Nintendo_gamecube

Nintendo GameCube
Manufacturer	Nintendo
Type	Video game console
Generation	Sixth generation era
First available	JP September 14, 2001 NA November 18, 2001 EU May 3, 2002 AUS May 17, 2002
CPU	PowerPC Gekko, 485 MHz
GPU	ATI Technologies, 162 MHz
Media	Nintendo GameCube Game Disc
System storage	Nintendo GameCube Memory Card
Connectivity	Broadband Adapter or Modem Adapter
Units sold	Worldwide: 21.72 million (as of December 31 2007) Japan: 4.02 million Americas: 12.94 million Other: 4.76 millionConsolidated Financial Highlights (PDF) 8. Nintendo (2008-01-24). Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
Best-selling game	Super Smash Bros. Melee, 7.09 million (as of March 10, 2008)Nintendo of America Inc. (2008-03-10). "At Long Last, Nintendo Proclaims: Let the Brawls Begin on Wii!". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-03-11. “The previous installment in the series, Super Smash Bros. Melee, was the best-selling game of all time for Nintendo GameCube with 7.09 million copies sold worldwide.”
Backward compatibility	Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance (Game Boy Player add-on required)
Predecessor	Nintendo 64
Successor	Wii

The Nintendo GameCube (GCN) is Nintendo\'s fourth home video game console and is part of the sixth generation era. The hardware system itself is the most compact and least expensive, next to Sega\'s Dreamcast, of the sixth generation era consoles. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 and the predecessor of the Wii. 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.

Contents 1 Hardware specifications 1.1 Central processing unit 1.2 System memory 1.3 Graphics processing unit (GPU) and system chipset 1.4 Storage media 1.5 Connectivity 1.6 Controller 1.7 Technical issues 2 Software library 2.1 Launch titles 2.2 Market share 2.3 Online play 3 Accessories and peripherals 3.1 First-party/officially licensed 3.2 Third party 4 North American marketing 4.1 Price history 5 Easter egg 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

Hardware specifications

The GameCube\'s model numbers, DOL-001 and 101, are a reference to its DolphinSay Hello to Project Dolphin. IGN (1999-05-04). Retrieved on 2008-01-27. codename. All of its official accessories and peripherals have model numbers beginning with DOL as well. Also, many other types of Nintendo hardware before and after the GameCube has its developer\'s codename as a model number. Another Dolphin reference, "Flipper" is the name of the GPU for the GameCubeGameCube 101: Graphics. IGN (2001-01-16). Retrieved on 2008-01-27..

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 Nintendo 64 architecture; thus creating an affordable, well-balanced, developer-friendly console that still performs competitively against its rivals.^{[citation needed]}

Central processing unit

Main article: Gekko (microprocessor)

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
  • FPU:1.9Gflops
• 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 MB total non-unified RAM

• 24 MB MoSys 1T-SRAM (codenamed "Splash") main system RAM. 324 MHz, 64-bit bus. 2.7 GB/s bandwidth.
• 3 MB embedded 1T-SRAM within "Flipper"". GCN Technical Specifications, Nintendo.com, accessed December 26, 2006.^{[dead link]}
  • Split into 1 MB texture buffer and 2 MB frame buffer.
  • 10.4 GB/s texture bandwidth (peak). 7.6 GB/s framebuffer bandwidth (peak). ~6.2 ns latency.
• 16 MB DRAM used as buffer for DVD drive and audio. 81 MHz, 8-bit bus. 81 MB/s bandwidth.

IBM PowerPC "Gekko" processor

Graphics processing unit (GPU) and system chipset

162 MHz "Flipper" LSI. 180 nm NEC eDRAM-compatible process. Co-developed by Nintendo and ArtX.

• 8Gflops
• 4 pixel pipelines with 1 texture unit each
• TEV "Texture EnVironment" engine (similar to Nvidia\'s GeForce256 "register combiners")
• Fixed-function hardware transform and lighting (T&L). 12+ million polygons/s in-game.http://www.segatech.com/gamecube/overview/index.html
• 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 http://www.segatech.com/gamecube/overview/index.html
• 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.
• 720×480 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 ADPCMhttp://www.segatech.com/gamecube/overview/index.html
  • Dolby Pro Logic II encoded within stereophonic output

Storage media

A GameCube disc, Super Smash Bros. Melee.

For more details on this topic, see Nintendo optical discs.

• 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 for any system released in North America and Europe (the Famicom Disk System and Nintendo 64DD were only released in Japan). 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 titles have been released on two discs, and no games require three or more discs.

