In november, the Gamecube celebrated its 10th anniversary. Looking back 10 years ago, it really looked like the most viable console of the 6th generation of video games... but that didn't happen. The Gamecube sold less than the Nintendo 64 and newcomer Microsoft with its Xbox gained momentum to positioned itself in second place.
So, what happened?
Let's take a trip to E3 2001, more specifically, Nintendo's press conference.
NOTE: E3 press conferences were not as flamboyant as today's.
Pretty good huh?
Even with that, there were some myths about Nintendo's new console. That same year, Nintendo released some "numbers" that made the press and fanboys angry. Whereas Sony said that the PS2 could put 70 million polygons (let that sink in for a while) and also Microsoft releasing very ridiculous numbers... Nintendo opted for a more "realistic" approach: 5,6 million polygons.
Everyone went ballistic...
Let me show what the Gamecube could do in terms of graphics:
No, some of those screenshots aren't from 360 or PS3 games... and the majority of these games run at 60fps.
So, was it the polygons/graphics? No
Another thing that I've found out is that when, referring to the Gamecube, the gaming media used the "K" word... nope, it's not what you're thinking. That word is "Kiddie", "the Gamecube is kiddie" "the Gamecube has kiddie games"
Basically what they're saying is that both consoles are kind of the same, but oh wait, the Xbox have "hardcore" titles, "adult" titles, "mature" titles etc...
Didn't Nintendo for the first time ever, published M rated games for the console? didn't Capcom made an agreement with Nintendo to publish Resident Evil exclusively for the console? And by those guy's definition of "hardcore", "adult" and "mature" games Resident Evil fits perfectly.
Online gaming was in its infancy in the 6th generation so, I don't think that was the problem with the Gamecube although the console could connect to the internet but there weren't many games compatible.
So the question still is: What Went Wrong With The Gamecube?
So, what happened?

Let's take a trip to E3 2001, more specifically, Nintendo's press conference.
NOTE: E3 press conferences were not as flamboyant as today's.
Pretty good huh?
Even with that, there were some myths about Nintendo's new console. That same year, Nintendo released some "numbers" that made the press and fanboys angry. Whereas Sony said that the PS2 could put 70 million polygons (let that sink in for a while) and also Microsoft releasing very ridiculous numbers... Nintendo opted for a more "realistic" approach: 5,6 million polygons.
Everyone went ballistic...
Let me show what the Gamecube could do in terms of graphics:







No, some of those screenshots aren't from 360 or PS3 games... and the majority of these games run at 60fps.
So, was it the polygons/graphics? No
Another thing that I've found out is that when, referring to the Gamecube, the gaming media used the "K" word... nope, it's not what you're thinking. That word is "Kiddie", "the Gamecube is kiddie" "the Gamecube has kiddie games"
Basically what they're saying is that both consoles are kind of the same, but oh wait, the Xbox have "hardcore" titles, "adult" titles, "mature" titles etc...
Didn't Nintendo for the first time ever, published M rated games for the console? didn't Capcom made an agreement with Nintendo to publish Resident Evil exclusively for the console? And by those guy's definition of "hardcore", "adult" and "mature" games Resident Evil fits perfectly.
Online gaming was in its infancy in the 6th generation so, I don't think that was the problem with the Gamecube although the console could connect to the internet but there weren't many games compatible.
So the question still is: What Went Wrong With The Gamecube?