 It succeeded the GameCube , and early models are fully backward @-@ compatible with all GameCube games and most accessories . Nintendo first spoke of the console at the E3 2004 press conference and later unveiled it at E3 2005 . Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata revealed a prototype of the controller at the September 2005 Tokyo Game Show . At E3 2006 , the console won the first of several awards . By December 8 , 2006 , it had completed its launch in the four key markets . 
