Nintendo optical discs

Nintendo optical discs
GameCube Game Disc (left) and Wii Optical Disc (right)
Media typeRead-only optical disc
EncodingDigital
Capacity
  • GameCube: 1.46 GB
  • Wii: 4.7 GB / 8.54 GB
  • Wii U: 25 GB
Read mechanism
Developed byNintendo
Panasonic
Dimensions
  • GameCube: 8 cm (3.1 in)
  • Wii and Wii U: 12 cm (4.7 in)
Usage

Nintendo optical discs are physical media used to distribute video games on three of Nintendo's consoles that released between 2001 and 2012. Manufactured and developed by Panasonic, these are the GameCube Game Disc, Wii Optical Disc, and Wii U Optical Disc. Nintendo used disc-based media for physical games after the Nintendo 64's Game Pak and stopped using them starting with the Nintendo Switch's game card.

The physical size of a GameCube Game Disc is that of a miniDVD; Wii Optical Discs are based on DVD format, and Wii U Optical Discs are based on Blu-ray format. To maintain backward compatibility between generations of game consoles, GameCube discs are compatible with the first model of the Wii, and Wii Optical Discs are compatible with the Wii U. A burst cutting area is located at the inner ring of the disc surface.