Before the GameCube, Nintendo had experimented with network connectivity with three accessories released exclusively in Japan for the Famicom, Super Famicom, and Nintendo 64. For the Famicom, they developed the Family Computer Network System peripheral in 1988. The device acted as a modem and allowed players to view weather forecasts, the stock market, and bet on horse races, among other activities. Following their experiences with the device, Nintendo developed the Satellaview for the Super Famicom, a satellite modem peripheral. The modem communicated to a series of BS satellites which relayed information from servers hosted by satellite radio company St.GIGA. Using this service, players had access to exclusive games, magazines, and other downloads. Nintendo ended its partnership with St.GIGA in 1999, and partnered with Recruit to build a new online service called Randnet for the 64DD, a magnetic disk drive add-on for the Nintendo 64. Randnet gave players access to message board communities and a web browser for surfing the internet.
On February 9, 2000, Miyamoto said that he was interested in online gaming, but Nintendo would only get involved with it if they developed a unique approach to the idea, not because others were doing it. At E3 2001, though demonstrating their networking accessories and Phantasy Star Online, Nintendo director and general manager Satoru Iwata stated Nintendo was confident enough with its offline strategy to not seriously explore the possibilities of online gaming. He said that Nintendo would build a network to support a worldwide audience if they could make it profitable, but he expressed doubts that online gaming would be a sustainable business model for the company, citing subscription costs as prohibitive at retaining a steady customer base. On June 8, 2000, Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi said, "We are planning to introduce an internet business next March or April. The first step will be online sales of a brand new type of Pokémon cards."
Nintendo remained cautious and terse with its online strategy for the remainder of the system's lifespan while competitors Microsoft and Sony were advancing their online gaming business. Months after the system's release, Nintendo stated it was researching online projects internally, but not planning any public demonstrations. Miyamoto solidified his stance against online gaming around the same time, citing concerns that Nintendo would not be able to dictate the vision of their games nor guarantee their quality. In addition, he believed that players would not want to pay monthly fees. In a 2022 interview, Nintendo of America's former president Reggie Fils-Aimé said that Nintendo felt it excelled in local multiplayer experiences and wanted to spend time determining how to replicate those online. He added that cultural differences between Nintendo's regional branches slowed its adoption of online multiplayer, as the Japanese branch disagreed with the American and European ones over whether the infrastructure was worth investing in.
Nintendo released two networking accessories for the GameCube in October 2002 produced by Conexant, the Broadband Adapter (a network adapter) and the Modem Adapter (a 56k dial-up modem). The adapters fit flush into "Serial Port 1" on the underside of the GameCube. The Broadband Adapter is built for faster internet speeds and adds an ethernet jack to the side of the console while the Modem Adapter adds a phone jack and operates through dial-up. Both adapters can be used for the Phantasy Star Online games and Powerful Pro, but the Broadband Adapter is required for LAN-only games and Homeland. To help players communicate in Phantasy Star Online, ASCII Corporation released a stretched out controller with a full keyboard in the middle.
Nintendo did not develop any servers or internet service to interface with GameCube consoles, and instead made publishers responsible for providing server interfaces and managing the online experience for their games.
Some developers planned networking modes for their GameCube games but these were never realized. Hironobu Sakaguchi commented in July 2001 that they were planning on taking their Final Fantasy series online and it would need to be on all platforms to be profitable, including the GameCube. In May 2001, Namco mentioned they were working on six online titles for all three sixth generation consoles, including the GameCube. The GameCube version of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow had a planned online mode. The first Battlefield game, Battlefield 1942, was proposed by DICE as a GameCube exclusive to Nintendo. Though satisfied with the proposal, negotiations never made it further because Nintendo had no online strategy. LAN modes were planned for Mario Power Tennis and F-Zero GX, but these were later abandoned.
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