Wait, Did the Nintendo GameCube Almost Have an Official LCD?

The Nintendo GameCube was a strange little console, with all sorts of weird add-ons and peripherals released for it over the years, from LAN adapters to Game Boy Links to bongo drums. One thing I didn’t know until today, however, was the company’s plans for an official LCD.

via Go to NintendoAnd Adam Doree uploaded an uncut video of a presentation from Nintendo at E3 2002featuring Shigeru Miyamoto, Satoru Iwata, and Bill Trinen. In this video, after the crew spent a great deal of time talking about it Wind Wicker And Metroid PrimeHowever, Iwata reveals that they have one last surprise to discuss: the first-end LCD screen, designed to be attached to the top of the console and make it even. more More portable than it already was (the GameCube is famous for having a carrying handle on its back). I set the video to autoplay at the beginning of the discussion about the monitor:

I never knew this! Sure, other companies have stepped into this void over the years, releasing different monitors of varying quality, but it was pretty cool to get an official Nintendo monitor.

It measures just five inches, has a 4:3 ratio, and a resolution of just 320 x 240. Which sounds bad by 2023 standards but this was 2002 so they weren’t right now awesome, As you can see in the screenshots above, where Mario Sunshine It looks fine! It’s also interesting to hear Iwata say that it was peripherals like this one that specifically convinced Nintendo to install a digital output –In itself a forgotten but amazing aspect of the hardware—GameCube.

Iwata revealed that he met Yuji Naka from Sega—in happier times-on Phantasy Star Online, and the pair discussed whether they could take that title and “turn it into a mobile game” to make the most of this screen. Nothing ever happened, of course, but it’s still cool to imagine the GameCube era where you could grab your console by the handle, take it to a friend’s house and play Mario Kart Double Dash on your official Nintendo mini screen.

Just because I Just recognizing this today doesn’t mean there aren’t other things around the screen; Here’s writing in 2002 IGN About how beautiful she lookseg, while Its inclusion in Console Variations is speculated That the high cost of LCDs at the time made them very expensive to launch. Meanwhile, the video below has a good extension of the screenshots along with some of the speakers, part of the most epic 2002 gaming setup imaginable.

to update: Thanks to Spindash on Twitter, there is more! Satoru Iwata quietly revealed years later that the screen had secret, glasses-free 3D capabilities that Nintendo “kept” secret, along with the trivia it provides. Phantasy Star Online Figures shown in some display units It ended up being stolen from the showroom floor!