For many years, Nintendo has given us a revolutionized gaming experienced that changed the games technology since the popular Game and Watch.

With Japanese technology, Nintendo has soared to be one of the top gaming gadget manufacturers, rivaling another Japanese electronic game maker Sony and its PlayStations as well as top software manufacturer Microsoft with its Xbox.

Although Nintendo has come up with release of the more advanced and feature rich Wii, the Gamecube has already built its own niche and will be here to stay a bit longer with the added bonus of reduced Gamecube prices.

When Gamecube was launched in August 2000 during the Nintendo Space World tradeshow, we were amazed at their innovations in system, controller, peripheral and new sets of video games. These games include Metroid, Luigi's Mansion and Zelda which also heralded a new standard in gaming.

Below are some buying guides for the Nintendo Gamecube. It is worth remembering that the controller of the Gamecube suits all games, although it does load games faster than other game consoles.

Central processing unit

Nintendo Gamecube is powered by a 485 MHz IBM "Gekko" PowerPC CPU which is a PowerPC 750CXe based core.

Nintendo Optical Discs

The Nintendo Optical Disc is a proprietary storage medium created by Matsushita company. A disc can have a capacity of up to 1.5 GB and comes as an 8-cm mini DVD size. The discs are actually not different from any DVD but they are just encrypted with a key which can not be read by other DVD drives.

System Memory

The Nintendo Gamecube uses 43 mebibyte (abbreviated MiB, 1 MiB = 220 bytes = 1,048,576 bytes while 1 megabyte = 1,000,000 bytes) total non-unified RAM. This 43 MiB is split into 24 MiB for main system RAM, 3 MiB for embedded IT-SRAM, and 16 MiB for DRAM used to buffer DVD data from the drive.

System LSI: Custom ATI/Nintendo "Flipper"

This refers to the graphics processing unit and system chipset responsible for giving you good display in gaming. Also included in the chipset is the integrated audio processor, the 81 MHz custom Macronix DSP.

Audio and Video Outputs

You should look out for these outputs in the Nintendo Gamecube: composite video output, component video, SCART and stereo RCA analog audio output.

Resolution

This determines the richness of graphics display and you can choose from 480i, 576i and 480p for vertical frame resolution.

Ports

It is common for Nintendo Gamecube to have 2 high speed serial ports and 1 high speed parallel ports.

Nintendo GameCube Memory Card 1019

You can separately buy this card if you want to save up to 1019 blocks of game information.

Nintendo GameCube Memory Card 251

This is another separate card purchase that can store up to 251 blocks of game information.

DK Bongos Controller

This is a special kind of drum used for certain music games like Donkey Konga, Donkey Konga 2 and Donkey Konga 3.

Nintendo GameCube Dance Pad

Remember those Dance Revo Games? The dance pad can be connected to the Gamecube console so you can perform those dance steps in a game and you get scored with hits on the steps.

Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable

There are many accessories for Nintendo. This special cable accessory will allow you to connect the Gamecube and Game Boy Advanced.

Nintendo GameCube Wavebird Wireless Controller

This uses the RF technology so you can play without the use of a cable connected to the box and you get more space and less mess. You can play with up to 3 other people wirelessly because the Nintendo GameCube Wavebird Wireless Controller can accommodate up to four controllers at a time, and with just two AA sized batteries, you can have up to 100 hours playing time.

Logitech Speed Force Racing Wheel

If you want to have a near real life racing experience and feel the adrenaline rush due to high speeds, you may want to buy the Logitech Speed Force. Some top selling games best used with this device include Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2, Pro Rally and Hot Wheels: Velocity X and 4x4 EVO 2.

Logitech Speed Force Accessory Pack

To complement the Logitech Speed Force Racing Wheel for enhancing racing euphoria, you may want to buy a separate device that features gas and brake pedals and comfortable lap attachment.

Nintendo GameCube Broadband Adapter

This device is designed for Nintendo Gamecube local area networking, connecting together multiple Nintendo Gamecubes for multiplayer gaming.

Microphone

Some games like Mario Party 6, Mario Party 7 and Karaoke Revolution Party are best played with a microphone. Microphones for Nintendo Gamecube come in grey and black colors and plugs easily into any memory card slot.

D-Terminal Video Cable

This video cable can allow for progressive scan mode for enhanced video quality.

RGB Cable

This cable utilized SCART connector standard to give you better quality of picture compared to composite cables.

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