The GameCube is one of Nintendo's home

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to ...

s and part of the

sixth generation of video game consoles In the history of video games, the sixth generation era (sometimes called the 128-bit era; see "bits and system power" below) is the era of computer and video games, video game consoles, and handheld gaming devices available at the turn of the ...

. Although the competing PlayStation 2 and

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...

consoles supported substantial amounts of online games, the GameCube had only eight games with

internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

or local area network (LAN) support. Nintendo never commissioned any servers or internet services to interface with the console, but allowed other publishers to do so and made them responsible for managing the online experiences for their games. Nintendo remained pensive with its online strategy for the duration of the GameCube's lifespan, defiant of growing interest from players and the success of

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...

's Xbox Live online service. Company leaders including Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata based their stance on concerns with maintaining quality control over their games and doubts that players would want to pay subscription fees. Playing GameCube games over a network requires the official

broadband In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...

modem A modulator-demodulator or modem is a computer hardware device that converts data from a digital format into a format suitable for an analog transmission medium such as telephone or radio. A modem transmits data by Modulation#Digital modulati ...

adapter since the console does not have out of the box network capabilities. The only games released in western territories that can be played over the internet are three

role-playing games A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...

(RPGs) in Sega's '' Phantasy Star'' series. Japan received an exclusive online RPG titled ''

Homeland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethn ...

'' and a baseball game that can not be played online but had access to

downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enabli ...

. Nintendo published three

racing games Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...

limited to LAN support: ''

1080° Avalanche ''1080° Avalanche'' is a snowboarding video game for the GameCube, developed by Nintendo's in-house development studio, Nintendo Software Technology, and published by Nintendo. It was released in 2003 in Europe and North America, and in Japa ...

'', ''

Kirby Air Ride ''Kirby Air Ride'', known in Japan as , is a 2003 racing video game starring Kirby, developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. ''Kirby Air Ride'' has the players and computer-controlled racers ride on Air Ride Machin ...

'', and '' Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.'' Hobbyists later developed PC software that can

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

the GameCube's local network traffic over the internet, as well as

private servers Strictly, a private server is any machine or virtual machine used as a server that is privately administrated. Colloquially the term is nearly-exclusively used to refer to independently operated, unofficial servers for video games. Private Server ...

to continue hosting ''Phantasy Star'' games.

History

Satoru Iwata - Game Developers Conference 2011 - Day 2 (1)

Before the GameCube, Nintendo had experimented with network connectivity with three accessories released exclusively in Japan for the

Famicom The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redes ...

Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South ...

, and

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and ...

. For the Famicom, they developed the

Family Computer Network System The , also known as the Famicom Net System and Famicom Modem, is a peripheral for Nintendo's Family Computer video game console, and was released in September 1988 only in Japan. Predating the modern Internet, its proprietary dial-up information ...

peripheral in 1988. The device acted as a

and allowed players to view weather forecasts, the stock market, and bet on

horse races Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

, among other activities. Following their experiences with the device, Nintendo developed the

Satellaview The is a satellite modem peripheral produced by Nintendo for the Super Famicom in 1995. Containing 1 megabyte of ROM space and an additional 512 kB of RAM, Satellaview allowed players to download games, magazines, and other media through sate ...

for the Super Famicom, a

satellite modem A satellite modem or satmodem is a modem used to establish data transfers using a communications satellite as a relay. A satellite modem's main function is to transform an input bitstream to a radio signal and vice versa. There are some devices t ...

peripheral. The modem communicated to a series of BS satellites which relayed information from servers hosted by satellite radio company St.GIGA. Using this service, players had access to exclusive games, magazines, and other downloads. Nintendo ended its partnership with St.GIGA in 1999, and partnered with

Recruit __NOTOC__ Recruit can refer to: Military * Military recruitment * Recruit training, in the military * '' Rekrut'' (English: Recruit), a military recruit or low rank in German-speaking countries * Seaman recruit Books *''Le Réquisitionnaire'' (E ...

to build a new online service called Randnet for the

64DD The is a magnetic floppy disk drive peripheral for the Nintendo 64 game console developed by Nintendo. It was announced in 1995, prior to the Nintendo 64's 1996 launch, and after numerous delays was released in Japan on December 13, 1999. The ...

