alf717
Member
I like the small boxes as well. My first time exposure to it was the Game Cube Player disc.
The Nintendo GameCube Appreciation and Collecting Thread.
- Thread starter Seik
- Start date
I like the small boxes as well. My first time exposure to it was the Game Cube Player disc.
D.Lo
Member
Yeah well looked after JP GCN cases look awesome. They take advantage of how small the discs are, and end up about Famicom box size. Really fits the whole 'compact' motif of the console.
PAL got better cases than NTSC however, they don't have the weird extra plastic everywhere (compared to regular DVD/PS2 cases), and of course have the Gamecube name on the right place on the spine
Wii support! Wii support?! Awesome! No more blurry edges! If it's just going to be available within such a short span of time, I might actually just get the Wii modded first.
PumpkinSpice
Banned
This looks shockingly easy to install. Most of the trouble would just be taking the thing apart (which does suck...) and cutting a hole in the case.
And the price is better than I expected too.
Good that more people will have access to YUV output on GameCube.
You actually don't even need to cut a hole in the case, he's really thought of everything.
The only thing I don't think is quite clear is what is included with the EZ Pak option over the PCB only.
PumpkinSpice
Banned
That's only if you desolder the existing digital port which... I wouldn't want to do and would be more work than anything else to begin with unless you already had a decent desoldering tool. And if you don't already have it or have a reason to own one, you'd be spending more than the GCVideo kit to get one.
NinjaCatfish
Member
Dang, the concept of HDMI out on the GameCube is super enticing, even over the component cable.
On the topic, got a bit back into GameCube over the weekend when an old buddy of mine visited. Playing a whole bunch of Soul Calibur 2, a game we were never really very good at, and still are not very good at, but is fun regardless. Looks quite nice in forced 576p.
On the topic, got a bit back into GameCube over the weekend when an old buddy of mine visited. Playing a whole bunch of Soul Calibur 2, a game we were never really very good at, and still are not very good at, but is fun regardless. Looks quite nice in forced 576p.
dancrane212
Member
Yeah, from experience that port can be really tricky to remove without a dedicated desoldering tool; it was definitely the most difficult part of the mod (aside from the tedium of cutting wires) for me.
Lovely collection. That GC must be worth a fortune, now... I didn't even know it was released outside of Japan, tbh.
I like LE GameCube consoles too. I'm not a console collector, but both my PAL GC are special editions (the Resident Evil 4 one is the system I use regularly, while I kept my Mario Smash Football Pak still sealed, for my collection).
I was planning on desoldering, but if it's going to be that difficult I'll go with cutting a hole.
Not worth the headache if it's going to be as tedious as I'm thinking it will be.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Anyone planning on getting it installed? I'm curious how clean the case cut will be if I send it in.
mightynine
Member
I'm going to have it installed. Apparently they do good work and I chose to keep the existing ports in place, so they will be a-cutting.
zephervack
Member
Really torn on which one to install, the component is great for CRT with component.... while HDMI is more future proof.....
My CRT doesnt have HDMI....
My CRT doesnt have HDMI....
can i ask, how much do you have to pay?
i paid 18(without shipping, the shipping was actually more expensive) in 2007 for my new orange gamecube from japan. i never opened the package, so everything is still sealed
also when the gc was launched in japan in 2001, the snes, the n64 were already using the same cable, so nintendo tried this scheme. while the japanese customers got informed, that the scart cable will be missing, so if you dont have one of the predessors, you have to buy a separate one.
in the rest of the world, this would have never worked out.
now companies rethink, if they should stop selling the charger for smartphones because every smartphone except iphones do use the same charger(actually this is a good idea, because i already have 3 of these chargers here) but back then with the gc situation... man.
but nintendo tried it again with the nintendo dsi xl, i think.
and with the n3ds. i sort if dislike this, since i only have one charger for my o3ds and my n3ds.
dancrane212
Member
Why not go with both then? Is it because you don't want the case cut? The back panel of the GameCube exists independently from the rest of the shell so it's easily replaceable with something that has 3 video ports. There is already a WIP 3D printable model of back panel from marcus9199 over on GV-forever that was made for component out; actually messaged him this morning to see if he had any plans on scoping out a version that would fit all three ports.
Of course 3D printing still doesn't compare to the original shell in terms of quality but for something you will hardly ever see I think it's a pretty good alternative.
zephervack
Member
Show me the way, I guess its in the installation manual? Gotta admit I just glanced through it.
Looking into it now, honestly dont mind opening holes behind, I just didnt know you could install both. lol
TheMoon
Member
dancrane212
Member
Different configurations are shown here.
can i ask, how much do you have to pay?
i paid 18(without shipping, the shipping was actually more expensive) in 2007 for my new orange gamecube from japan. i never opened the package, so everything is still sealed
also when the gc was launched in japan in 2001, the snes, the n64 were already using the same cable, so nintendo tried this scheme. while the japanese customers got informed, that the scart cable will be missing, so if you dont have one of the predessors, you have to buy a separate one.
in the rest of the world, this would have never worked out.
now companies rethink, if they should stop selling the charger for smartphones because every smartphone except iphones do use the same charger(actually this is a good idea, because i already have 3 of these chargers here) but back then with the gc situation... man.
but nintendo tried it again with the nintendo dsi xl, i think.
and with the n3ds. i sort if dislike this, since i only have one charger for my o3ds and my n3ds.
Maybe I overplayed a little, but the chances of me running into another orange gamecube, here in Europe, in mint condition new in box, which includes everything the system originally came with (plastic bags, black cable clips, documentation etc.) are rather slim.
Anyway, I paid 75, which all in all is not that bad; though it is not a rare colour, it is still seen as the most special by some/most among the standard colours simply because it never released outside of Japan. Also, I am busy with a purple new in box (65 probably). Then the only colour left new in box is platinum. If anyone is interested I will post some pictures.
