In the United States , the Nintendo GameCube is the undeniable underdog of the " console table war . " Sony’sPlayStation 2and Microsoft’sXboxcertainly sell better , and they run to get more media attention . Toward the last of 2002 , for deterrent example , the PlayStation 2 stir up a lot of contestation with its new gameGrand Theft Auto : Vice City , and Microsoft had a hit withXbox Live , its online gaming program . Once the unquestioned Martin Luther King of base video games , Nintendo seems to be struggling just to hold its own .
But if you ’ve really spent any time with a GameCube , you may be confuse by its report as a third - rate system . It ’s hard to see primer - breaking GameCube games likeMetroid PrimeandSuper Mario Sunshineas anything less than state of the art . No matter how it fare in sales , this console is definitely a remarkable technological achievement .
In this edition ofHowStuffWorks , we ’ll witness out what the GameCube has under the hood , and we ’ll see how it pile up to the competition .
Inside the Cube
The GameCube is not actually a block ; at 6 inches long , 6 inches wide and 4.3 inches tall ( 15 x 15 x 11 centimeter ) , it is a very compact rectangular block . Like its predecessor , theNintendo 64 , the GameCube add up in a variety show of colors . A hold on the back of the car gain it easy to delight .
While Nintendo did n’t spend a luck of time on the aesthetics of the console table , the insides are reasonably impressive . Let ’s take a flavour at the components inside the GameCube and see what they can do . ( If you desire to compare the GameCube to the PlayStation 2 or the Microsoft Xbox , be sure to check outthis comparing Sir Frederick Handley Page . )
One affair that you wo n’t line up in Nintendo ’s GameCube is aDVDplayer , which the PS2 and Xbox both have . Nintendo says it ’s sticking to the basics and what it knows best – telecasting games .
The Games
The GameCube is the first Nintendo console not to use game cartridges . alternatively , the GameCube uses 1.5 - GB proprietaryoptical discswith a diameter of 8 centimetre ( 3.14 inches ) . Acompact dischas a diam of 12 centimetre ( 4.72 inches ) , which is the size of it of the Sony secret plan discs . Since the GameCube operates with discs , theNintendo 64games are not compatible with it .
When you get down to it , the handsome difference between the unlike consoles is their various game catalogue . Gamers typically pick the console that supports the titles they ’re most concerned in . The PlayStation 2 has a huge trail in out-and-out turn of biz because it plays original PlayStation game and it hit store shelf well before the other consoles . The X - box has fared well largely because of high profile games aimed at adolescent and grownup player ( such as Halo and Splinter Cell ) .
Nintendo ’s main scheme has been to launch exclusive games based on well - known established characters . For example , Mario , Star Fox and Metroid ’s Samus , who were all featured in impinge on game on earlier Nintendo consoles , will look only in GameCube title . Nintendo has also worked out a deal with Capcom for exclusive right hand to young Resident Evil game .
As it turn out , using established characters in the console ’s biggest games had a pregnant downside . With the cartoon Mario characters front and center , the GameCube was immediately brand as a " kid ’s cabinet . " While it does have many games aimed at elderly players , it has n’t strike on anything as controversial as the PlayStation 2 ’s Grand Theft Auto series or as lauded as X - Box ’s shooter Halo .
One affair the GameCube does have over the contention is its ability to interact with theGame Boy Advance(GBA ) , Nintendo ’s handheld organization . The GBA plugs directly into the GameCube ’s controller embrasure to take into account the two systems to communicate with select plot . In May of 2003 , Nintendo will unloose an accessory that will let you play Game Boy plot on a boob tube , through the GameCube .
Ultimately , the winner in the plot console table wars will be the gamers themselves . As the console table manufacturers retain to attempt to top one another to attract increasingly discriminating buyers , the great title keep on come .
For more information on the GameCube and other video plot systems , check out the links on the next Sir Frederick Handley Page .
