The GameCube is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on 14 September 2001, in North America on 18 November 2001, in Europe on 3 May 2002, and in Australia on 17 May 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (N64). As a sixth-generation console, the GameCube primarily competed with the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Nintendo began developing the GameCube in 1998 after entering a partnership with ArtX to design a graphics processing unit. The console was formally announced under the codename "Dolphin" the following year, and was released in 2001 as the GameCube. It is Nintendo's first console to use optical discs instead of ROM cartridges, supplemented by writable memory cards for saved games. Unlike its competitors, it is solely focused on gaming and does not play mass media like DVD or CD. The console supports limited online gaming for a few games via a GameCube broadband or modem adapter and can connect to a Game Boy Advance with a link cable for exclusive in-game features using the handheld as a second screen and controller. The GameCube supports e-Reader cards to unlock special features in a few games. The Game Boy Player add-on runs Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridge games. Reception of the GameCube was mixed. It was praised for its controller and high quality games library, but was criticized for its lack of multimedia features. Premier games include Super Mario Sunshine, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Star Fox Adventures, Metroid Prime, Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, Pikmin, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Animal Crossing, and Luigi's Mansion. Nintendo sold 21.74 million GameCube units worldwide, much fewer than anticipated, and discontinued it in 2007. It was succeeded by the Wii in 2006.