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 I²S 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.

Nintendo found that the digital AV port was used by less than one percent of users, causing the port to be removed from systems manufactured after May 2004.Nintendo\'s GameCube Component FAQ page This was made noticeable on the "Pearl White" Mario Strikers pak in Europe released in October 2005 also on GameCube paks still in production at this time namely the Mario Kart Pak.

Controller

The standard GameCube controller has a wing grip design, and is designed to fit well in the player\'s hands. It includes a total of 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 PlayStation 2 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 have both digital and analog capabilities. In analog mode, the shoulder buttons have an additional "click" when fully depressed. In digital mode, it will register it as digital only when fully depressed. This difference, in effect, 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.

The GameCube controller is compatible with the Wii as Gamecube games cannot be played on the Wii without it.

Technical issues

Some earlier and later revisions of the GameCube consoles developed disc read problems with the optical pickup becoming thermally 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 have sometimes been serviced free of charge by Nintendo even after the expiration of the warranty period.^{[citation needed]}

Software library

Main articles: List of Nintendo GameCube games, Chronology of GameCube games, and Player\'s Choice

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
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader	Factor 5	LucasArts
Super Monkey Ball	Amusement Vision	Sega
Tony Hawk\'s Pro Skater 3	Neversoft	Activision
Wave Race: Blue Storm	NST	Nintendo

The Nintendo GameCube currently has over 700 games available in its library.^{[citation needed]}

The Nintendo GameCube software library contains such traditional Nintendo series as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid.

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]} This policy on Nintendo\'s part resulted in many exclusive third-party games for the Nintendo GameCube, and the arrival of multi-format 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,^{[citation needed]} as fewer first-party titles exist on those platforms.

Market share

Despite Nintendo\'s efforts, the GameCube failed to reclaim the market share lost by its predecessor, the Nintendo 64. It was in third place compared to its competitors, Sony\'s PlayStation 2 and Microsoft\'s Xbox (the latter was discontinued in 2006). The console\'s "Family-friendly" appeal and lack of third-party support skewed 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, skipped a GameCube port in favor of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The GameCube does, however, have over forty M (for Mature) rated games, a considerably larger amount than Nintendo\'s previous consoles.^{[citation needed]}

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 multi-platform games with online functionality were 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 precluded developers from including online support. The 1.5 gigabyte proprietary disc format may also have been a limiting factor since the Xbox and PS2 used the 4.7 gigabyte DVD. However, the Nintendo disc still has sufficient room for most games, although a few games require two discs or 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 also put the system at odds with independent third party developers. Cross-platform games—such as sports franchises released by Electronic Arts—sold 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, canceling several titles that had been in development.Eidos to Pull GCN Support. IGN (2003-09-05). Retrieved on 2007-07-12. Since then, however, Eidos has resumed developmentGame Companies: Eidos Interactive. GameFAQs. Retrieved on 2007-07-12. of GameCube titles, releasing hit games such as Lego Star Wars: The Video Game and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend. Due to sagging sales, Nintendo was forced to cut GameCube production for a limited time in order to sell off surpluses.^{[citation needed]} In October 2002, Nintendo issued a profit warning.Nintendo shares fall after profit warning. BBC News (2002-10-02). Retrieved on 2007-07-13. Sales have rebounded slightly after a price drop to US$99 on September 24 2003Nintendo GameCube Price Drops to $99!. Nintendo (2003-09-24). Retrieved on 2007-07-13. and the release of the The Legend of Zelda: Collector\'s Edition bundle. Since this period, GameCube sales have continued to be steady, particularly in Japan^{[citation needed]}, but the GameCube was still in third place in worldwide sales during the sixth generation era.

Some third-party companies, such as Ubisoft, THQ, Disney Interactive Studios, Humongous Entertainment, and EA Sports, continued to release GameCube games in 2007.Surf\'s Up official Press Release. Ubisoft (2007-04-19). Retrieved on 2007-04-18.THQ, THQ (2006-11-06). Ratatouille official Press Release. THQ. Retrieved on 2007-04-18.Games, EA (2007-04-18). Madden NFL 08 official Press Release. EA Games. Retrieved on 2007-04-18.Disney Showcases E3 Lineup. 2007-07-13 (2007-08-02). Retrieved on 2007-04-18. These titles include TMNT, Meet the Robinsons, Backyard Baseball 2007, Surf\'s Up!, Ratatouille, and Madden NFL 08.^{[citation needed]}

Online play

The GameCube was at one point online compatible by using a GameCube Modem Adapter or Broadband Adapter, though the only four games that had an online component were Homeland, Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II, Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II Plus, and Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution. This online play was ended as of April 2007, but LAN gameplay is still available for the three titles that originally supported it: Mario Kart Double Dash!!, 1080° Avalanche and Kirby Air Ride.

