Summary

On September 14, 2001 Nintendo launched the successor to the N64, the "Nintendo GameCube" officially abbreviated as GCN and unofficially as NGC. It was the era of the GameCube, game cartridges where no longer used by Nintendo, they were replaced by discs.

This step allowed video game developers to create considerably larger games then their predecessors. But even though major systems such as the Playstation 2 and the Xbox where using DVD discs, the GameCube used miniDVD-based discs instead of full-size DVDs. This partially resulted in lower ratings because DVD-Video playback functionality was not supported, nor audio CD playback, which other consoles already provided. In addition, the GameCube introduced a variety of connectivity options to Nintendo consoles, and was the third Nintendo console, after the Nintendo 64DD, to support online play officially, via the Nintendo GameCube Broadband Adapter and Modem Adapter.