Originally released in Japan in 2001, the GameCube was Nintendo's successor to the N64, designed to compete with Sony's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's XBOX.

Design

The system was met with controversy prior to release when it was shown that the primary colour of the console would be purple, shaking fans' expectations that perhaps Nintendo would aim for the older-gamer market after losing so much of them to the success of the Playstation. The system was also ridiculed for the inclusion of a small handle at the back, though that at least did provide some functional use! Later releases of the system sported varying colours, including black, orange and special themed designs.

The controller, designed by Mario-creator Shigeru Miyamoto, took the slightly controversial step of including differently sized buttons, with the A button being largest and centralised under the thumb, in an effort to make it easier to differentiate between each one. The controller also sported analogue shoulder buttons, allowing varying degrees of pressure to be applied before finally clicking in, allowing for some new innovative ideas to be presented in games (gradually varying speed, firing power, etc.).

Games

Due to its lower popularity compared to rival platforms, the GameCube never acquired the same level of third-party publisher support that the others received, though it was still a marked improvement over the N64. The GameCube was the first Nintendo console to be released without a Mario title at launch, and instead had a brief Mario spinoff, Luigi's Mansion. The other title that garnered the system a little more credibility was Factor 5's Rogue Leader, a Star Wars shooter that sported some of the most impressive graphics seen in a console release at the time.

Later releases included the eventual debut of Mario in Mario Sunshine, the controversial cel-shaded debut of Link in Zelda: Wind Waker and the first 3D and first-person Metroid title, Metroid Prime.

Manufacturer: Nintendo
Date: 14th September 2001

This exhibit has a reference ID of CH2132. Please quote this reference ID in any communication with the Centre for Computing History.