What Year Was the Gamecube Invented?

While the Microsoft Xbox and Sony PS2 were advancing the video game world with DVD disc-based games, Nintendo set forth to create a new innovative system that would put it in a league of its own. Hailed the "Nintendo Gamecube," this system was a huge success for Nintendo and changed the way the company created games and video game consoles. This invention would make or break Nintendo's future in the gaming world with new competition hot on its heels.

Time Frame

The Nintendo Gamecube was announced to the world at Japan's Spaceworld in 2000. During the development of the Nintendo Gamecube, it was often referred to as the Nintendo Dolphin and was even rumored to be a hybrid of every Nintendo system released. The official release dates were Sept. 14, 2001, in Japan; Nov. 18, 2001, in the United States; and May 3, 2002, in Europe. This release was five years after the previous Nintendo console, the N64.

Significance

The invention of the Nintendo Gamecube changed the way that the company operated. On former systems like the NES, Super Nintendo, and N64, games were played exclusively on cartridges. The Nintendo Gamecube officially transitioned from cartridges to discs. This meant that the system would to be backward compatible with older games, but the discs could store more and the system featured advanced graphics compared to past Nintendo systems.
The Gamecube was released amid a new generation of high-quality video gaming consoles. The other two systems released around this time were the Microsoft Xbox and Sony PS2. The Sega Dreamcast was released earlier, but was not considered a part of the competition due to lack of sales.

Features

The Nintendo Gamecube continued its stand on game play over graphics. With the release of the system, popular Nintendo franchises came along with it. Characters from Super Mario had two large game releases, Luigi's Mansion and Super Mario Sunshine. Other popular franchises included Zelda, Star Fox, Donkey Kong, and a mixture of them all in Super Smash Brothers.
The invention of the Gamecube also minimized the size of the former N64 controller, but kept most of the buttons that were featured on that controller. The discs used in a Nintendo Gamecube are mini-DVD sized and larger games featured two discs so all of the content could fit.

Identification

When the Gamecube was invented and released, it came packaged in a small square box with logos over it. Inside was the Gamecube, an actual cube-shaped video game console. The discs are top-loaded using a pop-open holder, and the front panel of the system features four controller ports and two memory card slots. The Nintendo Gamecube was also designed and released in different colors including black, blue and purple.

Function

The Nintendo Gamecube is powered by a 485 Mhz IBM CPU and the "Flipper" NEC graphics processor. There is no built-in memory for game data on the Nintendo Gamecube, so any data needs to be saved to a memory card. It would not be until Nintendo's invention of the Wii would it offer built-in memory.