gamecube modchip

[thomas_surles]

I found a gamecube in the closet of the house I just moved into and now I want to mod it.
Has anyone had any experience nodding a gamecube? I want to get this modchip I found for 10 bucks
It looks pretty simple to install. Any thoughts?

[ark_ader]

Is there a point now, considering how cheap the Wii is and how easy it is to soft-mod it to play GC ISO and discs?

[thomas_surles]

Well I could get a Wii for 75 at my local pawn shop. But I just got a Wii u. And unfortunately the Wii u doesn't support gamecube games.
So I wouldn't really want to get a Wii just for gamecube when I Got this free one sitting here.
Mini DVD r discs aren't but 18 bucks for a 50 pack on ebay. Just seems like the way to go for me.

Then again I'm still gonna need a regular Wii to keep up my Nintendo collection

[lilshawn]

you should be able to play lot's of gamecube game through emulation now a days... even with a mediocre computer.

i've never modded a gamecube for games (due to the proprietary disc format that required either a moded case to accept a 5 inch disc or removing the top and running it wide open.) at the time, the other methods of getting games to your system involved using the network adapter and streaming game data from your computer to the GC. not an ideal setup prone to corruption and crashing and slowwwwwwww loading times.

but i have softmodded a wii and it couldn't be easier. just find out what version system you are on and google up the instructions. i ripped all my discs onto a usb drive and load them right from there faster than the dvd could ever do. plus, it plays gamecube games natively.

the gamecube is cool and all, it was just a really proprietary system.

[SavannahLion]

You can rip both Wii and GC or just GC via softmodding?

[lilshawn]

You can rip both Wii and GC or just GC via softmodding?

Both. google up usbloaderGX and be happy.

[ChadTower]

He's talking about a $10 chip that takes 15 minutes to install.  I have used that chip in the past and it works well.  You'll have to either get MiniCDs or keep the cover off of the Gamecube, though. 

[thomas_surles]

He's talking about a $10 chip that takes 15 minutes to install.  I have used that chip in the past and it works well.  You'll have to either get MiniCDs or keep the cover off of the Gamecube, though.

yes. I plan on using mini dvdr.

[sharpfork]

I looked into doing this but there were many folks mentioning issues with having to tune the optical drives laser and crap like that.  Since I don't have the $tupid GC component cable, I decided to go the wii route.  I've moved 99% of my wii playing to the Wiiu and will be checking out Nintendont for gamecube on the wiiu.  All I need is a way to get my wavbirds into the wiiU but I think I have that covered.

[ChadTower]

I ran a modded GC for years and never once adjusted the laser.  Pretty sure I always used Ritek discs.  Some brands just work.

[pbj]

I bought one of those Hush Trap cases so I could use full sized DVDRs on mine.  It was actually kind of nice back then because the Gamecube versions were generally about as good as the Xbox games and 1/3 the download size.

About four months later, the supplier shoots me an e-mail and wants to know if I'd be interested in 5,000 more cases.  Cheap!   

Could always just dremel out the existing one.

[lilshawn]

now a days, you could just 3d print one up.

[ChadTower]

3d printed stuff isn't a finished product.  It has all sorts of layers on the surface from the printing process.  Think about it like a rough cut wooden item.  You still have to sand it down so the cuts look nice.  That's why 3d printing right now is great for internal parts but nobody is really making visible stuff from it.  Not that I have seen yet.

[lilshawn]

i don't recall where i saw it, but i had taken apart like a TV or something and saw a 3d printed part inside. i was like WTF! that's 3d printed.

anyways, how your rig is set up really determines how your finished product looks. if you have slop in your moving parts or flex in the frame while it moves, it'll translate to a visible flaw or line. even a couple thousandths between the bearing and the rail it rides on can cause a misalignment of the layer.

it's not a super professional finish type of thing...yet but it's getting there.

with super tight tolerances you can get a very smooth final product, but if you have slop all over it'll look lousy.

[thomas_surles]

I bought one of those Hush Trap cases so I could use full sized DVDRs on mine.  It was actually kind of nice back then because the Gamecube versions were generally about as good as the Xbox games and 1/3 the download size.

About four months later, the supplier shoots me an e-mail and wants to know if I'd be interested in 5,000 more cases.  Cheap!   

Could always just dremel out the existing one.

I was looking into that. I can't seem to find any for sale.

[pbj]

Well, there's always the mini disc route.  I've got a pile of DVD-RWs still in the package because I decided it was cheaper to get the replacement case.

[lilshawn]

I was looking into that. I can't seem to find any for sale.

Hey! you're at Build Your Own Arcade Controls. Get some nice oak, walnut, or maple and build yourself a steampunk-esque case that rehouses the gamecube. not only will you get it to fit regular DVD's you'll have a bad ass case mod.

[yotsuya]

At this point, I'm thinking it's more feasible to put that Gamecube on eBay and go get a Wii from the pawn shop.... 

