• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Gamecube Hardware circle jerk thread......

i love the small disks. Im no video junky so i really do not notice the compressed audio and imaging or whatever is sacrificed to fit on the small disk. What i DO notice is the fast ass load times, which is infinitely more rewarding to me.
 
I honestly thought this was the best designed hardware this generation. Too bad that the developers didn't give it more support. From an aesthetic standpoint, it is second only to the PSTwo redesign.

Surprisingly at present I think the Sony machine may have the least visual appeal of any of the next generation machines. I also LOVE the simple design of the revolution from what I've seen on the Internet.
 
GCN has the best industrial design this gen ---- the slimPStwo matches it.

had they stayed away from the Indago purple, it would've done more convincing ---- people just aren't ready to commit to colors -- give 'em white, that's the new silver, that's the new black.... just don't commit to a color these days, peeps just can't handle it.

The controller is sexums for first party titles ---- it's the only controller that has *that* special feel to it, that soul that comes only from first party games....
a first party SCEA game still feels just like I'm using a Playstation controller....

the face buttons could've used more professional materials, maybe an acryllic coating -----

I'd pay good $$$$ for a tastefull GCN redesign that respected the origional design, with really nice materials
 
When I realize that my little black box of a Gamecube can output something as amazing as RE4, I can't help but respect it. I think the 'cube easily has the most intelligent design of the three consoles in its generation, not to mention the best wireless controller, bar-none.
 
Wario64 said:
You forgot one minor detail: the the little thing that sticks out on the side of the console to prevent people from blocking the vents

genious


Too bad the console doesnt have good games to play
I always wondered what those were for. Ingenious!
 
Definitely my favourite hardware this generation. I love my Platinum cube. I may not have it hooked up, but I love it.
 
" Gamecube Hardware circle jerk thread"?

Shit. Just realized I'm in Gaming forum. I was looking for the "wanking-for-Roseanne-Barr" thread.
 
i really like the GC hardware, but then, I'm a Nintendo freak.

Of course, I think the Dreamcast is even better - it screams fun, but is also understated enough to be classy.

Just a shout out for the GB-player, which actually makes the GC a cube...
 
I wish they would expand more on the idea of the external items that attach to the bottom of the system.

In fact, theres still at least one serial port under the system thats not in use, wonder what they had planned for it..
 
I've always felt that NOA screwed the pooch by trying to pretend the Gamecube isn't designed a little differently than the others. In Japan, the Gamecube comes in a box WITH A HANDLE on it. :lol And the games come in small cases (the same one that the Game Boy Player comes in, here).

I think those emphasize the Cube's uniqueness. It's small, it's portable, it's fast and efficient. In the electronics world, smaller is often associated with 'high tech'. The Playstation got a good vibe off of being smaller than the gargantuan Saturn.

They should have played up the Cube's look as an advantage, touting its instant portability, fast load times, slick interface (the only one of the 3 with an interactive boot sequence, btw, which is cool), choice of colors (black or purple at launch, not just purple like in Japan). Those small game cases would have drawn the eye at retail.

Instead, they used regular-size DVD cases and let the media lambast it for having less storage, and call it 'kiddy' for having a handle and being purple. By acting like they were embarrassed about its design, they made it worse.
 
Console: Okay. Not bad.
Discs: Why nobody makes games for them. Too small in size (and by size I mean how much it can store)
Controller: I like the controller, it's sexy.
 
I'll have to say that Dreamcast is the best hardware design of this generation. The white color seemed just right, not too gray or bland pc tower beige. I like the sleekness, the edges are rounded off, unlike the Cube's mostly sharp edges. I like the orange led for the States and blue for Europe. The modem was included as standard out of the box or you could upgrade to the network interface. While the controller wasn't the best, it did have the versatile vmu and you could always go with a decent 3rd party controller. The Japan House of the Dead light gun is probably the slickest looking gun ever released for a console. The fishing controller was a nice addition as well. A simple boot disc is all you need to play imports. Plus I've seen cos players wearing dreamcasts on their backs and keyboards on their laps to emulate the typing of the dead characters. I thouht it was cool that the Virtual on robots battery packs were Dreamcasts. The DC also got a version of the Panther XL
shining_tears_material.htm


I think the cube could use a bit more design refinement, the front panel looks overly plain. The conroller is too small for someone with big hands. I think the Panasonic Q's design trumps the standard cube by a wide margin..
 