, a magnetic disk drive add-on for the Nintendo 64. Randnet gave players access to message board communities and a web browser for surfing the internet. In 1999, an unnamed source at

Nintendo of America is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produced handmade playing card ...

said, "Networkability is at the top of the list for the new console." referring to the N2000 prototype which would later become the GameCube. On August 28, 1999, Nintendo EAD general manager Shigeru Miyamoto stated that the Dolphin needed some type of network communication because it was becoming an important component of entertainment. However, he said that Nintendo did not have any true motive to become significantly involved in the internet business. He stated Nintendo has a responsibility to families so that parents can always feel secure with children playing Nintendo products, and went on to say that he did not think network capabilities would be a core component of their next console. On February 9, 2000, Miyamoto said that he was interested in online gaming, but Nintendo would only get involved with it if they developed a unique approach to the idea, not because others were doing it. At E3 2001, though demonstrating their networking accessories and '' Phantasy Star Online,'' Nintendo director and general manager Satoru Iwata stated Nintendo was confident enough with its offline strategy to not seriously explore the possibilities of online gaming. He said that Nintendo would build a network to support a worldwide audience if they could make it profitable, but he expressed doubts that online gaming would be a sustainable business model for the company, citing subscription costs as prohibitive at retaining a steady customer base. On June 8, 2000, Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi said, "We are planning to introduce an internet business next March or April. The first step will be online sales of a brand new type of Pokémon cards." Nintendo remained cautious and terse with its online strategy for the remainder of the system's lifespan while competitors

and

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...

were advancing their online gaming business. Months after the system's release, Nintendo stated it was researching online projects internally, but not planning any public demonstrations. Miyamoto solidified his stance against online gaming around the same time, citing concerns that Nintendo would not be able to dictate the vision of their games nor guarantee their quality. In addition, he believed that players would not want to pay monthly fees.

Hardware

Nintendo released two networking accessories for the GameCube in October 2002 produced by

Conexant Conexant Systems, Inc. was an American-based software developer and fabless semiconductor company that developed technology for voice and audio processing, imaging and modems. The company began as a division of Rockwell International, before ...

, the Broadband Adapter (a

network adapter A network interface controller (NIC, also known as a network interface card, network adapter, LAN adapter or physical network interface, and by similar terms) is a computer hardware component that connects a computer to a computer network. Ear ...

) and the Modem Adapter (a 56k dial-up

). The adapters fit flush into "Serial Port 1" on the underside of the GameCube. The Broadband Adapter is built for faster internet speeds and adds an

ethernet Ethernet () is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 1 ...

jack to the side of the console while the Modem Adapter adds a phone jack and operates through dial-up. Both adapters can be used for the ''Phantasy Star Online'' games and ''Powerful Pro'', but the Broadband Adapter is required for LAN-only games and ''Homeland''. To help players communicate in ''Phantasy Star Online'',

ASCII Corporation was a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It became a subsidiary of Kadokawa Group Holdings in 2004, and merged with another Kadokawa subsidiary MediaWorks on April 1, 2008, becoming ASCII Media Works. The company published ' ...

released a stretched out controller with a full keyboard in the middle.

Supported games

Nintendo did not develop any servers or internet service to interface with GameCube consoles, and instead made publishers responsible for providing server interfaces and managing the online experience for their games.

''Phantasy Star Online''

The first GameCube game with internet access was ''

Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II ''Phantasy Star Online'' is an online role-playing video game, role-playing game (RPG) developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega in 2000 for the Dreamcast. It was the first Online game, online RPG for Video game console, game consoles; playe ...

