True to its name, Nintendo's new video game system is cube-shaped, following a trend Apple introduced last month when it unveiled its Power Mac G4 Cube. In fact, the similarities between the two systems are more than skin-deep. The capabilities of the new system read like a buzzword compliance list for cutting-edge 3D hardware. To show off the Gamecube, Nintendo demonstrated several titles currently in development. The Gamecube is quite small, measuring in at 6 inches on a side, and only 4.3 inches tall.
Good things come in small packages, though.
In addition to the IBM processor and the ATI graphics subsystem, the unit comes equipped with a total of 40MB of system RAM and a 1.5GB proprietary optical disk developed by Matsushita. The optical disk system dashes hopes expressed by some industry experts that the Nintendo Gamecube, like rival Sony's PlayStation 2, would be DVD-compatible. The game disks used by the Gamecube are only about 8 centimeters across, or a bit more than 3 inches wide. The Gamecube will be entering an already crowded market. Sega's Dreamcast system has already been shipping for more than a year in Japan, and Sony's Playstation 2 console was released earlier this year.