The Nintendo GameCube Appreciation and Collecting Thread.

Hey guys, wondering if anyone can help. Should a brand new Gamecube have the date set? I mean, I'm thinking obviously not but it LOOKS new and came in the box with all cords wrapped. I was just really surprised to turn it on and see that it was set to 2012.

I bought it off ebay and the seller was a bit dishonest about other things too so I think I'll be returning it, just wanted to make sure that was proof that it has been opened and used.

The other weird thing is the actual gamecube looks like it has tiny cracks in it? Everything looks totally new and polished but there appears to be 5 or 6 hairline cracks throughout the console, and my old one has no marks that looks similar.
 
Anyone? :(

I know I'm gonna have to fight this guy through Ebay so I just want to make sure I'm correct that the date and time should not be set on a console marked "unopened".
 
I was looking to buy Eternal Darkness for around $50, and stumbled upon this for $60:

3zso76W.jpg

Gamecube
2 controllers
Gameboy Player
Start Up Disc
GBA
GBA Link Cable
Eternal Darkness
F-Zero GX
Ikaruga

The good thing is this GC has the digital a/v out. The one I have doesn't, so if I ever decide to invest in components, I can. I probably won't any time soon, since I have monster S-Video cables I've been using for SNES, which looks great on my Sony Wega 480i TV.

I've had a Gamecube for years, but I only used it to play Mario Party with friends. I started purchasing games again the last couple of months. I think my collection is complete for now, seeing as I haven't played any of them yet, besides Mario Party 6. Anyways, here's my other Gamecube and the rest of my games.


Resident Evil Zero has a printed cover.

After I finish Bravely Default and Tomb Raider, I'm gonna start a Gamecube JRPG. Which one shall I begin with? All things being equal, I would prefer to play the one with the best story.
 
Great buy for $60. Congrats!

Thanks, dude! The listing was something like: Gamecube w/2 controllers, 3 games (Eternal Darkness, F-Zero, and Ikaruga) and accessories for $60. I was all over that, and even more shocked when I picked up and found out what the accessories were. :D
 
Recently played some NFLStreet2 on my Gamecube. Man that games soundtrack is so good. Gameplay is really fun too, like a combination of nfl blitz and nba street. I feel this series as a whole didn't live up to the hype that nba street did.

Anyone ever try Fifa Street? Keep in mind I'm not a big sports game fan but I love me some arcadey wacky goodness.
 
It sounds like the seller misrepresented the item.

Yea, I guess so. I'm still a little conflicted. I'm searching for something to point to that shows its used aside from the date being set, but there is nothing. It looks flawless, and the cords and controller are without a doubt factory wrapped and untouched. No dust whatsoever in the vents or the fan, the sticker and serial number on the bottom are flawless. The glossy circle is still totally glossy, lol. And I guess those hairline cracks are fairly normal of early GCs according to some searches.

I'm thinking he tested it and set the date a few years ago. I hate being lied to but I spent a good 20 minutes scrutinizing every piece and I don't think anything has been used aside from the box being turned on. There is no way its spent any time sitting out somewhere unboxed. There is just no discoloration at all, no scratches or marks near the buttons or disc drive, nothing I can complain about.

Anyway, I think I'm keeping it. It was just that rushing feeling of dread when you realize your beautiful ebay find is not as perfect as it sounded. It's annoying that it's so typical of ebay but in this case I don't feel ripped off. I was really annoyed that a "50 cent coin sized tear" in the box ended up being a huge hole they failed to include in pictures but I can't stand dealing with people on issues like that. I'm just going to mention it in feedback and be done with it. I'm convinced it's relatively unused but I do like to warn people of dishonest sellers.
 
Yea, I guess so. I'm still a little conflicted. I'm searching for something to point to that shows its used aside from the date being set, but there is nothing. It looks flawless, and the cords and controller are without a doubt factory wrapped and untouched. No dust whatsoever in the vents or the fan, the sticker and serial number on the bottom are flawless. The glossy circle is still totally glossy, lol. And I guess those hairline cracks are fairly normal of early GCs according to some searches.

