31 Facts About Nintendo GameCube

In May 1999, Nintendo announced codename Dolphin, released in 2001 as the GameCube.

Nintendo GameCube then began providing development kits to game developers such as Rare and Retro Studios.

Nintendo GameCube unveiled its software lineup for the sixth-generation console at E3 2001, focusing on fifteen launch games, including Luigi's Mansion and Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader.

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.

The last first-party game in 2001 for the Nintendo 64 was released in May, one month before the Game Boy Advance's launch and six months before the GameCube's, due to the company's shift in resources.

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Concurrently, Nintendo was developing GameCube software provisioning future connectivity with the Game Boy Advance.

Nintendo GameCube began its marketing campaign with the catchphrase "The Nintendo GameCube Difference" at its E3 2001 reveal.

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.

Several games originally developed for the Nintendo 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.

The Nintendo GameCube introduced a proprietary miniDVD optical disc format for up to 1.

One year later, Nintendo released a "Platinum" limited-edition GameCube, which uses a silver color scheme for both the console and controller.

Nintendo GameCube released three memory card options: Memory Card 59 in gray, Memory Card 251 in black, and Memory Card 1019 in white .

In 2002, Nintendo GameCube introduced the WaveBird Wireless Controller, the first wireless gamepad developed by a first-party console manufacturer.

Nintendo GameCube uses Nintendo GameCube Game Discs, and the Game Boy Player accessory runs Game Pak cartridgess for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance.

Panasonic Q 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.

Nintendo GameCube bolstered the console's popularity by creating new franchises, such as Pikmin and Animal Crossing, and renewing some that had skipped the Nintendo GameCube 64, such as with Metroid Prime.

Nintendo GameCube had struggled with its family-friendly image during the late 1990s and most of the 2000s.

Several third-party developers were contracted to work on new games for Nintendo GameCube franchises, including Star Fox: Assault and Donkey Konga by Namco and Wario World from Treasure.

One of the biggest third-party Nintendo GameCube developers was Sega, which had left the console hardware market to only develop games after the failure of the Dreamcast.

Nintendo's GameCube did not put heavy focus on online games earlier in the console's life.

Nintendo GameCube never commissioned any servers or Internet services to interface with the console, but allowed other publishers to do so and made them responsible for managing the online experiences for their games.

Nintendo GameCube reported that the most popular launch game is Luigi's Mansion, with more sales at its launch than Super Mario 64 had.

In spite of Nintendo predicting 50 million GameCube units by 2005, Nintendo only sold 22 million GameCube units worldwide during its lifespan, placing it slightly behind the Xbox's 24 million, though it did manage to outsell the Xbox in Japan, and well behind the PlayStation 2's 155 million.

The GameCube's predecessor, the Nintendo 64, outperformed it as well, selling nearly 33 million units.

In June 2003, Acclaim Entertainment CEO Rod Cousens said that the company would no longer support the Nintendo GameCube, and criticized it as a system "that don't deliver profits".

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Eidos's CEO Mike McGravey would say that the Nintendo GameCube was a "declining business".

The console's family-friendly appeal and lack of support from certain third-party developers skewed the Nintendo GameCube toward a younger market, which was a minority of the gaming population during the sixth generation.

However, many gaming journalists and analysts from the 2000s noted that Nintendo GameCube'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.

Nintendo GameCube was successful with games aimed at a more mature audience.

The top three European countries for Nintendo GameCube success included the UK, France, and Germany, and modestly in Spain and Italy.

Nintendo GameCube controllers have limited support on Wii U and Switch, to play Super Smash Bros.