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Essential
Nintendo Gamecube
The GameCube will be powered by a 485-megahertz
(MHz) IBM microprocessor, code-named "Gekko," which is an extension
of the IBM PowerPC architecture. It has a maximum bus transfer
rate of 3.2 GB per second. The Gekko also features a whopping
256 kilobytes (KB) of level 2 (L2) cache memory.
An ATI 162-MHz graphics chip, called "Flipper,"
will allow the GameCube to produce about 12 million polygons per
second. Polygons are the building blocks of 3-D graphic images.
Increasing the number polygons results in sharper, more detailed
images. In comparison, the Nintendo 64 produces only 150,000 polygons
per second.
A special 16-bit digital signal processor will
support 64 audio channels.
The GameCube will have 40 MB of RAM (24 MB 1T-SRAM,
16 MB of 100-MHz DRAM).
GameCube will initially come with a Conexant V90
56-kilobits-per-second (kbps) modem. Later, gamers will have the
opportunity to upgrade to a broadband modem attachment. The modem
fits into a serial port on the underside of the GameCube. This
modem will allow owners to connect to an online network, where
they can trade data and play games over the Internet.
Nintendo announced that the official price for
the GameCube will be $199, which was the price of the Nintendo
64 when it was released. This price makes the GameCube $100 cheaper
than the Xbox and the PlayStation.
A
New Gaming Age...
Nintendo learned a lot from
the Nintendo 64, so much so that the Gamecube is a radical new
approach to gaming development.
The result is a developer-friendly next generation TV game machine
that maintains super high standards. To accomplish this Nintendo
has removed 'bottlenecks' and introduced new RAM technologies
to improve speed and efficiency without a compromise on function
and reliability.
The depth of new gaming elements are potentially mind boggling,
and we can rest assured Nintendo will continue to entertain, astound
and astonish us!
GameCube
Spec Sheet
 MPU |
Custom
IBM Power PC "Gekko" |
| |
| Manufacturing
Process |
0.18
micron IBM Copper Wire Technology |
| |
| Clock
Frequency |
485
MHz |
| |
| CPU
Capacity |
1125
Dmips (Dhrystone 2.1) |
| |
| Internal
Data Precision |
32-bit
Integer & 64-bit Floating-point |
| |
| External
Bus |
1.3GB/second
peak bandwidth (32-bit address space, 64-bit data bus 162
MHz clock) |
| |
| Internal
Cache |
L1:
Instruction 32KB, Data 32KB (8 way) L2: 256KB (2 way) |
| |
| System
LSI |
Custom
ATI/Nintendo "Flipper" |
| |
| Manufacturing
Process |
0.18
micron NEC Embedded DRAM Process |
| |
| Clock
Frequency |
162
MHz |
| |
| Embedded
Frame Buffer |
Approx.
2MB Sustainable Latency : 6.2ns (1T-SRAM) |
| |
| Embedded
Texture Cache |
Approx.
1MB Sustainable Latency : 6.2ns (1T-SRAM) |
| |
| Texture
Read Bandwidth |
10.4GB/second
(Peak) |
| |
| Main
Memory Bandwidth |
2.6GB/second
(Peak) |
| |
| Pixel
Depth |
24-bit
Color, 24-bit Z Buffer |
| |
| Image
Processing Functions |
Fog,
Subpixel Anti-aliasing, 8 Hardware Lights, Alpha Blending,
Virtual Texture Design, Multi-texturing, Bump Mapping, Environment
Mapping, MIP Mapping, Bilinear Filtering, Trilinear Filtering,
Anisotropic Filtering, Real-time Hardware Texture Decompression
(S3TC), Real-time Decompression of Display List, HW 3-line
Deflickering filter |
Sub Spec
| Sound
Processor |
custom
Macronix 16-bit DSP |
| |
| Instruction
Memory |
8KB
RAM + 8KB ROM |
| |
| Data
Memory |
8KB
RAM + 4KB ROM |
| |
| Clock
Frequency |
81
MHz |
| |
| Performance |
64
simultaneous channels, ADPCM encoding |
| |
| Sampling
Frequency |
48KHz |
| |
| System
Floating-point Arithmetic Capability |
10.5
GFLOPS (Peak) (MPU, Geometry Engine, HW Lighting Total) |
| |
| Real-world
polygon |
6
million to 12 million polygons/second (Peak) (Assuming actual
game conditions with complex models, fully textured, fully
lit, etc.) |
| |
| System
Memory |
40MB |
| |
| Main
Memory |
24
MB MoSys 1T-SRAM, Approximately 10ns Sustainable Latency |
| |
| A-Memory |
16MB
(81MHz DRAM) |
| |
| Disc
Drive |
CAV
(Constant Angular Velocity) System |
| |
| Average
Access Time |
128ms |
| |
| Data
Transfer Speed |
16Mbps
to 25Mbps |
| |
| Media |
3
inch NINTENDO GAMECUBE Disc based on Matsushita's
Optical Disc Technology, Approx. 1.5GB Capacity |
| |
| Input/Output |
Controller
Port x4
Memory Card Slot x2
Analog AV Output x1
Digital AV Output x1
High-Speed Serial Port x2
High-speed Parallel Port x1 |
| |
| Power
Supply |
AC
Adapter DC12V x 3.5A |
| |
| Main
Unit Dimensions |
4.3"(H)
x 5.9"(W) x 6.3"(D) |
- Sourced
from NINTENDO.COM
|
The
Magnificent Nintendo Gamecube!
