Nintendo GameCube

There was a lot of love and hate for the Gamecube. It's time to delve deeper into the details!

When did the GameCube Come out

GameCube is a home video game console created and released by Nintendo on September 14, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, and February 2002 in PAL territories; it succeeded Nintendo 64 (1996), and preceded Wii (2006). Nintendo's E3 2001 reveal drew attention to the "Nintendo Difference": the catchphrase aimed to differentiate it from the competition as an entertainment company. In later advertisements, the slogan "Born to Play" appears, and games display rotating cube animations that morph into the GameCube logo. A US$199 launch price was announced on May 21, 2001, $100 less than the PlayStation 2 and Xbox - Nintendo spent $76 million marketing the GameCube. Looks like the company really believed in it!

Technical Aspects

• Operating system: Proprietary

• CPU: 32-bit IBM PowerPC 750CXe Gekko @ 486 MHz

• Memory: 24 MB of 1T-SRAM @ 324 MHz as system RAM, 3 MB of embedded 1T-SRAM as video RAM, 16 MB of DRAM as I/O buffer RAM

• Removable storage: GameCube Memory Card

• Display: Video output formats

• Graphics: ATI Flipper GPU @ 162 MHz with 3 MB embedded 1T-SRAM

• Sound: Analog stereo

• Controller: input GameCube controller, WaveBird, GBA, various

• Connectivity: Ethernet and dialup

• Power: 46-watt AC adapter (DOL-001), 48-watt AC adapter (DOL-101)

• Online services: LAN, Phantasy Star Online, Homeland, GameCube online functionality

• Dimensions: 150 × 161 × 110 mm / 5.9 × 6.3 × 4.3 in (width × depth × height)

• Mass: 1,400 g (3.1 lb)

GameCube Controller

GameCube controllers feature six digital buttons, two staggered analog sticks, a directional pad, and two hybrid analog and digital triggers. The primary analog stick is on the left, with the D-pad below it; Located on the right side of the controller are four face buttons - a large green A button in the center, flanked by two kidney-shaped buttons to the right and top; a yellow C stick is below the face buttons. Centered on the controller is a Start/Pause button. An analog trigger marked L and an analog trigger marked R can be found on the controller's "shoulders," along with a digital button marked Z on the front. It is possible to use the L and R triggers both analogly and digitally: each trigger works as an analog trigger until fully depressed, when the button "clicks" to register a digital signal. By doing so, two functions are provided by one button without actually adding two separate physical buttons.

Standard editions

There were several colors available for the GameCube controller during its lifetime. "Indigo" (dark royal purple), "Jet Black", and "Platinum" (silver) were standard colors bundled with their respective colored GameCube consoles and sold separately elsewhere. Additionally, Standard Colors included "Spice" (Orange), "Indigo/Clear" (Indigo top with a clear translucent bottom), "Emerald Blue" (Turquoise), and White; the latter two colors are exclusively available in Japan.

Limited editions

As part of Club Nintendo, Nintendo released a number of limited edition controllers with unique color schemes and logos. It cost 500 points to purchase a Club Nintendo controller, which came in a variety of designs, including Mario (red top and blue bottom), Luigi (green top and blue bottom), "Wario" (yellow top and purple bottom), and "Club Nintendo" controllers (white top and light blue bottom); 5000 points could also be used to purchase the "Mario" design from the European Stars Catalogue.

A number of limited edition GameCube consoles have been released which included matching controllers. There are five colors released in Japan: "Starlight Gold," "Crystal White," "Symphonic Green" (mint green), "Hanshin Tigers," "Gundam Copper," and "Transparent," which is in the package "Enjoy Plus Pack +." European residents were also able to purchase the "Symphonic Green" and "Crystal White" colors, but the latter was renamed "Pearl White" and bundled with Mario Smash Football; as part of a limited edition Resident Evil 4 console bundle, a Resident Evil 4 controller (silver top, black bottom with logo) was available. The Panasonic Q, a GameCube/DVD player hybrid exclusive in Japan, came bundled with a gray Panasonic branded version of the controller and this controller has the Panasonic logo on it instead of Nintendo GameCube text.

WaveBird Wireless Controller

With a radio frequency-based design similar to the standard controller, the WaveBird Wireless Controller was released in 2002 in two colors, gray and silver (Platinum). By using a receiver dongle connected to one of the GameCube console's controller ports, it communicates with the console wirelessly. The WaveBird uses two AA batteries and has no rumble function, as a power-saving measure. 

LodgeNet controller

LodgeNet hotels in North America offer a specially-designed GameCube controller that can be used to play selected games from the GameCube library. LodgeNet controllers include six additional buttons, which control the on-screen game selection interface in addition to the standard GameCube controller inputs. Regular GameCube hardware cannot be used with the controller. Yep, that’s ULTRA RARE LOOT!

Gamecube ROMs

In today's retro gaming world, since GameCube is discontinued, retro gamers download GameCube ROMs in order to get their hands on the experience. The download is a GCM file that contains a Nintendo GameCube game ROM. An emulator like Dolphin or GCEmu runs this file on a computer and displays the exact contents dragged from a GameCube disc.

Can a Wii u play Gamecube Games?

Games from the GameCube cannot be played directly on the Wii U. Wii U controllers cannot play GameCube games in the released state. This is due to the disc drive's inability to read its game disc. In addition, the GameCube has limitations on accessing both the Wii U controller and memory card.

In a nutshell, GameCube might not be Nintendo's most successful console, but it's a gem among collectors due to the various collectible, rare and limited GameCube Controllers!