I don't think there was anything "wrong" with the gamecube, I just think there were a combination of factors, not to mention the PS2's relative strength. I read somewhere that part of the reason why PS2 sold well from the beginning was indeed due to its DVD player (and whoever says that you should just buy a DVD player instead of a PS2-at PS2's release DVD players were just as expensive as the PS2). Interestingly, the release of the PS2 was very close to the DVD release of The Matrix which was one of the first "must have" DVDs and it helped sell the system initially just as much as any game did.