The Nintendo GameCube was a bizarre little console, one which had all types of wacky add-ons and peripherals launched for it over time, from LAN adapters to Sport Boy Hyperlinks to bongo drums. One factor I by no means knew about till at present, nevertheless, have been the corporate’s plans for an official LCD display screen.
Through Go Nintendo, Adam Doree has uploaded an uncut video of a presentation Nintendo made at E3 2002, that includes Shigeru Miyamoto, Satoru Iwata and Invoice Trinen. On this video, after the crew had spent ages speaking about Wind Waker and Metroid Prime, Iwata reveals that they’ve one final shock to debate: a first-party LCD display screen, designed to connect to the highest of the console and make it even extra moveable than it already was (the GameCube, famously, included a carrying deal with on the again). I’ve set the video to autoplay at first of the dialogue in regards to the display screen:
I by no means knew this! Positive different corporations have stepped into this vacuum over time, releasing varied screens of various high quality, however it could have been very cool to get an official Nintendo monitor.
It measured simply 5 inches throughout, with a 4:3 ratio, and a decision of simply 320×240. Which sounds dangerous by 2023 requirements however this was 2002, so for the time they weren’t horrible, as you’ll be able to see within the footage above, the place Mario Sunshine seems simply superb! It’s additionally fascinating listening to Iwata say it was peripherals like this that particularly satisfied Nintendo to put in digital output—itself a forgotten however wonderful side of the {hardware}—for the GameCube.
Iwata even reveals that he had met with Sega’s Yuji Naka—in happier occasions—about Phantasy Star On-line, and the pair mentioned whether or not they might take that title and “make it a conveyable recreation” to benefit from this display screen. None of which ever got here to move, after all, nevertheless it’s nonetheless neat imagining a GameCube period the place you might have grabbed your console by its deal with, taken it to a pals home and performed Mario Kart Double Sprint by yourself little official Nintendo display screen.
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Simply because I’m solely studying about this at present doesn’t imply there isn’t different stuff on the market in regards to the display screen; right here’s a 2002 write-up on IGN about how good it regarded, for instance, whereas its itemizing on Console Variations speculates that the excessive price of LCD screens on the time made it too costly to launch. The video under, in the meantime, has a very good linger on footage of the display screen alongside some audio system, a part of essentially the most 2002 gaming setup conceivable.
UPDATE: Thanks to Spindash on Twitter, there’s extra! Satoru Iwata quietly revealed years later that the monitor had secret, glasses-free 3D capabilities that Nintendo “stored secret”, together with the trivia that the Phantasy Star On-line figures seen in a few of the show items ended up getting stolen off the showroom flooring!
