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Gamecube Hardware circle jerk thread......

T

Tiger

Banned
I just wanted to share my love and appreciation for the Gamecube hardware and it's wonderful design and ellegance. I can't be the only one who still sees this console and thinks "damn, that is a fine piece of gaming hardware". There is just something about the simplicity of the build and the strictly gaming based design. Even with the handle and whatever critiques people can come up with, I believe I will always admire the look of this machine.


game_cube2.jpg

gamecube.jpg

gamecube.jpg


The small discs make the hardware all the more appealing to me. There is just something about hardware that uses it's own style of media that make it unique and interesting. These smaller disks also helped to make load times the shortest we've ever seen with a disk based game console.

gc_disc.jpg


Then we have the controller. Just like the hardware this controller has been bashed for various reasons. Say whatever you want, this controller is still one of the most comfortable gaming controllers ever made. Just put it in your hands and it feels like it belongs there. Again, the design is so ellegant and simple. The larger "A" button was also the butt of many a joke, but again, it's truly a brilliant idea IMO and it does offer a single button for the most frequently used action in a game. I never bought into the claims that it wasn't good for sports games, and it's only weakness is the "Z" button and the fact that there isn't another one on the left side. Otherwise I think it's nearly perfect.


miyamoto-in-control-20050726113407880.jpg

Gamecube%20official%20Joypad%20Platinum.jpg


The Gamecube was also home to the first truly great wireless controller. Perfect functonality and a long battery life were fantastic. It was also released at a price point of $40, which is what a wireless controller should cost. I'm looking at you Microsoft! :| If only it had the rumble intact. :/

31136262-2-200-0.gif




AND FOR THE TRULY HARDCORE PLAYAZ........
model_controller_mario.jpg

model_controller_luigi.jpg
 
Barring a few issues I have w/ the GC in general, they were the only ones to get their design 'right'. Small, powerful and very functional.

Damn them for yanking progressive out of the newer models.
 
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.
 
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.
Click to expand...

[/my sentiments exactly]

Silver or black should probably have been the standard colours. Or they could have even showed some balls and released the Panasonic version. That thing is sexy as fuck too.

Revolution is an even better design though.
 
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 did love the gamecube hardware itself, but the lack of strong 3rd party support made it nothing more than a dust magnet to me. So much lost potential...
 
I personally never really thought the design was that great, and the controller has a lot of flaws.
 
Link said:
I personally never really thought the design was that great, and the controller has a lot of flaws.
Click to expand...

Aside from the frankly pathetic Z button placement and slightly too springy shoulder buttons, what flaws?
 
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.
Click to expand...


You nailed it.
 
HowardMoon said:
Aside from the frankly pathetic Z button placement and slightly too springy shoulder buttons, what flaws?
Click to expand...
The button placement was less than ideal for a lot of games, the d-pad was too small, and the c-stick wasn't nearly as useful as a true second analog would have been.

Plus the cord was criminally short, but that's not really so much a design flaw.
 
HowardMoon said:
Aside from the frankly pathetic Z button placement and slightly too springy shoulder buttons, what flaws?
Click to expand...

the D-pad blows
the C-stick sucks for any game that actually gives you control of the camera
and the asymetrical button layout makes it near impossible to hit B + X for fighting games
I am not really a fan of the 'ribbed' main analog stick either, hurts my thumb after awhile.
 
It's the machine Microsoft wishes they had built instead. They would've made money on the hardware, and on online and storage peripherals. It's too bad Nintendo never took advantage of that. With a Halo-level game, Microsoft would've easily sold hundreds of thousands of modems and hard drives. And the hardware wouldn't have been costing them billions in losses each year.
 
i've always liked the gamecube design. it's pleasingly compact, and with a gb player attached it's more or less cubic. purple is its natural color too -- it's inherently cute and toylike, and neither black nor that revolting "platinum" suits it. the handle i could do without. and the only aspect of the controller i can praise is the left analog.
 
Flo_Evans said:
the D-pad blows
the C-stick sucks for any game that actually gives you control of the camera
and the asymetrical button layout makes it near impossible to hit B + X for fighting games
I am not really a fan of the 'ribbed' main analog stick either, hurts my thumb after awhile.
Click to expand...

this is all super true. I like the way it feels in the hand, but then you actually use it for some games and it's awful. Worst d-pad last gen for sure. I can't even believe Nintendo would use a d-pad like that. C-stick is pretty badly designed too.
 
I love my Gamecube.. always will. It's just a shame more developers didn't take advantage of the hardware the way Capcom did with RE4. It has so much potential left in it... but that's already been said.
 
I don't see how purple suits it more than black.

Musashi Wins! said:
this is all super true. I like the way it feels in the hand, but then you actually use it for some games and it's awful. Worst d-pad last gen for sure. I can't even believe Nintendo would use a d-pad like that. C-stick is pretty badly designed too.
Click to expand...

