Information AboutGamecube |
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The Nintendo GameCube ('s fourth home Video Game Console , belonging to the Sixth Generation Era —the same generation as Sega 's Dreamcast , Sony 's PlayStation 2 , and Microsoft 's Xbox . The GameCube itself is the most compact and least expensive of the sixth generation era consoles. The GameCube 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 . The GameCube was first introduced in volume #145 of '' Nintendo Power '' magazine. '' Luigi's Mansion '' was the first cover game (volume #150). LAUNCH TITLES The GameCube launched in North America with the following twelve games: OVERVIEW The GameCube was unveiled during Spaceworld 2000 . Physically shaped similar to a geometric Cube , the outside casing of the Nintendo GameCube comes 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 orange (known there as Spice, like the orange controllers), or in limited edition colors like Crystal White, Mint Green, Copper, and White with black pinstripes. The Nintendo GameCube uses a unique storage medium, the GameCube Optical Disc, a proprietary format 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 DVD s used in competitors' consoles), and the discs have a capacity of approximately 1.5 Gigabyte s. Contrary to popular belief, GameCube discs are not physically read any differently from a standard DVD disc, but are encrypted and contain a 'barcode' unreadable by most DVD drives. This move was mainly intended to prevent piracy of GCN titles, but like most anti-piracy technology, it was eventually Cracked . By exploiting a flaw in Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II , users were able to connect their GameCubes to their PC's and run Homebrew Programming on the console. {Link without Title} . Later, a special debug mode in the GameCube drive was discovered which allowed the console to read and play from standard mini DVD-Rs. The Nintendo GameCube does not have any DVD -movie support. Common reasons cited by Nintendo for using this format are to lower piracy, provide faster loading times, and to make the system cheaper (to avoid DVD-licensing fees) and more compact. The lack of DVD movie support was also a double-edged sword; it did not appeal to the mass audience that turned to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox due to their built-in DVD support. Despite the protection of a non-standard disc format (essentially a miniature DVD-ROM with non-standard sectors and filesystem formatting), a number of Modchip s 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 , boot-leg or Pirate software. There was also a DVD-capable Variant released by Panasonic in Japan, under license from Nintendo. Called the ''Q'', it was a modified GameCube that could also hold standard-sized DVD discs and play back both formats. However, it was never released outside Japan and production ceased in December 2003. The Q's different footprint also left it incompatible with the Game Boy Player. The GameCube system also has the unique capability to connect to Nintendo's portable system Game Boy Advance and SP . The system does not link to the Micro due to the fact that its slot is too small. Such a connection between the two systems allows the transfer of game data. Examples of this functionality include the use of the Game Boy Advance as a controller for the game played. Subsequent 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 also been used to unlock "secrets" such as new levels or characters when two games, a Game Boy Advance game and its GameCube equivalent, 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 special Nintendo GameCube to Game Boy Advance connection cable is required for each Game Boy Advance system that is to be connected to the GameCube. A fair variety of GameCube games implement this innovative functionality, while Nintendo encourages its continued use. The GameCube was designed for ease of portability, with its small size complemented by a carrying handle. However, this feature over other consoles was minimal since its inexpensive production and selling price were its main advantages. Interestingly, with the addition of the Game Boy Player accessory, the GameCube becomes a nearly perfect geometric cube. Despite being more compact than the PlayStation 2 (it was released over a year later and kept the power supply separate from the console), the GameCube has superior graphics processing power and better ProLogic sound, but no optical output. The GameCube also has a menu system with memory card data, sound setting and a calendar. The menu system can be accessed by starting the GameCube with no game loaded or holding down the "A" button while the GameCube boots. The controller has the traditional directional pad, two thumbsticks, and eight buttons: A, B, X, Y, Z, L, R, and start/pause. Keeping up with the Nintendo 64 , it features no select button, but the C buttons have been replaced by an analog C stick, instead. The thumbsticks do not have added "clickable" button functionality—unlike other such consoles of the era—but both L and R shoulder buttons are analog, being able to detect pressure applied to them before "clicking," essentially doubling their functionality. The GameCube had a network adapter released during the holiday season of 2002, but Nintendo did not promote or support online gaming anywhere as heavily as Sony or Microsoft. The only high profile title that required the adapter was Sega's '' Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II ''. Instead, Nintendo focused more on Game Boy connectivity. Two separate adaptors were made, one for dial-up phone lines and one for broadband connections. The GameCube has some hidden tricks included in its startup sequence: holding the "Z" Button while the system boots will replace the normal xylophone musical sequence with squeaks, followed at the end by a child laughing. If you have four controllers plugged in and hold the "Z" button on all of them, you will hear sounds of a Japanese-style drum sequence ending with a traditional Japanese gong. SOFTWARE LIBRARY See Also: List of GameCube games The GameCube currently has over 550 games available in its library. In addition, over '''25''' titles are currently in development. Key first-party titles The Nintendo GameCube software library contains such traditional Nintendo series as '' Super Mario '', '' The Legend Of Zelda '', and '' Metroid ''. Some of the more popular first-party titles include: 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. Nintendo often took an active role in cooperating with a developer. This policy from Nintendo 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. Market share Despite Nintendo's efforts, the GameCube was unsuccessful in recapturing the preceding skipped a GameCube port in favor of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox . 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 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 have also been a limiting factor since Nintendo's rivals used the 8.5 gigabyte DVD . However, the Nintendo disc still had sufficient room for most games, although it had fewer extras than other versions (for example, the ''Spider-Man'' Xbox release featured extra levels not in the GameCube port). The strong preference of GameCube owners for first-party titles has also put the system at odds with independent third party developers. Cross-platform games—such as sports franchises released by '' bundle, which spurred sales. Since this period, GameCube sales have continued to be steady, particularly in Japan, but is still in third place in worldwide sales {Link without Title} . Despite the fact that the Gamecube did not match the sales and market share of its Nintendo 64 , this has been offset by the growing size of the video game console market which has allowed Nintendo to carve out a loyal following even as its market share decreased. The GameCube had a strong hold on the "age-10 and under" niche market and its low price compared to the PS2 and Xbox kept it competitive enough to keep several major developers. Nintendo also reassured nervous investors by stating that they would "only exit the software business at the same time they would exit the hardware business"; Nintendo signalled that they would not discontinue their console business to focus on developing games like Sega had done after the discontinuation of the Dreamcast . Unlike Sega, Nintendo had strong cash reserves so it could afford to match price wars whenever Sony or Microsoft lowered the price of their console. Also before the price wars, it was estimated that Nintendo lost the least amount of money on each sale of a GameCube compared to its rivals. Currently, as of the end of 2005, Nintendo has sold 20.61 million GameCubes compared to Sony's 100 million PlayStation 2's shipped [http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/release/pdf/051130e.pdf and Microsoft's 22 million Xbox's shipped [http://www.microsoft.com/msft/ar05/downloads/MS_2005_AR.doc]. Major second and third-party titles
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