GCN
Games / Developers
| All-Star
Baseball 2002 |
Acclaim |
| Batman:
Vengeance |
Ubi Soft |
| Crazy
Taxi |
Acclaim |
| Dave
Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 |
Acclaim |
| Disney's
Tarzan: Untamed |
Ubi Soft |
| Luigi's
Mansion |
Nintendo |
| Madden
NFL 2002 |
Electronic Arts |
| NHL
Hitz 20-02 |
Midway Home Entertainment |
| Pikmin
|
Nintendo |
| Star
Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader |
Lucas Arts |
| Super
Monkey Ball |
Sega |
| The
Simpsons Road Rage |
Electronic Arts |
| Tony
Hawk's Pro Skater 3 |
Activision |
| Wave
Race: Blue Storm |
Nintendo |
| XG3
Extreme G Racing |
Acclaim |
| 1080°
Snowboarding 2 |
Nintendo |
| 18-Wheeler
American Pro Trucker |
Acclaim |
| All-Star
Baseball 2003 |
Acclaim |
| Animal
Forest |
Nintendo |
| Batman:
Dark Tomorrow |
Kemco |
| Bear
in the Big Blue House |
Ubi
Soft |
| BloodRayne |
Majesco
Sales Inc. |
| Bonx
|
Ubi
Soft |
| Cel
Damage |
Electronic
Arts |
| Cubix:
Robots for Everyone |
3DO |
| Dark
Summit |
THQ |
| Defender |
Midway
Home Entertainment |
| Dinotopia |
TDK
Mediactive, Inc. |
| Disney's
Donald Duck: "Goin' Quackers" (GCN) |
Ubi
Soft |
| Dr.
Muto |
Midway
Home Entertainment |
| Eternal
Darkness: Sanity's Requiem |
Nintendo |
| Evolution
Worlds |
Ubi
Soft |
| FIFA
Soccer 2002 |
EA
Sports |
| Freaky
Fliers |
Midway
Home Entertainment |
| Galleon:
Islands of Mystery |
Interplay |
| Gauntlet
Dark Legacy |
Midway
Home Entertainment |
| Gravity
Games BMX |
Midway
Home Entertainment |
| Harry
Potter (GCN) |
Electronic
Arts |
| Hot
Wheels |
THQ |
| Jeremy
McGrath Supercross World |
Acclaim |
| Jimmy
Neutron: Boy Genius (GCN) |
THQ |
| Kelly
Slater's Pro Surfer |
Activision |
| Largo
Winch |
Ubi
Soft |
| Legend
of Zelda, The |
Nintendo |
| Legends
of Wrestling |
Acclaim |
| Mario
Kart (NINTENDO GAMECUBE) |
Nintendo |
| Mario
Sunshine (Tentative Title) |
Nintendo |
| Metroid
Prime |
Nintendo |
| MLB
Slugfest |
Midway
Home Entertainment |
| Mortal
Kombat 5 |
Midway
Home Entertainment |
| MX
2003 Featuring Ricky Carmichael |
THQ |
| NBA
Basketball |
Midway
Home Entertainment |
| NBA
Courtside 2002 |
Nintendo |
| NFL
Blitz 20-02 (GCN) |
Midway
Home Entertainment |
| NFL
Blitz 20-03 |
Midway
Home Entertainment |
| NFL
Quarterback Club 2002 |
Acclaim |
| NHL
Hitz 20-03 |
Midway
Home Entertainment |
| Phantasy
Star Online |
Sega |
| Powerpuff
Girls (GCN) |
BAM!