They weren't going to have a D-pad in their final design. The GBA one was slapped on at the last minute when the devs demanded it.

I never had a real problem with the C-Stick.
 
The actual hardware is great but only few developers like Retro Studios, EAD and Amusement Vision really tapped it.

As far as the looks go I always found my silver Gamecube more pleasing to eye than Xbox or the original PS2 model..
 
Guys this thread is about the Gamecube's hardware itself, the software and 3rd party support is entirely a different matter.

The moment I received my indigo machine from Japan, oh so many years ago I always was somewhat a fan of the general design. While it was a huge blunder to have indigo the primary colour of the machine, the small functional and minimalist design always got a thumbs up from me. There were so many small little touches; like little indents over the controller ports indicating which was which, being able to slide out the jewel case on top of the machine and as someone has already alluded to little groove on the side preventing vents being blocked.

The machine itself was the best put together out of all 3 current gen systems in my book. It was compact, extremely efficient and really was able to go toe to toe with Xbox right until the end. The main problem was very few developers, really took advantage of the system and pushed it (Nintendo themselves certainly must carry some of the blame for this) and outside Capcom, Factor 5 and Rare's solitary effort, I always had the feeling if given a bit more time and attention by developers we could see some amazing things from the machine (Much like we saw how far the Playstation 2 could be pushed).

The controller was fantastic for most internal efforts and certainly remains the most comfortable controller for mind. Functionality was lost on a lot of 3rd party ports, and the unusual design really was a detriment in this case. The D-pad was all but worthless, and Z trigger poorly placed, but I really loved the clicking triggers it's another case of developers not bothering or having any incentive to work around the unique attributes of the machine.

All in all I thought it was good, exceptional in some cases however I have to say with the Revolution and recently redesigned DS, Nintendo are stepping it up in terms of design and aesthetics which is certainly pleasing.
 
I think Nintendo had the best performance/price hardware without any doubt. Graphically it is pretty equal to Xbox and it is cheaper than both PS2 and Xbox.
Games was also great looking right out of the gate.

The box, handle and color were pretty severe mistakes…

I think Nintendo is going to have a similar performance momentum this time too but with a better design on the machine.
 
Oh, and on a side note, and a huge FU to Nintendo, going with their wonderful trend of screwing sound, they left out any digital audio out.

*shakes fist with anger*
 
I got a Pearl White and a silver GameCube, looks really nice. =)

Xbox on the other hand... Looks like shit compared to the original 'X' prototype IMO.
 
I've always liked the GameCube's design, but my distaste for the controller has evolved into sheer blatant dislike over the years.

- Fucking terrible d-pad
- Useless z-button
- Inferior second analog stick
- Stupid shoulder triggers (they're comfortable to rest your fingers on, but when you actually have to press them all the way down over and over again they cramp your fingers and dull your reaction time)

Ugh. I like the actual shell and how it fits into my hands, but that's about it.
 
Like some others have said, I love the controller for games like Mario and Zelda. But ever try to play Fight Night 2 with that thing? Holy hell, does it suck.


I love my Cube. I bought it last year for 99 dollars and bought a bunch of AA games for 20 bucks or less. It's probably the greatest value I have ever had in console gaming.
 
AdmiralViscen said:
It needs a full explanation of its awesomeness, like the discs and controllers got. I could get the damn thing 3 years ago for less than the price of a wired 360 controller today.
Click to expand...


I cooked up a little awesomeness for the wavebird. :p
 
SnakeXs said:
Going with their wonderful trend of screwing sound, they left out any digital audio out.
Click to expand...

Yes very fair point and I think it raises another sore point for Nintendo regarding the lack of support for the Gamecube, which was spread across the board. Need I remind everyone of their horrible stance on component cables and only selling them exclusively on their website? Ugh.

Error Macro said:
Where was that thread about all the best looking GameCube games? It was a good thread. I should have bookmarked it.
Click to expand...

I am new to the boards as you can probably tell. If you find this thread please link it. Cheers.
 
Another positive: one of the easiest consoles to add multi-region capability to. A switch, some wire, and I was surviving the post-launch drought thanks to Dobutsu Bancho. A good friend, my GC.
 
human5892 said:
I've always liked the GameCube's design, but my distaste for the controller has evolved into sheer blatant dislike over the years.

- Fucking terrible d-pad
- Useless z-button
- Inferior second analog stick
- Stupid shoulder triggers (they're comfortable to rest your fingers on, but when you actually have to press them all the way down over and over again they cramp your fingers and dull your reaction time)

Ugh. I like the actual shell and how it fits into my hands, but that's about it.
Click to expand...

And what's up with the big A button?
 
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