I'm thinking he tested it and set the date a few years ago. I hate being lied to but I spent a good 20 minutes scrutinizing every piece and I don't think anything has been used aside from the box being turned on. There is no way its spent any time sitting out somewhere unboxed. There is just no discoloration at all, no scratches or marks near the buttons or disc drive, nothing I can complain about.

Anyway, I think I'm keeping it. It was just that rushing feeling of dread when you realize your beautiful ebay find is not as perfect as it sounded. It's annoying that it's so typical of ebay but in this case I don't feel ripped off. I was really annoyed that a "50 cent coin sized tear" in the box ended up being a huge hole they failed to include in pictures but I can't stand dealing with people on issues like that. I'm just going to mention it in feedback and be done with it. I'm convinced it's relatively unused but I do like to warn people of dishonest sellers.

Thing is, if he wanted to remove the date and have you set it again, he could do so. That tells me he is either not too bright a fraudster, or honestly didn't make a real effort to conceal anything.
 
Thing is, if he wanted to remove the date and have you set it again, he could do so. That tells me he is either not too bright a fraudster, or honestly didn't make a real effort to conceal anything.

Yea, I thought it was a silly "mistake" to make too if he was trying to fool me. Honestly, he was deceptive with the pictures and stuff and obviously its been opened but I still think its unused aside from being turned on for whatever reason.

The only reason I was going to make a fuss is it was marked "unopened" and immediately I figured it was just a used GC in a nice box (aside from the hole haha). After looking over it I think its unused and the price doesn't bother me. It's still annoying that you just have to expect that on Ebay but I don't want to look for another purple one in perfect condition. They seem to be a little tougher to find new.
 
Hey guys, wondering if anyone can help. Should a brand new Gamecube have the date set? I mean, I'm thinking obviously not but it LOOKS new and came in the box with all cords wrapped. I was just really surprised to turn it on and see that it was set to 2012.

I bought it off ebay and the seller was a bit dishonest about other things too so I think I'll be returning it, just wanted to make sure that was proof that it has been opened and used.

The other weird thing is the actual gamecube looks like it has tiny cracks in it? Everything looks totally new and polished but there appears to be 5 or 6 hairline cracks throughout the console, and my old one has no marks that looks similar.

He must have played with it for a little bit (maybe even just to try some games) and then decided to put it back in the box and sell it as "new".
 
Thanks, dude! The listing was something like: Gamecube w/2 controllers, 3 games (Eternal Darkness, F-Zero, and Ikaruga) and accessories for $60. I was all over that, and even more shocked when I picked up and found out what the accessories were. :D
Yeah, great deal all around! That's a lot of fun for $60!
 
^that really is a stupid-good deal for $60, congrats man! are GC prices finally leveling off or did you just get in early/luck?

Partial refund could be in order here.

yeah depending on how you feel man, this could work for you - they don't wanna deal with negative feedback, restocking etc; the few times ive had things misrepresented (or stuff i failed to ask about even) ive had sellers quick to do partial refunds, up to you if you wanna go that route though.
 
All of that for $60? That's amazing. Especially since you have Ikaruga there as well. That thing costs a ton by itself.

Just realized it also comes with a GBA.
 
^that really is a stupid-good deal for $60, congrats man! are GC prices finally leveling off or did you just get in early/luck?

All of that for $60? That's amazing. Especially since you have Ikaruga there as well. That thing costs a ton by itself.

Just realized it also comes with a GBA.

I really lucked out. She was selling her son's belongings. I don't think she knew what everything was. Either that, or she just wanted to get rid of it. In any case, I didn't ask too many questions. She just handed me a box with everything in it. I looked through it quickly in amazement and couldn't hand her money fast enough.

