Project Dolphin
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An indigo Nintendo GameCube console with its controller and the 251-block memory card
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| Also known as | Dolphin (code name) |
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| Developer | Nintendo |
| Manufacturer |
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| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Sixth generation |
| Release date | |
| Retail availability | 2001–2007 |
| Discontinued | 2007 |
| Units sold |
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| Media |
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| Operating system | Dolphin OS |
| CPU | IBM PowerPC Gekko @ 486 MHz |
| Storage | None |
| Removable storage | Nintendo GameCube memory card (16 MB max. capacity) |
| Display |
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| Graphics | ATI Flipper @ 162 MHz |
| Sound | Analog stereo (Dolby Pro Logic II) |
| Controller input | GameCube controller, WaveBird, Game Boy Advance, various other input devices |
| Connectivity | Nintendo GameCube Broadband Adapter and Modem Adapter |
| Online services | Limited |
| Dimensions | 5.9 × 6.3 × 4.3 in 149 × 160 × 112 mm (width × depth × height) |
| Best-selling game | Super Smash Bros. Melee, 7.09 million (as of March 10, 2008[update]) |
| Predecessor | Nintendo 64 |
| Successor | Wii |
| Related articles | Panasonic Q |
The GameCube is a home video game console released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001; in North America on November 18, 2001; in Europe on May 3, 2002; and in Australia on May 17, 2002. The sixth-generation console is the successor to the Nintendo 64 and competed with Sony Computer Entertainment's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox.
The GameCube is the first Nintendo console to use optical discs as its primary storage medium. The discs are similar to the miniDVD format; as a result of their smaller size and the console's small disc compartment, the system was not designed to play standard DVDs or audio CDs. The console supports online gaming for a small number of its titles via the broadband or modem adapter and connects to the Game Boy Advance via the link cable, allowing players to access exclusive in-game features using the handheld as a second screen and controller.
Contemporary reception of the GameCube was generally positive. The console was praised for its controller, extensive software library and high-quality games, but was criticized for its exterior design and lack of features. Nintendo sold 21.74 million GameCube units worldwide before it was discontinued in 2007. Its successor, the Wii, which is backwards-compatible with most GameCube software, was released in November 2006.
In 1997, a graphics hardware design company called ArtX was launched, staffed by twenty engineers who had previously worked at SGI on the design of the Nintendo 64's graphics hardware. The team was led by Dr. Wei Yen, who had been SGI's head of Nintendo Operations, the department responsible for the Nintendo 64's fundamental architectural design.
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