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 (4MB), 251 (16 MB), 1019 (64 MB) or 2043 (128MB) 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, 1024 and 2048 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 (N64 and first generation SNES) AV cables.
• 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 (N64 and 1st generation SNES) S-Video cables. Only NTSC GameCubes can use the S-Video cable.
• 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 (a digital to analog converter). 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.
• 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, and 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 are 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 was sold in Japan only. Ironically, just like the SD Gecko adapter, this has been used for playing homebrew software such as emulators and other hacks.
• Action Pad, included with Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix. 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 but is difficult, though not impossible, to acquire outside of Japan.
• Hori Game Boy Player Controller — A controller designed to play with the Game Boy Player. It comes 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 2D GameCube games, such as Alien Hominid, Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO, Mega Man Anniversary Collection, Sonic Mega Collection, Sonic Gems Collection, or a few 3D GameCube games that support D-pad movement, like Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex and Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance 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. It was released in 2002 at an original price of $150.

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 can only be used for saving codes.
• Action Replay MAX — An Action Replay with a bigger dongle. The dongle can save codes and be used as a 64 Mb card with 1019 blocks.
• 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 connects to memory card slot B and is booted up with the included boot disc. Some models have code generators for built in cheat devices. The advantage is that no removal of plates on the bottom, nor tools, are needed to install it. There are a few problems with the audio and video framerate and it is 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 Mb 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.
• Cube Joybox — This converter by Mayflash also 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

This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008) Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

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." [1] 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

Price history

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (January 2008)

North America US$199.99 (November 18 2001, Launch Price) (C$299.95)News Archive For May 2001. News Archives. Super Mario 128 Central. Retrieved on 2006-12-03. 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) JP¥9,399 (November 7 2007[2])

United Kingdom GB£129.99 (May 3 2002, launch price) GB£49.99 (present) Eurozone €199/219 (May 3 2002, launch price) €99 (present) Australia AU$329.99 (May 17, 2002, launch price) AU$99.99 (present)

Easter egg

An easter egg is present in the GameCube console. By holding down the controller\'s Z button while turning the system on, the usual rolling cube noise is replaced by a marimba sound with a monkey making noises in the background. When the cube drops into the middle of the logo, a spring noise is heard, which is followed by a child\'s laugh. When the process is repeated with four controllers at once, the rolling cube noise is replaced with Taiko drums, and the cube dropping is replaced with sumo wrestlers chanting.

See also

Nintendo Portal

• Nintendo GameCube Linux

References

External links

• Nintendo GameCube Official webpage by Nintendo of America
• Nintendo GameCube at Nintendo.com (archived versions at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
• GameCube at the Open Directory Project

v • d • e Nintendo video game hardware
Console	Color TV Game • NES (Famicom Disk System • NES 2 • AV Family Computer) • Super NES (Super Game Boy • Satellaview) • Virtual Boy • Nintendo 64 (64DD • iQue Player) • GameCube (WaveBird • Panasonic Q) • Wii
Handheld	Game & Watch • Game Boy (Pocket • Light) • Game Boy Color • Game Boy Advance (SP • Micro) • Nintendo DS (Lite)
Arcade	Nintendo Classic • Vs. Series • PlayChoice-10 • Nintendo Super System • Triforce
Misc.	Nintendo Gateway • R.O.B. • Power Glove • Nintendo optical discs

v • d • e Selected home game consoles
First generation	Magnavox Odyssey • Philips Odyssey • Pong • Coleco Telstar
Second generation	Fairchild Channel F • Atari 2600 • Interton VC 4000 • Odyssey² • Intellivision • Arcadia 2001 • Atari 5200 • ColecoVision • Vectrex • SG-1000
Third generation	Nintendo Entertainment System • Sega Master System • Atari 7800
Fourth generation	TurboGrafx-16 • Sega Genesis/Mega Drive • CD-i • Neo Geo • Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Fifth generation	3DO • Amiga CD32 • Atari Jaguar • Sega Saturn • PlayStation • NEC PC-FX • Nintendo 64
Sixth generation	Dreamcast • PlayStation 2 • Xbox • Nintendo GameCube
Seventh generation	PlayStation 3 • Wii • Xbox 360

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia