Gaming Forums => Nintendo Gaming => Topic started by: Chozo Ghost on September 11, 2010, 08:02:54 PM
Title: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Chozo Ghost on September 11, 2010, 08:02:54 PM
People can say what they want about the GC, but one really cool advantage it had was it was easy to move from room to room or house to house thanks to its convenient lunchbox handle and compact cube design. It also seemed pretty durable, so if it got bumped into a wall or two while being moved it probably wouldn't have killed it. That's not so much true with the consoles of today which seem to fail if you so much as look at them the wrong way.
The thing I really hate about the Wii is moving it around and setting it up is a lot more of a hassle than with the GC. Yes, its a very small compact system, but it doesn't have that convenient lunchbox handle that its predecessor had. It is also more of a hassle due to the damn Sensor Bar thing, which has a very long fine wire which inevitably gets tangled up with anything and everything and its just one additional thing that has to be moved and not only moved, but then also placed center on the top or beneath a TV. Nowhere else will do, and that often involved moving things around so its a major undertaking, and occasionally the Sensor bar will fall behind the TV and get tangled up with all the wires back there so it becomes a major hassle. So the sensor bar is one thing that really hurts the convenience of moving the Wii around or taking it over to a friend's house.
So if there were just one thing I could change about the Wii it would be to get rid of the Sensor bar and find some other alternative to it. For example, couldn't the sensor bar just be built into the Wii itself? If not, then what about a built in Camera thing? Isn't that what Kinect and Move will be using? So in my opinion the Wii 2 needs to get rid of the Sensor Bar and have something built into the console that can enable motion control but doesn't require some external thing with a long tangly wire to mess with.
My 2 cents.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: MegaByte on September 11, 2010, 08:33:53 PM
I definitely agree about the durability issue, but at least with the Wii, I can put it in a laptop bag.
Have you tried using a wireless sensor bar solution? No wires to get tangled up, but you'll have to change batteries.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Guitar Smasher on September 11, 2010, 08:37:52 PM
Kinect and Move use separate cameras that you place on (or around) the TV, so they aren't any less complicated. Don't forget that the Wiimote pointer function is actually a camera, and in combination with the "sensor bar", is essentially a Move in reverse.
On the idea of the camera being built-in, I don't think this would work well since the pointer performance is dependent on the camera/signal source being strategically placed near the TV.
Frankly, I think the current Wii setup is about as optimal as possible, and you can even replace the wired bar with a battery powered one.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Mop it up on September 11, 2010, 08:49:59 PM
The easiest solution would be for the Sensor Bar to have both a cord and a battery compartment. Those who can tether it without much issue can do so and not worry about batteries, and those who move it a lot or don't want the corded mess can use the batteries.
All the Sensor Bar does is emit IR light, so you can actually replace it with any IR source if you wanted. Candles are surprisingly effective.
I don't really move my system so I don't care about a handle, but I would have liked if the Wii design were more like the GameCube as it was a lot more durable.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on September 11, 2010, 09:50:48 PM
They should make a sensor bar with a retractable cord. That would make it a lot easier to move.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Kytim89 on September 11, 2010, 11:20:23 PM
I actually like to think that the wii 2 will be smaller than the wii itself. Possibly half the size of the wii and I also would like to see the sensor bar either become wireless but retain the same size and form factor, or become a built in the wii.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: MegaByte on September 11, 2010, 11:25:13 PM
Built-in can't happen because many people (especially those with flat screens) wouldn't be able to mount an entire system in the proper position.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: TJ Spyke on September 11, 2010, 11:33:31 PM
Kytim, I don't think there is any chance of the Wii 2 being smaller than the Wii (unless you want it to have the same graphics and power limits as the Wii, it will be bigger than the Wii if you at least want it to match the power of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3).
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Kytim89 on September 11, 2010, 11:51:29 PM
Kytim, I don't think there is any chance of the Wii 2 being smaller than the Wii (unless you want it to have the same graphics and power limits as the Wii, it will be bigger than the Wii if you at least want it to match the power of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3).
How big do these graphic chips need to be? Also, Megabyte, I have seen mounts for the wii that hook into the wall behind or beside flat screen televisions.