'', a role-playing game (RPG) developed by

Sonic Team is a video game developer owned by the Japanese video game company Sega as part of its Sega CS Research and Development No. 2 division. Sonic Team is best known for the long-running ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and games such as '' Nights int ...

and published by Sega. Originally released for the

Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nint ...

in 2000, it was ported to the GameCube in 2002 with additional content. The servers were maintained by Sega, and players were charged USD $8.95 per month to play online. Sega released an enhanced version in 2003, subtitled ''Plus'', which added quests to the offline mode, originally exclusive to the online mode. Sega released a sequel in 2003 which also featured online modes, '' Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution''. The game features turn-based RPG battles that could be played competitively online. The ''Phantasy Star Online'' servers were officially discontinued on March 31, 2007, but all three games can still be played online via fan maintained

LAN games

Nintendo published three

with LAN multiplayer modes: ''

'', ''

'', and '' Mario Kart: Double Dash!!''. When playing over a LAN, multiple systems can be connected through a shared

ethernet hub An Ethernet hub, active hub, network hub, repeater hub, multiport repeater, or simply hub is a network hardware device for connecting multiple Ethernet devices together and making them act as a single network segment. It has multiple input/out ...

or two systems can be connected directly to one another with a cross cable. ''1080° Avalanche'' and ''Kirby Air Ride'' support up to four players across four consoles. If two consoles are used, up to two players can play on each system. If three or four consoles are used, only one player may play per system. For ''Mario Kart'', up to 16 players can play simultaneously across eight consoles, with two players controlling each kart. When two consoles are used, up to four players can play per console, with each player controlling their own kart. If more than two consoles are used, only two players can play on each system cooperatively as two characters sharing one kart. Although the games do not support internet gameplay natively, hobbyists developed third-party PC applications that

the GameCube's network traffic across the internet, such as Warp Pipe and

XLink Kai XLink Kai is a program developed by Team XLink allowing for online play of video games with support for LAN multiplayer modes. It enables players on the GameCube, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Por ...

Japanese exclusives

Japan received an exclusive online RPG in 2005 by Chunsoft titled ''

''. Chunsoft did not charge a subscription fee and elected to allow players to host games on their own system, although they maintained central servers to match players with one another. The host player was the "God player" and could transform the world and lead the other players, or "questers", on their adventure. The matching service ended April 30, 2007. Up to 35 players could join one game, and LAN connectivity was also supported. Japan also received ''Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 10'', a baseball game that could access free downloadable content, but offered no online gaming modes.

Abandoned projects

Some developers planned networking modes for their GameCube games but these were never realized.

Hironobu Sakaguchi is a Japanese game designer, director, producer, and writer. Originally working for Square (later Square Enix) from 1983 to 2003, he departed the company and founded independent studio Mistwalker in 2004. He is known as the creator of the ''Fin ...

commented in July 2001 that they were planning on taking their ''

Final Fantasy is a Japanese video game, Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and ...

'' series online and it would need to be on all platforms to be profitable, including the GameCube. In May 2001,

Namco was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Namco Taiwan in Kaohsiung, ...

mentioned they were working on six online titles for all three sixth generation consoles, including the GameCube. The GameCube version of ''Tom Clancy's'' ''Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow'' had a planned online mode. The first ''Battlefield'' game, '' Battlefield 1942'', was proposed by DICE as a GameCube exclusive to Nintendo. Though satisfied with the proposal, negotiations never made it further because Nintendo had no online strategy. LAN modes were planned for '' Mario Power Tennis'' and ''

F-Zero GX ''F-Zero GX'' is a 2003 racing video game developed by Amusement Vision and published by Nintendo for the GameCube console. It runs on an enhanced version of the engine used in ''Super Monkey Ball''. ''F-Zero AX'', the arcade counterpart of ''G ...

'', but these were later abandoned.

References

External links

Nintendo of America's Online Support page

Nintendo of Europe (UK) Online Support page
{{GameCube GameCube Multiplayer video game services sv:Nintendo Gamecube#Handkontroller och tillbehör