In Mario Party 5, capsules replaced the traditional collectible-item system.
Capsules are obtained from capsule machines placed on the boards. A machine gives a passing player a random capsule without charging coins, making the system different from earlier Mario Party games, where items were generally bought or acquired through board events.
A capsule could be used directly for a benefit or thrown onto an eligible board space to create a trap. Effects included extra dice rolls, restricted movement, forced movement, coin loss, and other advantages or hazards. This made capsules both personal power-ups and tools for disrupting opponents.
A common mix-up is calling them “orbs.” Orbs are the renamed and substantially revised version introduced in Mario Party 6; capsules are the correct term for Mario Party 5. The game was released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2003 and was developed by Hudson Soft.