10 Amazing Hidden Console Details You Didn't Know

Cubes are all the rage these days. In large part thanks to the popularity of Minecraft, fervour for evenly-sided geometry in games has never been higher, with a slew of lookalikes and stylewise derivatives sold partly on the basis of their angular aesthetic - the likes of Fez, The Touryst, and Pokémon Quest are just three examples. To paraphrase Mike Oldfield, Cubular Sells.

It didn't used to, though. Nintendo, always ahead of the curve - or the flat edge, in this case - were a bit too early stepping onto the six-sided ship, releasing the Gamecube to only moderate success in 2001. The world simply wasn't ready for a console with a handle.

Aside from its shape (if we're being pedantic, it was an irregular cuboid - which might have implicitly impacted sales), the Gamecube was also a pioneer in 3D games - the sort that require snazzy plastic glasses. Only it wasn't just amblyopics (such as this writer) who never got to see it.

Former president Satoru Iwata explained that, amazingly, the console had stereoscopic capabilities, and that a 'special LCD' screen was developed for the purpose. "Even without special glasses, the 3D looked pretty good," he remembered. However, though several versions of existing games, such as Luigi's Mansion, were adapted for the new tech, Nintendo decided the market just wasn't ready for it. They'd later reuse the idea for the 3DS.