Dreamcast was too hard to keep clean. Other than that, nice design. Buttons on console and controller were kind of sub-par, though.

Where's that GameCube graphics thread?
 
AdmiralViscen said:
Where's that GameCube graphics thread?

I did a quick search and found this thread. It's not the original, but has a nice selection of screen shots. Reminded me, the Gamecube did produce some very pretty games :)
 
The Wavebird is so fucking amazing.

And my friends and I were playing SSBM over Christmas break and the Gamecube fell off the table where it was...luckily it got held up by the wires. The game didn't freeze. Just awesome hardware. My roommate brought his Xbox up last term and we barely played it. I brought my GC up this term and that's all we play.
 
The controller is a godsend for 3D games. Resident Evil 4 and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (E3) made the best use of the controller i can think of.

The GameCube platinum was a great aesthetically designed system. The chipset powering the GameCube was elegant as well. The main problems were the amount of exclusive third party games, lack of online games, and Nintendo's drop in first-party quality and quantity.
 
The insides of the Gamecube never made much front page news, like the ps2 or the xbox. While not having the funky insides of the ps2, or the sheer brute power of the xbox, low memory latency combined with a stable known architecture made for a winning design, when it was used right.

I am suprised ports didn't look better. Developers seem to like porting the ps2 version of a game versus the xbox version, making for a really shitty game.
 
I never got why people complain that the controller is too small. It's pretty much the same size as the DualShock 2.

Fallout-NL said:
Is that dumbass actually putting his fingers all over the laser?
Why would it even matter? It was a non-working unit that he planted there anyway.
 
I think the Pearl White Gamecube released in Europe with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles looks the best. The GC in another other color just doesn't have that sexyness. However when it comes to durability the Gamecube beats the PS2 and Xbox hands down.
 
Cant say Gamecube is the best looking console ever designed ... at the moment that award goes to this little guy right here

slimps2.jpg


followed by this absolute beast

panasonic_q_hir1105_01.jpg



but Nintendo for damn sure got their shit straight with Revolution. SEXY. Hell I'd buy the revolution even if it was merely a redesigned GameCube.
 
It was quite an ugly console, but the hardware was magnificent. Tis a pity that hardly any developers utilized its power.

My main grievance was EAD's not up to past EAD effort this gen. The really excellent Nintendo games weren't even by EAD. Rather Hal Labs, Intelligent System and Retro. Course, EAD's doing better now. :)
 
SnakeXs said:
Physical design wise, it was ok. It did scream a bit less of the "Hey look we're modern and sleek and there's something roaring inside here" and more of the "Hey guys let's have fun", but I didn't mind, and I still find it attractive.

Hardware wise, it was an untapped beast. Portcube turned out to crush the hardware's unique capabilities, and it's sad. I wish I coulda seen what more effort put into it would have shown.

And, the controller, I go both ways. It's fugly, but comfy, it just feels right. For games designed around it, it's a dream, for ports, it's a nightmare.

So sad, really. It could have been so much more.

Nail hit on head.
 
Dr. Jade said:
but Nintendo for damn sure got their shit straight with Revolution. SEXY. Hell I'd buy the revolution even if it was merely a redesigned GameCube.

.......

...what, no-one's made the obvious joke yet? :D
 
jetjevons said:
And what's up with the big A button?
I love this. More than a decade out worldwide, and there's no consensus about O being 'select' and X being 'cancel' or vice-versa on the PlayStation controller. The GameCube makes it perfectly clear. Except for stupid cases like Lego Star Wars which used Y for cancel instead of B.
 
Tigerriot said:
It seems like there was more hate in this thread than there was love. :( Am cry.


