Which Nintendo console was the first to use optical discs as its primary game format?

The Nintendo GameCube was Nintendo's first console to use optical discs as its primary game format.

Released in 2001, the GameCube used small proprietary optical discs rather than the cartridges used by the Nintendo 64. The discs held more data than Nintendo 64 cartridges and helped Nintendo support larger game worlds, music, and video content.

The GameCube's discs were approximately eight centimeters in diameter, smaller than standard DVDs. Nintendo chose the format partly to discourage unauthorized copying, although the discs had less capacity than full-size DVD media and could not be used as ordinary movie DVDs.

The Wii later retained compatibility with GameCube discs and controllers, making the GameCube format especially significant in Nintendo's hardware history. The Nintendo 64 is often mistakenly named because it followed Nintendo's cartridge-based Super Nintendo system, but it still used cartridges rather than optical media.