For long-time Nintendo followers and online game historians there have been few public occasions as memorable as Area World 2000, the present that first revealed the GameCube—and its library of video games, and a divisive Zelda demo—to the world.
Area World, which ran from 1989-2001, was mainly a cross between E3 and Nintendo Directs. A dwell occasion held yearly in Japan, it was dwelling to every kind of main reveals and bulletins, and 2000 was one of many greatest, being the place Nintendo first confirmed off each the Recreation Boy Advance and the GameCube.
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Nintendo didn’t simply reveal the console itself, additionally they confirmed off various video games and ideas for the GameCube, a few of which might later flip up as video games, and others—just like the infamous Zelda demo, which enraged some corners of the fanbase—wouldn’t.
For Nintendo followers this present was an enormous deal, and when it comes to its influence and legacy it is likely to be one of many firm’s most vital occasions ever, so you may perceive of us have a sure stage of attachment to the whole lot related to it. Which is why some folks acquired each excited this week on the information that one of many GameCubes current on the present had been secured by a collector.
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Consolevariations’ Donny Fillerup—who you would possibly bear in mind from the Queen’s Golden Wii—was not too long ago alerted to the sale of a really unusual prototype GameCube, an object collectors had been making an attempt for years to pay money for. It was one of many consoles current at Area World 2000, a machine so forward of its time that it wasn’t even actually a console in any respect.
As a result of Area World 2000 befell in August, and the console didn’t go on sale till late in 2001, the GameCubes current on the occasion have been simply shells. The precise demos being run have been powered, like they typically are at occasions like this, by growth {hardware}.
The shells have been there, although, and whether or not they truly labored or not didn’t matter, they have been nonetheless the primary look the world acquired at one in all its weirdest and most beloved little consoles, and so for collectors they understandably maintain an expensive place of their hearts, even when they’ll’t truly play video games.
Donny acquired maintain of the console and took a ton of photographs, which present it solely has a couple of items of electronics inside, principally there to energy the LED lights that lit up as a part of the presentation. However it’s nonetheless an attention-grabbing GameCube to behold, as a result of its exterior is fully-realised, and offers us an opportunity to see the console throughout its gestation, when not the whole lot was nailed down and set in stone.
Whereas it seems similar to a retail unit at first look, this Area World console truly has a ton of minor variations, the type of stuff you’ll anticipate as engineers work via the method of turning a sketch and prototype into one thing mass-manufactured and offered. So the within of the lid is a unique design, the underside of the console has the whole lot at barely completely different dimensions and the vents on the aspect are a unique design.
Nothing earth-shattering, then, however that’s not the attraction right here. Generally it’s simply good to know that an vital piece of online game historical past is in good palms, and that we will all get a actual good take a look at it to make minor (but nonetheless attention-grabbing!) observations like this. If you’d wish to see extra photographs, together with a ton of comparisons between the Area World shell and a retail unit, you must try Consolevariation’s gallery.