The GameCube^[i][j] is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii (2006). In the sixth generation of video game consoles, the GameCube competed with Sony‘s PlayStation 2 and Microsoft‘s Xbox. Flagship games include Super Smash Bros. Melee, Luigi’s Mansion, Super Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime, Mario Kart: Double Dash, Pikmin, Pikmin 2, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Chibi-Robo!, and the original Animal Crossing.

Development was enabled by the 1997 formation of computer graphics company ArtX, of former SGI employees who had created the Nintendo 64, and which was later acquired by ATI to produce the GameCube’s GPU. In May 1999, Nintendo announced codename Dolphin, released in 2001 as the GameCube. It is Nintendo’s first console to use optical discs instead of ROM cartridges, supplemented by writable memory cards for saved games. Unlike its competitors, it is solely focused on gaming and does not play mass media like DVD or CD. The console supports limited online gaming for a few games via a GameCube broadband or modem adapter and can connect to a Game Boy Advance with a link cable for exclusive in-game features using the handheld as a second screen and controller. The GameCube supports e-Reader cards to unlock special features in a few games. The Game Boy Player add-on runs Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridge games.

Reception of the GameCube was mixed. It was praised for its controller and extensive library of high-quality games, but was criticized for its exterior design and lack of multimedia features. Nintendo sold 21.74 million GameCube units worldwide, much fewer than anticipated, and discontinued it in 2007. It was succeeded by the Wii; the first model launched in November 2006 with full backward compatibility with GameCube games and accessories. Retrospective reception of the GameCube has been positive, emphasizing its excellent library; by early 2023, the two highest rated games of the year were both GameCube games, which caused a widescale reassessment of the console’s legacy, recontextualizing it in a more positive light.^[12] [13]