The Nintendo GameCube (commonly abbreviated GameCube) is a home video game console released by Nintendo in Japan and North America in 2001 and PAL territories in 2002. The GameCube is Nintendo's entry into the sixth generation of video consoles of games and is the successor to their previous console, the Nintendo 64. The GameCube competed with Sony'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 in miniDVD format and the system was not designed to play full-sized DVDs or audio CDs, unlike its competitors, and focused on games instead. The console has limited online gaming support for a small number of games via a GameCube broadband adapter or modem and can connect to a Game Boy Advance with a link cable, which allows players to access exclusive features game using the handheld as a second screen and controller.
