Although the GameCube (GCN) was designed for portability, with its small size complemented by a carrying handle, the console enjoys greater graphics processing power and better Pro Logic sound than its larger rival, the PlayStation 2. Its ability to display textures is one of its most valuable assets; the unit uses 6-to-1 texture compression, which allows the texture data to be shrunk to one-sixth its original size, with no appreciable effect on the hardware.

The GameCube has a front end menu system that may be accessed by booting the console with no game inserted or by holding the 'A' button whilst the system boots. This menu controls settings for sound, memory card data and the internal clock.

The GCN uses a proprietary storage medium known as the Nintendo GameCube Game Disc, which is based on Matsushita's optical-disc technology. At only 8 centimetres (3 1/8 inches) in diameter, these discs are considerably smaller than the 12 cm CDs or DVDs used in competitors' consoles, and have a correspondingly smaller data capacity - 1.5 GB, as opposed to the 4.7 GB held by PlaySation discs or the 8 GB capacity of Xbox discs. The discs themselves are encrypted with a key derived from the Burst Cutting Area, which creates a 'bar code' that is unreadable by most DVD drives. Although this was designed to prevent unauthorised copying of GameCube titles, a number of modchips such as the ViperGC and Qoob have also been released that, when used in conjunction with a modified BIOS, allow the use of a standard or 8 cm DVD-R to load backed-up, homebrew, bootleg or copied software.

The GameCube can connect to a Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Advance SP to transfer game data, or to use the handheld console as an additional controller. Information related to game play may also be displayed on the handheld's screen to avoid the cluttering of the display on the television screen. When certain Game Boy Advance and GameCube games are connected together, this functionality can be used to unlock bonuses such as new characters or levels. Up to four Game Boy Advance systems can be connected to the GameCube through the GameCube's four controller ports for multiplayer play, with a Nintendo GameCube-Game Boy Advance cable required to connect each system. This also requires the user to buy a GameCube and a Game Boy Advance version of the title, although some GameCube titles only use the handheld console as a screen and do not require a separate Game Boy Advance game. Although (in theory) the unit can also connect to a Game Boy Micro, the cable required to connect the two has never been released, and so users would have to custom make their own.

The GameCube can also connect directly to another GameCube for LAN play, with up to eight other GameCubes connecting over LAN.

The GameCube does not have DVD or audio CD support, primarily because Nintendo wished to make the system cheaper by avoiding DVD-licensing fees. Other reasons included reducing ...