Video game:Nintendo GameCube Super Smash Bros. Melee

Released in 2001, the GameCube is Nintendo's fourth home console video game system. It competed primarily against Sony's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox. The GameCube represented a number of firsts for Nintendo, becoming its first console to use optical discs instead of cartridges for its games, and its first console to allow online gaming. It also supported connectivity to Nintendo's newest handheld, the Game Boy Advance.

Although the GameCube possessed superior graphics to its main rival, the PlayStation 2, it lacked the ability to play DVDs, one of the PS2's main selling points. The GameCube used small, proprietary discs similar to miniDVDs, which designers hoped would limited copyright infringement through CD burning, and also reduce the cost of games. These smaller discs contained a mere 1.5 GB of storage, in comparison to the full-sized DVDs used on the PS2 and Xbox, which held 8.5 GB. The GameCube also became known for skewing toward a younger audience, with games like Pokemon and Super Monkey Ball. This often led third party developers to skip GameCube support entirely for more mature, but significantly popular, games, such as Grand Theft Auto III. It was also the first Nintendo console not to launch with a traditional Mario platforming game.

A hybrid version of the GameCube, called the Panasonic Q, launched exclusively in Japan in 2001. Nintendo partnered with Panasonic to create a GameCube containing a full-sized DVD player, in order to compete with Microsoft and Sony. It sold poorly and was discontinued after only two years.

Nintendo ceased production of the GameCube in 2007, after a disappointing run that sold only 22 million units. In comparison, its direct predecessor, the Nintendo 64, sold 33 million, while its main rival, the PS2, sold 153 million.