Gamecube

The Nintendo GameCube is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, in Australia on May 17, 2002, and in South Korea on December 14, 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64. As a sixth-generation console, the GameCube primarily competed with Sony's PlayStation 2, Sega's Dreamcast, and Microsoft's Xbox.

Nintendo began developing the GameCube in 1998 after entering a partnership with ArtX to design a graphics processing unit. The console was formally announced under the codename "Dolphin" the following year, and was released in 2001 as the GameCube. It is based on PowerPC architecture. It is Nintendo's first console to use its own 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 DVDs or CDs. 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 also supports e-Reader cards to unlock special features in a few games. The Game Boy Player add-on allows the system to play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridge games.