The screen on the GBA is really scratched up, so I ordered a new one. I have a gba sp already, so I wasn't really in the market for another one, but this feels so much better in my hands, despite the not so great lighting. I wasn't looking for a gameboy player either. It's pretty cool. Honestly, I never heard of Ikaruga until recently. lol
 
Wait a minute, did her son know that she is selling this? Her son looks like someone that really like gaming, since he has Ikaruga of all games, lol.
 
I would assume he knows. I didn't really feel like asking her if she was selling them behind his back or not. I'm pretty sure he doesn't live with her anymore. Whatever the case, I'm glad I was able to buy them before someone else did. :)
 
So I'm going to order a couple S Video cables for my 2 GameCubes, which ones are good again? Preferably off Amazon, eBay would be fine but I'd rather get them sooner.
I found this:
http://www.amazon.com/Gamecube-S-Video-Cable-Bulk-Packaging/dp/B000P6R46W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392600543&sr=8-1&keywords=gamecube+s+video

Also how much better would Wii Component be vs S Video Gamecube?

I'd recommend getting them off ebay, on Amazon the ones you linked end up being this one from most sellers, not what you want.

And the difference will vary depending on the quality of your cables, but assuming decent svideo going from interlaced to progressive on a LCD/plasma should be more crisp and maybe have less input lag since the signal doesn't have to be deinterlaced.
 
I'd recommend getting them off ebay, on Amazon the ones you linked end up being this one from most sellers, not what you want.

And the difference will vary depending on the quality of your cables, but assuming decent svideo going from interlaced to progressive on a LCD/plasma should be more crisp and maybe have less input lag since the signal doesn't have to be deinterlaced.

If you see a cable that has both an S-Video cable end and a Composite video end, stay away. Those cables have a nasty habit of being awful.
 
If you see a cable that has both an S-Video cable end and a Composite video end, stay away. Those cables have a nasty habit of being awful.

Yeah I know, if the ones I ordered off Amazon (sorry really needed them this coming week, eBay would take too long) aren't good I will bitch and return them since in the photo they show no composite and the listing says it's from Innovation which is the exact same as the 10$ eBay ones.
Also ordered 2 of the 30$ white GC controllers off Amazon. Now all I need to buy a CRT or see if a relative has one in storage or something lol
 
Yeah I know, if the ones I ordered off Amazon (sorry really needed them this coming week, eBay would take too long) aren't good I will bitch and return them since in the photo they show no composite and the listing says it's from Innovation which is the exact same as the 10$ eBay ones.
Also ordered 2 of the 30$ white GC controllers off Amazon. Now all I need to buy a CRT or see if a relative has one in storage or something lol

The reviews to the cables you linked are not exactly favorable. Sounds like a few people got a raw deal.
 
And...of course the cables wouldn't be the right ones from Amazon, I got an advance refund and am sending them back though. Going to try another seller that someone confirmed in the comments as sending the pictured item, which is pure S video no composite BS...
Good thing Amazon has top notch service :D
 
And...of course the cables wouldn't be the right ones from Amazon, I got an advance refund and am sending them back though. Going to try another seller that someone confirmed in the comments as sending the pictured item, which is pure S video no composite BS...
Good thing Amazon has top notch service :D

Sucks that the cables weren't the right ones. If you're still looking around for good s-video cables, besides the official ones, I highly recommend the Monster ones. I bought one for my SNES a little while back, and they work perfectly on my GC. They're like 10 ft long too. I think the Monster ones and the official ones are your best bet. Good luck finding the right ones, though.
 