entertainment |
| Rally
Simulation |
Ubi
Soft |
| Rayman
Arena |
Ubi
Soft |
| Red
Card Soccer |
Midway
Home Entertainment |
| Resident
Evil Zero |
Capcom |
| Robotech |
TDK
Mediactive, Inc. |
| Robotech:
The Macross Saga |
TDK
Mediactive, Inc. |
| Rocket
Power (GCN) |
THQ |
| Rogue
Spear |
Ubi
Soft |
| Rugrats
(GCN) |
THQ |
| Scooby-Doo
(GCN) |
THQ |
| Shrek |
TDK
Mediactive, Inc. |
| Sonic
Adventure 2 |
Sega |
| Spider-Man:
The Movie Game (GCN) |
Activision |
| SpongeBob
SquarePants (GCN) |
THQ |
| SpyHunter |
Midway
Home Entertainment |
| SSX
Tricky |
EA
Sports |
| Star
Fox Adventures: Dinosaur Planet |
Nintendo |
| Tetris
Worlds (GCN) |
THQ |
| Tom
Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear (GCN) |
Ubi
Soft |
| Turok
Evolution |
Acclaim |
| Virtua
Striker 3 |
Sega |
| Warhammer
40,000 (GCN) |
THQ |
| World
Wrestling Federation: Wrestlemania |
THQ |
-
Sourced from NINTENDO.COM
Gamecube
Statistics & Purchase Info
Nintendo
has shipped 700,000 Nintendo GameCube hardware systems for the
launch on November 18, 2001.
Up
to 1.2 million units will be shipped by the end of the year.
A
Nintendo GameCube System Set is priced at a MSRP of $199.95
A
Nintendo Gamecube System is comprised of:
Nintendo
GameCube, Control Deck Nintendo, GameCube Controller Stereo
AV cables, AC adapter
Misc:
GCN
Controller at MSRP of $34.95
Typical Software Title priced at MSRP of $49.95 The
system will initially be available in either Indigo or Jet
(black).
Further
Info...
The
launch date of the Nintendo GameCube in US was
November 18, 2001.
Gamecube
availability...
Whenever
a new video game system is introduced, its initial quantities
are always limited for various reasons, including hype! You
have 2 choices - 1. Sweat blood and spend all your cash on
getting one first. 2. Wait and probably get one $50 cheaper
next year! Seriously, try all the major online and high street
outlets as all of these will be given a quota by Nintendo.
The
Nintendo GameCube
GameCube
is essentially a new video game console designed from the ground
up. It breaks tradition with the cartridge based technology
of the past and sees Nintendo inject a whole new ethos into
its gaming manifesto! See Specs for further info.
Peripheral
Devices
Memory
Card, Wireless Wavebird Controller, 56K V.90 Modem Adapter,
Broadband Adapter & Digital video cable with more to follow.
Significant
features of Nintendo GameCube
Embedded memory on the graphics coprocessor and CPU
Proprietary
optical disc, containing 1.5 GB of memory on an 8 cm disc
The
ability to interact with Game Boy Advance, including the future
use of Game Boy Advance systems as Nintendo GameCube controllers
Nintendo
GameCube Disc
The
proprietary Nintendo GameCube discs are small enough to allow
for the console's compact dimensions, whilst providing an unseen
level of copyright protection.
Wavebird
Controller
The
Wavebird uses radio frequencies and has a transmission distance
of about 33 feet. Allowing players 'cordless freedom' when playing
games.
Game
Boy Advance?
Game
Boy Advance units will connect to the controller ports of the
GameCube system. The two systems were designed to work together
with the possibilities of using the GBA as a controller for
a specific game or transferring data/characters between GBA
and the GameCube.
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