Nintendo GameCube: Difference between revisions

|release={{release|Japan|September 14, 2001|USA|November 18, 2001|Europe|May 3, 2002|Australia|May 17, 2002|ROC|November 21, 2002<ref>https://multiplayer.it/notizie/il-gamecube-arriva-a-taiwan.html</ref>}}

The '''{{wp|GameCube|Nintendo GameCube}}''', or simply the '''GameCube''', is a home console system developed by [[Nintendo]] and released in late 2001 as the successor of the [[Nintendo 64]]. The console's codename during preproduction was "Project Dolphin": This name is alluded to in many GameCube games, such as ''{{wp|Wave Race: Blue Storm}}'' and ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]''. The Nintendo GameCube has six ports on its front: four controller ports (like the Nintendo 64) and two memory card ports. It has three buttons on top: Open, Reset, and Power. On the bottom are two serial ports and one hi-speed port for add-on expansions. The system uses proprietary 8 cm Game Discs based on the {{wp|MiniDVD}} format that are able to hold up to 1.5 GB (1,459,978,240 bytes), making it the first Nintendo console to use optical discs as the primary storage medium. The use of a proprietary format rather than the industry standard 12 cm DVD format is commonly believed to be both an attempt to curtail piracy and a way to avoid paying a royalty fee to the DVD Forum, of whom Nintendo's competitor Sony is a member. The GameCube was the first Nintendo home console to have a startup screen in all international releases. It was also the first Nintendo home console since the [[Family Computer]] not to have a ''[[Super Mario (series)|Super Mario]]'' game as a launch title, as ''Super Mario Sunshine'' was not released until a year after the system launched.

The Nintendo GameCube was released in five colors: Indigo, Black, Orange, Silver, and Gold. Indigo is the original color seen in advertisements, as well as the GameCube's trophy in ''[[Super Smash Bros. Melee]]'' and its appearances in various other Nintendo games. Silver was released after the first three colors. Orange was not available in the Americas, but controllers matching its color were. A Hot Pink variant was announced at {{wp|Nintendo Space World#Space World 2000|Space World 2000}}, but it was never released.

In Japan, the GameCube is abbreviated as both "NGC" and "GC," as "NGC" is also an abbreviation used by the Japanese electronics company NGC Corporation.<ref>https://www.ngc.co.jp/company/company-profile</ref> In western regions, the GameCube is abbreviated as "GCN," as the abbreviation "NGC" is trademarked by the {{wp|National Geographic Global Networks|National Geographic Channel}}.

The Nintendo GameCube was not as commercially successful as its contemporaries, {{wp|Sony}}'s {{wp|PlayStation 2}} and {{wp|Microsoft}}'s {{wp|Xbox (console)|Xbox}}, and sold 21.74 million units worldwide, becoming Nintendo's lowest-selling home console prior to the [[Wii U]]. It was officially discontinued in 2007 and eventually outsold by its successor, the [[Wii]].

If the player holds {{button|gcn|A}} while the GameCube logo is displayed onscreen, it will rotate and its sides will turn into tiles, giving the player immediate access to the main menu, even if there is a disc in the console. The music played on the GameCube menu is a slowed-down version of the BIOS music for the [[Family Computer Disk System]].<ref>[[Media:GCN Main Menu Sped Up.oga]]</ref>

By holding down certain buttons on the GameCube controller after the console is powered on, different sound effects will play when the GameCube logo is displayed during the console's startup animation. Holding down {{button|gcn|Z}} on one controller causes a xylophone to play, followed by a "boing" noise, then a child's laughter. Holding down {{button|gcn|Z}} on all four controllers causes a {{wp|Kabuki|kabuki}} shout to play, followed by woodblocks, then a {{wp|Cuíca|cuíca}}, and finally a "ding" from a triangle.

[[File:GCN Controller.png|thumb|The Nintendo GameCube Controller. The color shown here is indigo.]]

The '''Nintendo GameCube Controller''' is the system's standard controller. In addition to standard {{button|GCN|A}}, {{button|GCN|B}}, and {{button|GCN|Start}} buttons and a {{button|gcn|Stick}} control stick, the Nintendo GameCube is the first Nintendo system to include a second analog stick known as the {{button|GCN|C}} C-Stick, located on the bottom right side of the controller. This analog stick replaces the C-buttons found on a Nintendo 64 controller. The controller features analog triggers {{button|GCN|L}} {{button|GCN|R}} on the left and right sides of its back, and a single small shoulder button {{button|GCN|Z}} on the right. The controller features a built-in rumble motor, carried over from the Nintendo 64's [[Rumble Pak]] add-on. Unlike the Nintendo 64 controller, the GameCube Controller features {{button|GCN|X}} and {{button|GCN|Y}} buttons, as well as only two grips instead of three. The {{button|gcn|Pad}} directional pad on the Nintendo GameCube Controller has the same size and shape as the directional pad on the original [[Game Boy Advance]].

[[File:GCN Wavebird.jpg|thumb|left|A Wireless Version of the Controller.]]

A wireless variant of the Nintendo GameCube controller, known as the '''WaveBird Wireless Controller''', was released in 2002. It connects to the system via a radio sensor that plugs into one of the system's controller ports. However, the WaveBird does not support the rumble feature that the standard controllers have.

| Used to play downloadable games ''[[WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!]]'' and ''[[Dr. Mario]]''.

| Used as a controller. Can also be used to download the NES version of ''[[Dr. Mario]]'' and ''[[Yoshi]]'' along with a GBA port of ''{{wp|Puzzle League (series)|Panel de Pon}}''.

{{main|Nintendo GameCube Broadband Adapter}}

The '''Nintendo GameCube Broadband Adapter''' is an add-on that allows players to connect their consoles via a local area network for system-to-system multiplayer. The device connects to the Nintendo GameCube by plugging into the bottom of the system. Only a few games were compatible with the adapter, including ''[[Mario Kart: Double Dash!!]]''.

The '''Game Boy Player''' is an add-on peripheral released in 2003 and allowing players to play [[Game Boy]], [[Game Boy Color]], and [[Game Boy Advance]] titles on their television screen through their Nintendo GameCube. The peripheral attaches to the bottom of the system, and requires a special disc in order to play any handheld titles. It is also capable of linking up to Game Boy systems and accessories, including the [[e-Reader]] and [[Game Boy Camera]], and players can connect their Game Boy Advance systems to the Nintendo GameCube by use of the Nintendo GameCube - Game Boy Advance Cable to use their systems as a controller, though some games support the rumble feature included with the standard controller. During gameplay, players can bring up a menu with the {{button|GCN|Z}} button that allows them to scroll through various options, including setting the screen size, changing the border surrounding the game, changing the button mapping for a Nintendo GameCube controller, changing the screen filter, and setting a timer. Players can also select to change the cartridge from this menu without turning off the system.

===Compatibility with future consoles===

 

==Appearances and references in ''Super Mario'' media==

===[[Mario Party (series)|''Mario Party'' series]]===

Though a Nintendo GameCube does not actually appear in ''[[Mario Party 4]]'', the [[Party Cube]] is a reference to the GameCube, and the rumble machine in the options screen is clearly based on the system. Additionally, a Nintendo GameCube can be seen inside the [[Orb hut]]s of ''[[Mario Party 6]]'' and ''[[Mario Party 7]]''.