I had something like a netbook design blended with the DSi design in mind for the wii 2. Basically thinner than the wii, but more elongated like the DSi is to the DS Lite or the XL to the standard DSi.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on September 12, 2010, 12:22:36 AM
Also, I know we like to speculate, but I think it's still overwhelmingly the most likely scenario that Nintendo will continue to use optical discs in the next console, which would limit how small you could make it.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: MegaByte on September 12, 2010, 12:38:16 AM
They should make a sensor bar with a retractable cord. That would make it a lot easier to move.
How about a detachable cord? That's a very good idea for another reason too, because the Sensor Bar's cord is very thin and easily ripped/cut/torn/etc. Being detachable means that it could also be replaceable with a new cord, without having to throw out the whole sensor bar.
I also liked Mop It Up's suggestion of a battery compartment, so you could use the cord if you wanted to but if you wanted it wireless you could just detach said cord and pop in a couple batteries instead.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: TheBlackCat on September 12, 2010, 10:30:45 AM
The concern isn't just the size of the chips, it is keeping them cool. More powerful chips run hotter, so need more room for the heat sinks and fans. That was one of the things that led to RROD in the old 360's, insufficient cooling.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: TheBlackCat on September 12, 2010, 10:46:34 AM
How about a detachable cord? That's a very good idea for another reason too, because the Sensor Bar's cord is very thin and easily ripped/cut/torn/etc. Being detachable means that it could also be replaceable with a new cord, without having to throw out the whole sensor bar.
I also liked Mop It Up's suggestion of a battery compartment, so you could use the cord if you wanted to but if you wanted it wireless you could just detach said cord and pop in a couple batteries instead.
I think those are fine for a 3rd-party sensor bar, and in fact I think there is a 3rd-party sensor bar like this. But they both have the disadvantage of increasing the size of the bar. Battery power alone will probably double or even triple the height of the bar if they use AAA or AA batteries and increase the depth by 50% if they use AAs. It would probably also increase the weight several times at least. At least from holding them to me a single AA battery weighs more than the entire Wii sensor bar.
Making the cord retractable without getting snags would probably increase the depth and height by at least 50%.
Having a detachable cable would make the guides for the wire much harder to implement, and if combined with batteries would require the plug being on either the left or right end of the bar instead of the middle (or there would need to be 2 separate battery compartments, which I doubt they would do for the sake of simplicity and manufacturing costs). The guides could be added back, but this would once again increase the size of the sensor bar.
So I think those are useful features for a third-party or "premium" Nintendo sensor bar, but I think the bundled sensor bar should stay as simple, small, and lightweight as possible.
In fact, I think the next version could be made substantially smaller. The area in the middle, for instance, should be mostly wasted space. There may be one or two simple timing circuits in there, but those shouldn't be more than 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/4 inch (that is the size of much more complicated off-the-shelf timing circuits). Making that area thinner and just have bumps on the ends for the LEDs and timing circuits would be better. Also, making the LED areas smaller should be possible, reducing the height to probably half its current height for large LEDs, less for smaller ones. Also, having the whole thing made out of two or three (maybe even just one) molded pieces of plastic instead of the 5 pieces it currently is should cut down costs.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Kytim89 on September 12, 2010, 12:53:06 PM
If the sensor bar were to become wireless and retain the same size and form factor as the current sensor bar, could watch batteries be used to power it? Perhaps those flat batteries that are the same size as a dime or nickel.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: BwrJim! on September 12, 2010, 01:32:53 PM
all of the consoles and handhelds nintendo has maid are pretty solid. The worst of course was the original nes, but the DS(s) have fallen into mop buckets, toilets and they are still kicking. Then, the wii, while I am a little miffed about the black dots of death issue, before my system died, it hit the ground a few times (hard rock ground, 2 foot fall) and my family took it to hell and back before it died.
