Gamecube had 3D tech built in?

by **gamfrkI** » Sat Jan 08, 2011 7:44 am

A little known fact to the world is that the Nintendo Gamecube actually had an accessory developed for it that would enable its games to be displayed in 3D and one of those games is none other than Luigi's Mansion. All of the needed technology is in Gamecubes around the world but the accessory "never saw the light of day" Iwata said. It was stated that the price of the liquid crystals back in the Gamecubes era was far too expensive to manufacture to sell with the Gamecube and would have had to been sold for a far higher price than the system itself.

Apparently, Nintendo has been pursuing 3D for a very long time.

Interview is below.

Iwata: To go back a little further, the Nintendo GameCube system actually had 3D-compatible circuitry built in.

Itoi: Huh?

Iwata: It had the potential for such functions.

Itoi: Nintendo GameCube did? And all the Nintendo GameCubes systems around the world?

Iwata: Yeah. If you fit it with a certain accessory, it could display 3D images.

Itoi: What a secret!

Iwata: Nintendo GameCube was released in 2001, exactly ten years ago. We’d been thinking about 3D for a long time even back then.

Itoi: Why didn’t anyone ever know?

Iwata: The liquid crystal for it was still expensive. Simply put, Nintendo GameCube could display 3D images if you attached a special LCD, but that special liquid crystal was really expensive back then.

Itoi: Yeah, we’re talking about ten years ago.

Iwata: We couldn’t have done it without selling it for a price far above that of the Nintendo GameCube system, itself! We already had a game for it, though—Luigi’s Mansion, simultaneously released with Nintendo GameCube.

Itoi: The one in which Luigi shoulders a vacuum cleaner?

Iwata: Yeah, that one. We had a functional version of that in 3D.

Itoi: That was 3D?

Miyamoto: It would jump out at you pretty nicely.

Iwata: Even without special glasses, the 3D looked pretty good. But we considered how much the liquid crystal would cost, and it was just too expensive. We figured the market just wasn’t there for it.

Itoi: So you gave up. Whew! And now you’ve done it. I see! You never give up!

Iwata: Yeah. We never give up. (laughs)

by **Guest** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 6:14 am

Woot! I still have my Gamecube...somewhere.

by **Hot Trout** » Mon Jan 10, 2011 2:30 pm

It has great controllers I have to say.

Website · by **Kherr** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 1:11 pm

I was just playing my Gamecube a couple of days ago. Metroid Prime & Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Resident Evil (the original remake for the Gamecube). :3