The Next Nintendo

This is an article taken from Popular Science magazine; please note that I did not write it.

The Next Nintendo

      How will Nintendo's next-generation video game platform, called Gamecube, stack up against Sega Dreamcast, Sony Playstation2, and Microsoft Xbox? According to Nintendo, Gamecube (known in an earlier incarnation as Dolphin) will be more powerful than any of its peers when it launches next October.
      Gamecube is powered by a 405 MHz copper-wire IBM main processor, an ATI graphics processor with onboard memory, and 40MB of memory. The 6- by 6- by 4.3-inch system uses 1.5 GB proprietary 3.1-inch discs, which are slightly smaller than regular CDs. And unlike Playstation2, it won't play back DVD movies. Other features include two serial ports, a parallel port, and two slots for 4MB Digicard memory cards. A digital audio-out port will pass along Dolby Surround sound-not Dolby Digital. A modem doesn't come standard with the Gamecube but will be available as an option.
      Gamecube's best feature may be its interactivity with Nintendo's next-generation handheld system, Game Boy Advance, which will be available in the United Staes next July. On its own, the handheld system will be 17 times faster than the current Game Boy Color, and will sport a 60 percent higher resolution TFT LCD capable of displaying 32,000 colors. When plugged into the Gamecube, The Game Boy Advance acts as a discreet controller. Its display, for example, could be used to select offensive and defensive football plays in absolute privacy. Or you could store personal plays on the Game Boy Advance for use on a friend's system.
      While U.S. pricing for the Gamecube and Game Boy Advance have not been announced, the latter will sell for $90 when it launches in Japan next March.

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