You can even instal dual HDMI
I am trying to think of a situation where this statement doesn't apply to.May I provide the one true answer: buy another cube
I am still thinking
On a sidestep, I have got some cubes (14) ready to paint for my personal collection. Will probably do so at the end of next week.will post soke pictures when they are done.
Check out the FAQ and installation PDF I linked and that should inform you of your options.
They only thing I haven't been able to puzzle out is what is included in the EZ Pak.
The Gamecube outputs 240p native, over an S-Video connection (which degrades the image), and then your TV's internal upscaler is going to go after the image which is going to introduce lag and will not be particularly pretty.
You can get yourself started in the Upscaler thread, but it's a good time since the GC Video mod is now widely available (lossless connection to your TV).
I didn't know GC had an official HDMI cable, are you sure you're not referring to the component cables?
damn, I guess it's just going to go up in price.
I still can't believe I bought FE
ath of Radiance for like a $15 dls new sealed in a random store back in 2006
CharminUltra
Member
Jelly donut.I still can't believe I bought FE
but then a couple years later I saw FE: Radiant Dawn, new sealed at regular retail price.
saw it and though... "nah, I'll buy that later",
that went pretty well...-_-
Sorry, yes! That's what I meant.
240p? Isnt it mostly 480i/480p?
D.Lo
Member
Yeah GC's normal resolution is 480i/480p.
Only a few games are 240p, probably just some retro compilations (eg Mega Man).
Agreed, I hate it!!!
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
Definitely want to keep the digital port since I have a component cable. Most of the case cuts I've seen are really ugly though. Once some install pics show up I might bite, or just decide to wait for the external version.
D.Lo
Member
Interlaced is fine on a CRT, it's the native resolution.
It's only really an issue for using old consoles on fixed pixel progressive-only displays, aka only an issue using equipment from two different eras together.
PumpkinSpice
Banned
I'll take 480i with good deinterlacing on a modern TV over a CRT. No flicker and a genuinely nice looking image. You'll add a frame or two of latency but for the games I usually play at 480i it's worth it.
It's a huge issue with capture cards as well. The reason deinterlacing exist is to get rid of it for a clean picture when using upscalers and deinterlacers like the XRGB Mini and such.
D.Lo
Member
Yes but that doesn't make interlaced images trash IQ, it just means most modern devices can't handle the most common video mode of all time very well. 480i was literally the perfect resolution for a 2001 console and the absolute best IQ 99.99% of screens around at that time could display.
Haha well that's an example of interlaced being handled well and being able to be good IQ. Not to me though, it looks perfect on a quality CRT, but on an LCD has scaling artefacts no matter what the mode of scaling, but in that case its the resolution's fault, not the interlacing. And my 480i/p looked much better on my old Plasma (RIP
).Almost all games, really only some of those with no 60hz mode can't be forced. There was a special mod chip that could do it naively too, I wish I got one while they were around! Of course I didn't care back when they were available because it already looked perfect on my top quality Panasonic CRT via component.
Or even better, games with proper 576 line rendering (eg Metroid Prime 1) can be forced to 576p - for a progressive image with higher resolution.
DownGrader
Member
What other PAL games have proper 576-line rendering, and is it worth trading 60 Hz off for higher resolution, provided that I have no means of enabling progressive mode either way?
TheMoon
Member
whut? don't be crazy.
D.Lo
Member
I spoke a bit about this in the retro AV thread recently.
It is definitely worth it for Metroid Prime. It's speed very well PAL optimised (in fact, the definitive version of the game) and still super smooth so nothing is lost in 50Hz, but you get the genuine extra 20% resolution, so less dithering! Most first party games after the launch period are better, but usually game speed is slower, eg in Wind Waker link runs slower.
PumpkinSpice
Banned
There are workarounds for almost everything (literally everything?) either via Swiss or Nintendon't but there are some cases where I'd rather just pop in the disc and run in 480i for like Tales of Symphonia.
It's worth having a good way to run 480i if you want to play most PS2 games anyway.
Do you know if this is the case for Wii Metroid Prime as well? 576p and speed-optimised?
D.Lo
Member
I haven't tried honestly, I'll try the Wii on the PVM sometime soon and see.
Yes, but Metroid Prime runs in 540x528 internally, as the gamecube's internal framebuffer's maximum resolution is 640x480 @60Hz (NTSC) or 640x528 @50Hz (PAL). So you get a 720x576 picture consisting of added black pixels to comply the video standard.
Though Metroid Prime is optomized (as is Pikmin 1), you only get 48 lines of vertical resolution increase and a decrease in Hz; I wonder if the trade off is worth it because the image appears a bit squashed vertically on HDTV's due to the scaling as opposed to its NTSC equivalent.
Not entirely sure on the squashed image, but it seems plausible to mee you would additionally need to scale the picture horizontally in order to maintain proper aspect ratio.
DownGrader
Member
I do prefer better framerate over higher resolutions any day. But while the difference between 50 fps and 60 fps is noticeable even without direct comparison, I think it won't be the case for, for example, 30 fps and 25 fps. Since I am playing on an LCD TV, the flickering isn't as much of an issue as it was on CRT, and I would welcome higher resolution if the speed's the same and if the difference in framerate isn't that noticeable.
Thanks for the reply! It's funny how Prime 1 had such great PAL optimisation while Prime 2 was a "we hope you have a good TV set" 60 Hz-only release.
I'm reading about that right now, and, yes, it seems you will need to stretch the image to 16:10 aspect ratio (and it is a zoom preset on my 2009 LG TV). That effectively means you'll be playing the game in 576p widescreen.