or by holding down the A button while one is loaded.[172]
Early in Nintendo's history, the company had achieved considerable success with third-party developer support on the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES. Competition from the Sega Genesis and Sony PlayStation in the 1990s changed the market's landscape and reduced Nintendo's ability to obtain exclusive, third-party support on the Nintendo 64. The Nintendo 64 Game Pak cartridge format increased the cost to manufacture software, as opposed to the cheaper, higher-capacity optical discs on PlayStation.[173]
Online play requires an official broadband or modem adapter because the GameCube lacks out of the box network capabilities. Nintendo never commissioned any Internet services for GameCube, but allowed other publishers to manage custom online experiences.[218]
Reception
The GameCube received mixed reviews following its launch. PC Magazine praised the overall hardware design and quality of games available at launch.[219]CNET gave an average review rating, noting that though the console lacks a few features offered by its competition, it is relatively inexpensive, has a great controller design, and launched a decent lineup of games.[220] In later reviews, criticism mounted against the console often centering on its overall look and feel, describing it as "toy-ish".[221][222] With poor sales figures and the associated financial harm to Nintendo, a Time International article called the GameCube an "unmitigated disaster".[64]
Retrospectively, Joystiq compared the GameCube's launch window to its successor, the Wii, noting that the GameCube's "lack of games" resulted in a subpar launch, and the console's limited selection of online games damaged its market share in the long run.[223]Time International concluded that the system had low sales figures, because it lacked "technical innovations".[224]
Sales
In Japan, between 280,000 and 300,000 GameCube consoles were sold during the first three days of its sale, out of an initial shipment of 450,000 units.[225] During its launch weekend, $100 million worth of GameCube products were sold in North America.[226] The console was sold out in several stores, faster than initial sales of both of its competitors, the Xbox and the PlayStation 2.[227][228] Nintendo reported that the most popular launch game is Luigi's Mansion, with more sales at its launch than Super Mario 64 had.[229] Other popular games include Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader and Wave Race: Blue Storm.[226] By early December 2001, 600,000 units had been sold in the US.[230]
Nintendo predicted 50 million GameCube units by 2005,[231] but only sold 22 million GameCube units worldwide during its lifespan,[8][232] placing it slightly behind the Xbox's 24 million,[233] though it did manage to outsell the Xbox in Japan,[234] and well behind the PlayStation 2's 155 million.[235]Ars Technica articles from 2006 showed and a 2020 book show that Nintendo had officially sold 24 million GameCube consoles worldwide,[236][237][238] and one article from Seeking Alpha shows that the GameCube sold 26 million consoles worldwide.[239] Its sales exceeded that of the Xbox 360 in Japan.[240][241][242][243] The GameCube's predecessor, the Nintendo 64, also outperformed it at nearly 33 million units.[244] It also exceeded the Dreamcast, which yielded 9.13 million units.[245] In September 2009, IGN ranked the GameCube 16th in its list of best gaming consoles of all time, placing it behind all three of its sixth-generation competitors: the PlayStation 2 (3rd), the Dreamcast (8th), and the Xbox (11th).[221] As of March 31, 2003, 9.55 million GameCube units had been sold worldwide, behind Nintendo's initial goal of 10 million consoles.[246] Many of Nintendo's own first-party games, such as Super Smash Bros. Melee,[247][248][249]Pokémon Colosseum,[250][251][252] and Mario Kart: Double Dash,[253] had strong sales, though this did not typically benefit third-party developers or directly drive sales of their games.[254] However, at the same time, these first-party games, and second-party and third-party games, elevated the GameCube.[p]
Sales of many cross-platform games—such as sports franchises released by Electronic Arts—were far below their PlayStation 2 and Xbox counterparts, eventually prompting some developers to scale back or completely cease support for the GameCube. Exceptions include Sega's family friendly Sonic Adventure 2 and Super Monkey Ball,[259] which reportedly yielded more sales on GameCube than most of the company's games on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox.[20][260][261][262] In June 2003, Acclaim Entertainment CEO Rod Cousens said that the company would no longer support the GameCube, and criticized it as a system "that don't deliver profits". Acclaim would later rescind his claims, by saying the company would elevate support for the system.[263] This decision was made unclear after the company filed for bankruptcy in August 2004. In September 2003, Eidos Interactive announced to end support for the GameCube, as the publisher was losing money from developing for Nintendo's console. This led to several games in development being canceled for the system.[264] Eidos's CEO Mike McGravey would say that the GameCube was a "declining business". However, after the company's purchase by the SCi Entertainment Group in 2005, Eidos resumed development for the system and released Lego Star Wars: The Video Game[265] and Tomb Raider: Legend.
In March 2003, British retailer Dixons removed all GameCube consoles, accessories and games from its stores.[266] That same month, another British retailer Argos, cut the price of the GameCube in their stores to £78.99, which was more than £50 cheaper than Nintendo's SRP for the console at the time.[267] However, in October of that year, they did eventually restock their supply of consoles after a price drop was ordered which caused the console sales to outpace the PlayStation 2 for a week.[268][269]
With sales sagging and millions of unsold consoles in stock, Nintendo halted GameCube production for the first nine months of 2003 to reduce surplus units.[64] Sales rebounded slightly after a price drop to US$99.99 on September 24, 2003[270] and the release of The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition bundle. A demo disc, the GameCube Preview Disc, was also released in a bundle in 2003.[271] Beginning with this period, GameCube sales continued to be steady, particularly in Japan, but the GameCube remained in third place in worldwide sales during the sixth-generation era because of weaker sales performance elsewhere, though its fortunes would change for the better in America and Europe.[272]
Iwata forecasted to investors that the company would sell 50 million GameCube units worldwide by March 2005, but by the end of 2006, it had only sold 21.74 million—fewer than half.[20] However, it had the highest attach rate of any Nintendo console at 9.59 and was profitable,[273][274][275] even more than Xbox with higher sales rates.[276][277]
GamesRadar+ ranked it 11th on their list of The 20 best video game consoles and hardware of all time in 2021.[293]Den of Geek placed it at number 12 on their list of The 25 Best Video Game Consoles Ever, Ranked, in 2023.[294]
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^"Iwata Asks: Nintendo 3DS". p. 3. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2011. Iwata: To go back a little further, the Nintendo GameCube system actually had 3D-compatible circuitry built-in [...] Itoi: Nintendo GameCube did? And all the Nintendo GameCube systems around the world? Iwata: Yeah. If you fit it with a certain accessory, it could display 3D images.
^ abLake, Max (October 19, 2001). "Q for Christmas in Japan". Nintendo World Report. Reuters. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
^ abMirabella III, Fran (April 9, 2002). "Panasonic Q Review". IGN. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
^Bramwell, Tom (January 4, 2002). "First quarter for GameCube". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
^Metts, Jonathan (March 27, 2001). "Namco Likes Nintendo – News". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
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