[thomas_surles]

Well even if I don't use the gamecube I still want to keep it for the collection

[Alistair Keith]

I have a GameCube, never use that anymore. Wouldn't getting something that didn't require a hardware mod be better like the Wii?

You could probably get some money selling the GameCube on eBay...

[elvis]

I modded my GC a while back, and have had no luck with playing anything (homebrew, ISOs, whatever).  Original discs still play, and the modchip definitely works (it has a menu that can be brought up to confirm it's working) but anything I've tried to burn has failed. 

I attempted different brands of mini-DVD-R, I tried adjusting the voltage pot on the optical drive, and all the usual recommendations.  Nothing worked.  I looked around for cases that allowed regular DVD-R, but they were crazy expensive (more than I paid for the GC in the first place!).

Some time later I soft-modded a Wii (you can buy these for $30 second hand here in Australia - probably much cheaper than that in the US).  With DIOS MIOS (slightly tricky install) I can play GC ISO images straight off a USB hard disk without the need to burn anything.  If you don't want to go through that pain, you can just burn them to regular DVD-R and play them quite easily.

I can't think of a reason why anyone would want to go through the pain of modding a GC - perhaps only if you were keen on playing import titles on a domestic GC (even then, I'd probably just buy an import GC to match if I was really after that level of collected item).  A modded Wii is a much easier path, IMHO.

[sharpfork]

A modded Wii is a much easier path, IMHO.

Agreed, mod the wii...

[thomas_surles]

Good points. I will keep the gamecube for my Nintendo collection. And just mod a Wii. I just saw one at goodwill for 35 and I wish I got it. But it's only 75 at the pawn shop.

[lilshawn]

it might be better to get one from the pawn shop and i'll tell you why.


chances are it's sat there for a while. which means an older OS.

the older the OS version. the easier it will be to crack it. (just plunk a modded SD card in and it breaks it/ loads it)t. ideally somewhere in the 3.7 to 4.0 is best IIRC, but really there is a way you can do them all.

i HIGHLY recommend you install "bootmii" in any respect (if your wii supports it...there is a couple different versions out there). it has the capability to backup your NAND to your SD card.. so if you brick it you can restore it. this is possible because bootmii installs ahead of the OS in the boot sequence. so it involves powering on the Wii and then pressing reset to load the OS. SURE, it's and extra step, but the protection it provides is INVALUABLE especially once you start getting into installing custom cios's. one misstep can brick your wii. (which is where the NAND backup comes in SUPER handy.)

once you have everything setup, you don't really have to mess much,  most of the work has been done now, but back in the day we had to futz around with all kinds of custom cios's to get some games to work. now it's pretty straight forward.

a 2gb sd card is about all you need (maybe a copy of legend of zelda twilight princess for some wiis/versions of os) but 90% of wiis can be done with a straight SD card softmod.

[thomas_surles]

it might be better to get one from the pawn shop and i'll tell you why.


chances are it's sat there for a while. which means an older OS.

the older the OS version. the easier it will be to crack it. (just plunk a modded SD card in and it breaks it/ loads it)t. ideally somewhere in the 3.7 to 4.0 is best IIRC, but really there is a way you can do them all.

i HIGHLY recommend you install "bootmii" in any respect (if your wii supports it...there is a couple different versions out there). it has the capability to backup your NAND to your SD card.. so if you brick it you can restore it. this is possible because bootmii installs ahead of the OS in the boot sequence. so it involves powering on the Wii and then pressing reset to load the OS. SURE, it's and extra step, but the protection it provides is INVALUABLE especially once you start getting into installing custom cios's. one misstep can brick your wii. (which is where the NAND backup comes in SUPER handy.)

once you have everything setup, you don't really have to mess much,  most of the work has been done now, but back in the day we had to futz around with all kinds of custom cios's to get some games to work. now it's pretty straight forward.

a 2gb sd card is about all you need (maybe a copy of legend of zelda twilight princess for some wiis/versions of os) but 90% of wiis can be done with a straight SD card softmod.

thanks for the input. Sounds easier than a GameCube mod. I also like that you can put 2 games on one DVD r (I think..correct me if I'm wrong.)

[lilshawn]

put all your games on a usb harddrive and plug it in wit usbloaderGX you can have ALLLLLLLLL your games.

https://code.google.com/p/usbloader-gui/

i insert my disks...rips them right onto the drive.

easy peasy chickeninablender

[thomas_surles]

put all your games on a usb harddrive and plug it in wit usbloaderGX you can have ALLLLLLLLL your games.

https://code.google.com/p/usbloader-gui/

i insert my disks...rips them right onto the drive.

easy peasy chickeninablender3dry

that's good to know.

[ChadTower]

I need to re-mod my wii.  Someone updated ours to 4.0 a while back and it undid the cios.  I never bothered to go back in and fix it.