Polygon argues that Nintendo’s defiant approach during the GameCube era damaged the console commercially but helped preserve the company’s creative identity. The author reflects on the divisive Super Mario Sunshine and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker as examples of Nintendo resisting prevailing expectations, an attitude that later informed the successful DS and Wii.

The GameCube struggled against Sony’s PlayStation 2 while Nintendo made unconventional choices, including miniature discs without DVD playback, an unusual purple console design and a controller that rejected standard twin-stick controls. Nintendo also launched without a mainline Mario game, later presented Mario as a holiday cleaner in Sunshine, and gave Wind Waker its cartoon-like visual style despite expectations of a more realistic Zelda; shortly after the GameCube’s release, Satoru Iwata became president and directed the company towards new hardware ideas.