274163513174zm.gif

WTF with the pic... I've avoided spoilers about the book for so long... I haven't had to read the book yet because it hasn't been released where I live... ARGGGGGHHH! >:(
 
The Gamecube is sexy and compact, even down to the clean and efficient internal design:
gamecube_motherboard.jpg


Compare that to the Xbox:
xbox_17.jpg
 
fatty said:
The Gamecube is sexy and compact, even down to the clean and efficient internal design:
gamecube_motherboard.jpg


Compare that to the Xbox:
xbox_17.jpg

...I think that says it all. It was so small and cheap, yet powerful. PS2 and Gamecube are about equal this generation in my opinion. I've got an equal number of games for both, and I've probably played each an equal amount of time. The thing about the Cube is 1) I only had to buy it once (PS2 twice) 2) I play it with other people more often than PS2 (except sports and online!) and 3) Gamecube games look glorious in 480p on my TV, while PS2 games have the worst IQ of any of the current-gen consoles. Yes, I'm using component cables for both.
 
fatty said:
The Gamecube is sexy and compact, even down to the clean and efficient internal design:
gamecube_motherboard.jpg


Compare that to the Xbox:
xbox_17.jpg

Wow. The only console I'd ever looked inside was XBox, and I assumed they were all pretty cluttered inside. That Cube pic is amazing.
 
I've been thinking about this a lot, but... what is the Gamecube going to be known for? Don't get me wrong, I love the console as much as the next guy, but there isn't ONE game (other than Animal Crossing) that stands out in my mind as mind blowing. One can argue that the Xbox was "The Halo Machine" or that Ps2 had stuff like GTA and GT4, but the GCN... ? Resident Evil 4? Super Mario Sunshine? I loved both of those games, but I really think the GCN is going to be the least memorable console Nintendo has put out since the Virtual Boy. :-(
 
dot-Nick said:
I've been thinking about this a lot, but... what is the Gamecube going to be known for? Don't get me wrong, I love the console as much as the next guy, but there isn't ONE game (other than Animal Crossing) that stands out in my mind as mind blowing. One can argue that the Xbox was "The Halo Machine" or that Ps2 had stuff like GTA and GT4, but the GCN... ? Resident Evil 4? Super Mario Sunshine? I loved both of those games, but I really think the GCN is going to be the least memorable console Nintendo has put out since the Virtual Boy. :-(


One could argue that the best scenario would be for a console to NOT be synonymous with just one game or series.

Best example: the Super Nintendo. What is it known for? Nothing. Or, perhaps more accurately, everything. Ask a dozen different people and you might get a dozen different answers. Super Mario World might be top of the list, but maybe not. Final Fantasy III (ie. VI). Donkey Kong Country. Mega Man X series. Chrono Trigger. Mario Kart. Link to the Past. Super Metroid.

Anyway, if the Gamecube is remembered for a single game, it'd have to be Super Smash Bros. Melee. It is, after all, the best-selling game on the Cube, by far, and also the best game in my opinion, edging out Super Monkey Ball, Prime, Wind Waker, and RE4.

Sadly, though, the Cube will probably be remembered as Nintendo's least successful console, and generally considered a failure that "lost" to the Xbox and PS2. Too bad, 'cause it entertained me this gen more than the other two combined.
 
You guys have no idea on how tiny and compact the GC is until you try to mod it. Seriously these screens don't do it justice. I thought I knew what I was getting into when modding it but boy was I wrong. No amount of pics could have prepared me for the shock when I first removed the cover. You want me to fit wire, into those holes!?! Panicked a bit to say the least.
 
I'm going to miss the small disc design next gen. It was nice being able to carry my entire cube game collection to my friend's house in my pocket


I also liked the indigo. I think black cubes look ugly and clunky. Somehow the only colors that ever looked right on the cube were the original indigo and spice colors. Fortunately the revolution looks great in white and platinum
 
Chibbi Brady said:
You guys have no idea on how tiny and compact the GC is until you try to mod it. Seriously these screens don't do it justice. I thought I knew what I was getting into when modding it but boy was I wrong. No amount of pics could have prepared me for the shock when I first removed the cover. You want me to fit wire, into those holes!?! Panicked a bit to say the least.

You're not kidding! I managed to mod mine about 3 days prior to the US launch--after searching for a soldering iron with a finer tip because of the microscopic points you have to work with! No such luck, at least not locally, and I spent nearly 8 hours and many attempts getting it right.

Later on, my friend figured out that there's no need to solder while modding his US one. You can just run wire through the holes and tape it off to the bottom of the board.
 
Top Bottom