Nintendo GameCube
The small cube-shaped Nintendo console with a built-in carry handle, released November 2001. Indigo or purple exterior, proprietary MINI-DVD discs, and an oversized green A button that defined its controller. Super Smash Bros. Melee, Mario Kart: Double Dash, Metroid Prime, and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker were system-defining hits.
Nintendo released the GameCube in Japan in September 2001 and in North America on November 18, 2001, positioning it against the PlayStation 2's dominance. The console was distinctive: a small, cubic design (in indigo or purple) with an integrated carry handle, using proprietary MINI-DVD discs instead of full-size DVDs. The controller was built around an oversized green A button, with a red B and the kidney-shaped grey X and Y buttons around it, plus a yellow C-stick.
Despite being the underdog in sales (roughly 21 million sold versus the PS2's dominance), the GameCube cultivated fierce devotion through an exceptional game library: Super Smash Bros. Melee redefined competitive fighting games, Mario Kart: Double Dash brought four-player chaos, Metroid Prime reinvented a classic, and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker won players over with its bold cel-shaded art style.
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Nintendo Wii
The white remote-waving console that turned living rooms into bowling alleys and convinced your grandmother that she wanted to play tennis. Nintendo's motion-controlled revolution sold 101 million units by letting non-gamers actually *feel* like they were swinging a bat or rolling a bowling ball, while leaving a trail of cracked TV screens in its wake.
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PlayStation 2
The black rectangle that invaded living rooms worldwide as an affordable DVD player and happened to pack the best game library ever assembled. With over 155 million sold—the best-selling console of all time—the PlayStation 2 didn't just dominate gaming; it became the era's default home entertainment hub.
Game Boy Advance
Nintendo's 32-bit handheld released June 2001, with a landscape shape and full backward compatibility with the entire Game Boy and Game Boy Color library. The screen was notoriously hard to see until the GBA SP (2003) added a front-lit clamshell. Around 80 million sold across the GBA, SP, and Micro variants.