GameCube Consoles, Games and Accessories

Often dismissed as ‘kiddy’ due to its design, the Nintendo GameCube was released in 2002, and was the first Nintendo home console to use discs instead of cartridges. It couldn’t play audio CDs or DVDs due to its reliance on smaller discs (unless you happened to own the Japan-only Panasonic Q version), but extra peripherals could be plugged into the bottom of the console, such as a broadband console adaptor.

It also featured the Game Boy Player attachment, which let gamers play their Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance titles on a much larger screen. Players could also connect their Game Boy Advance while playing certain games and use it as a controller.

The GameCube was also the first time Mario was absent for the launch of a Nintendo console – Super Mario Sunshine wasn’t released until five months later. Instead, launch game honours fell to Mario’s (often overshadowed) brother Luigi, marking the debut of the Luigi’s Mansion series.

Nintendo sold over 22 million GameCube’s during the console’s lifespan, which was enough to place it behind the Xbox, which sold 24 million, and the PS2 which sold 153 million. Surprisingly, the GameCube was even outsold by its predecessor - the Nintendo 64. Sales aren’t everything when it comes to great gaming experiences though!