The monster ones are 40$ on a new listing off eBay. Used of course. Would they be worth it over the Innovision S Videos for like 10$ though...?
Maybe I'll pony up the cash for component cables by the end of the year for like under 160$
 
The monster ones are 40$ on a new listing off eBay. Used of course. Would they be worth it over the Innovision S Videos for like 10$ though...?
Maybe I'll pony up the cash for component cables by the end of the year for like under 160$

$40 is less than what I spent on them, so if you can get it for that price, I don't think it's a bad deal. I did some research before I bought mine, and from what I remember, they're the best third party ones. I saw some people speak highly of the Innovation ones as well, while others not so much. The problem I had with the Innovations was finding a place that sold legit ones, somewhat like what you just went through with Amazon. I decided on Monster cables to avoid the hassle.

I was thinking about getting the components as well, but I don't think the price justifies the upgrade in picture quality, especially on my 480i TV. Plus, the component cables won't work with my SNES/N64.
 
Huh, okay. Well it's 50~ considering shipping, and people may bid higher so I will monitor this and decide accordingly haha
Man Nintendo should go full on retro and just start making some of this stuff again :P
#wishfulthinking
 
ok gaf, i guess that this will be a easy for you :P

So, tales of symphonia (the original gamecube version) is, and allways will be, by favourite videogame. But i was one of those kids (around 11 years old) that played PAL games.... and for some years i didnt know about how bad they could be... so some years ago i thought that it would be a good idea to play the NTSC version.

When you turn on the gamecube with tales of symphonia you cant choose between 50hz and 60hz, so thats means that the PAL version is 50hz. Thats why i want the NTSC version.

I have a PAL gamecube so, what is the easier way for me to play the ntsc version!? After i learned about things like PAL versions and region locking (many years ago) i bought a free loader to play a couple of japanese games like naruto gekitou ninja taisen 4 ( BEST NARUTO EVER :D ). I dont remember but, looking at the free loader disc, it seems that is a "late gamecube version" and an "early wii version" because in the back it says: gamecube + wii free loader - version 1.0E european.

Do you know, for sure, if that free loader would run the NTSC version of tales of symphonia on my PAL gamecube?? if so, would the game run like in a NTSC gamecube?? I also have a wii free loader and i still remember looking on the internet at a list that have what games my version of the free loader would run ok, but i dont remember if there was a list for the gamecube one (time makes you forget things...). Do you know if there is a "list" like that for my gamecube free loader!?

if the free loader is not the answer... what should i do?? obviouly, i am not an expert :P

and another question... gaf, is this the correct thread for asking about this!? i hope so.
 
^ The free loader will play the NTSC game exactly as if it were NTSC. The only compatitability issues that might arise are with your PAL TV if you're using an old CRT, and even this is a long shot.
 
^ The free loader will play the NTSC game exactly as if it were NTSC. The only compatitability issues that might arise are with your PAL TV if you're using an old CRT, and even this is a long shot.

i have a old CRT that only does 50hz. But theres another TV (the "main" one), that is only a couple years old, so theres no problem with the tv.
 
ok gaf, i guess that this will be a easy for you :P

So, tales of symphonia (the original gamecube version) is, and allways will be, by favourite videogame. But i was one of those kids (around 11 years old) that played PAL games.... and for some years i didnt know about how bad they could be... so some years ago i thought that it would be a good idea to play the NTSC version.

When you turn on the gamecube with tales of symphonia you cant choose between 50hz and 60hz, so thats means that the PAL version is 50hz. Thats why i want the NTSC version.

I have a PAL gamecube so, what is the easier way for me to play the ntsc version!? After i learned about things like PAL versions and region locking (many years ago) i bought a free loader to play a couple of japanese games like naruto gekitou ninja taisen 4 ( BEST NARUTO EVER :D ). I dont remember but, looking at the free loader disc, it seems that is a "late gamecube version" and an "early wii version" because in the back it says: gamecube + wii free loader - version 1.0E european.

Do you know, for sure, if that free loader would run the NTSC version of tales of symphonia on my PAL gamecube?? if so, would the game run like in a NTSC gamecube?? I also have a wii free loader and i still remember looking on the internet at a list that have what games my version of the free loader would run ok, but i dont remember if there was a list for the gamecube one (time makes you forget things...). Do you know if there is a "list" like that for my gamecube free loader!?

if the free loader is not the answer... what should i do?? obviouly, i am not an expert :P

and another question... gaf, is this the correct thread for asking about this!? i hope so.

