Takeda admitted that the first thing Nintendo did when designing Gamecube was take a long, hard look at the shortcomings of its 64-bit console. "We told them, 'Let's achieve what we could not do with Nintendo 64,'" he said. The idea was to create a system that would be extraordinarily easy on software houses -- just the opposite of Nintendo 64 development, which Takeda likened to asking game creators "to make their feet fit [our shoes]."

However, the task of creating a balanced game machine molded to fit today's technology standards wasn't easy. "The most difficult issue in the Dolphin project was the gap between the [technology-driven] culture in Silicon Valley and our intention to pursue entertainment," said Takeda. "Instead, [each one] should work in harmony. It was most difficult to ask [Valley engineers] to swallow their pride."

For the full article, which also offers details on the 8cm optical disc technology and why SRAM is so important to Gamecube's performance, click here.

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