I have a PAL GameCube, and before I put my modchip in I successfully used a Freeloader to boot up my ToS (which is NTSC). It'll work!
 
I have a PAL GameCube, and before I put my modchip in I successfully used a Freeloader to boot up my ToS (which is NTSC). It'll work!

100% confirmed that i am buying a NTSC one in the future, THANKS everyone. Theres only two problems... is going to be expensive (and i dont have money) and i am going to have to play the game in english.
 
oh!! Another thing about playing the NTSC version of tales of symphonia on my PAL gamecube...

what about the saves files on my memory card!? i am asking that because, when playing japanese games on my PAL gamecube, it was a good idea to have a separated memory card for the japanese game because bad thing could have to my PAL saves files if a used the same memory card... but i have never used an american game on my gamecube so... would i have the same problem?? would i be able to use my PAL save files with the NTSC game?? or would i have to create new ones??

thanks gaf, to make questions ;P
 
The lid release button for my GC is sticking. I've had my GC since 2002 and in the past two years or so I've noticed that if I press down the release button at the wrong angle or all of the way down it will stick and I have to jiggle it to release it. Has anyone had this problem with an old GC?
 
The lid release button for my GC is sticking. I've had my GC since 2002 and in the past two years or so I've noticed that if I press down the release button at the wrong angle or all of the way down it will stick and I have to jiggle it to release it. Has anyone had this problem with an old GC?

of course!! but is the only problem that my old, old gamecube has given me. It happened to me again yesterday or so, but after pressing it again everything is ok.
 
The lid release button for my GC is sticking. I've had my GC since 2002 and in the past two years or so I've noticed that if I press down the release button at the wrong angle or all of the way down it will stick and I have to jiggle it to release it. Has anyone had this problem with an old GC?

Mine does that a bit as well. Mine is from around 2004 though. And it's been doing it for years now. It doesn't actually cause any problems but I'm always careful with it now.

Edit: Oh, mine does actually have the digital out on the back still. So if that's what you meant by old then yes it is an old one.
 
oh!! Another thing about playing the NTSC version of tales of symphonia on my PAL gamecube...

what about the saves files on my memory card!? i am asking that because, when playing japanese games on my PAL gamecube, it was a good idea to have a separated memory card for the japanese game because bad thing could have to my PAL saves files if a used the same memory card... but i have never used an american game on my gamecube so... would i have the same problem?? would i be able to use my PAL save files with the NTSC game?? or would i have to create new ones??

thanks gaf, to make questions ;P

You have to create new ones I'm pretty sure.

The lid release button for my GC is sticking. I've had my GC since 2002 and in the past two years or so I've noticed that if I press down the release button at the wrong angle or all of the way down it will stick and I have to jiggle it to release it. Has anyone had this problem with an old GC?

I had this problem and it had trouble reading games eventually, though I'm not sure if that was because it always thought it wasn't shut properly, or if it had a bung part in the laser drive too. I ended up using it for parts and swapping out for one I bought for a pittance that had a rusty motherboard. The original one only cost me a buck anyway so I didn't mind doing so.
 
so i have to train those characters to level 250 again... and do you know if i would have to use a separated memory card for the NTSC game??

thanks again.

I mix PAL and NTSC-U all the time, but you want a separate card for Japanese saves, if you are planning on having any.
 
What's the recommended memory card? I remember one of the sizes caused troubled with some games.

By all means, get a 1019 if you can, but a 251 will probably hold all you want. It was the original Memory Card 59 that caused the only problems I recall - it was barely big enough to hold "season" data in some sports games, IIRC. And Beyond Good & Evil needs nearly a whole 59-size card, too, again IIRC, despite what the box says.
 
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