But, now I have two sets of cords and moving the wii, not so bad anymore.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Mop it up on September 12, 2010, 05:03:07 PM
Eh, I still think the NES easily beats the Wii in terms of durability. I mean, mine's over twenty years old and still works fine. Sure, I replaced the 72-pin connector, but that wasn't until only a few years back, and it technically still worked, just not very well. That replacement was pretty easy and cost $8. The Wii, on the other hand, lasted only two-and-a-half years before it needed a repair from normal use, and that sure wasn't cheap. That's a pathetic amount of time.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Chozo Ghost on September 12, 2010, 05:07:54 PM
Cartridge based systems will inevitably be more durable by their very nature. For one thing, they don't have moving parts so there's nothing that will wear out from use. Optical based drives have motors which turn the discs around and eventually those wear out, plus there's the laser emitters that eventually die out too. But with that, for optical based systems the Wii and GC are pretty damn good. They can't be as good as the cartridge based systems Nintendo once made, but they're not known for breaking down the way the PS2/360/PS3 are.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Mop it up on September 12, 2010, 05:11:06 PM
Though that's very true, it still puts the Wii as by far the weakest system. I bought a GameCube at launch, and I've played it far more than the Wii. Here we are nine years later and it still works flawlessly (not once did a game ever freeze up). With the Wii, Nintendo sacrificed durability in order to make it small; I'd have preferred a design akin to the GameCube.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: MoronSonOfBoron on September 12, 2010, 06:24:43 PM
What if Nintendo's next system simply clipped onto the TV wholesale?
And you could use those same clips to possibly have it hanging off a shelf or wall bracket. Or your pants.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Kytim89 on September 12, 2010, 06:33:34 PM
Though that's very true, it still puts the Wii as by far the weakest system. I bought a GameCube at launch, and I've played it far more than the Wii. Here we are nine years later and it still works flawlessly (not once did a game ever freeze up). With the Wii, Nintendo sacrificed durability in order to make it small; I'd have preferred a design akin to the GameCube.
I am hoping that the wii 2 will like a standard DSi, but be as big as a net book. Would being the same size of a net book help accomodate the bigger graphics chips and help keep it cool. I am also of the belief that the gamecube controller and memory card ports will eliminated, but we talked about this on another topic.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: King of Twitch on September 12, 2010, 07:42:50 PM
Though that's very true, it still puts the Wii as by far the weakest system. I bought a GameCube at launch, and I've played it far more than the Wii. Here we are nine years later and it still works flawlessly (not once did a game ever freeze up). With the Wii, Nintendo sacrificed durability in order to make it small; I'd have preferred a design akin to the GameCube.
Using a sample size of one person is not going to give you reliable data.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Mop it up on September 12, 2010, 08:27:41 PM
Eh, several people I know have had issues with Wii too, including internal memory corruption, which seems more common than disc drive issues. Look around the Internet, too. Hey, look around these forums. How many people have had their Wii repaired? Quite a few. How many have had issues with a GameCube? None that I saw.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: that Baby guy on September 12, 2010, 09:02:08 PM
It's because the Wii gets really dusty, and nobody ever seems to take the time to dust it off.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on September 12, 2010, 09:03:02 PM
Eh, several people I know have had issues with Wii too, including internal memory corruption, which seems more common than disc drive issues. Look around the Internet, too. Hey, look around these forums. How many people have had their Wii repaired? Quite a few. How many have had issues with a GameCube? None that I saw.
Both my Wii and Gamecube have went out. I needed to replace both.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Adrock on September 12, 2010, 10:07:42 PM
How about a detachable cord? That's a very good idea for another reason too, because the Sensor Bar's cord is very thin and easily ripped/cut/torn/etc. Being detachable means that it could also be replaceable with a new cord, without having to throw out the whole sensor bar.
My cat was being a b-face and chewed through my original sensor bar cord a couple years ago. I ordered another one from Nintendo for $15, but also ended up getting a wireless one made by Nyko. It's worked pretty well so far. You can even set it to turn off after an hour or 2 so it doesn't kill the battery if you forget to turn it off.
Anywho, my Wii corrupted a Gamecube memory card. I haven't used it to play Gamecube games since.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on September 12, 2010, 10:10:28 PM
There are always and have always been hardware failures; the rise of the internet just brought them more attention. You hear more about it with Wiis than with GameCubes because Nintendo sold a lot more Wiis than GameCubes. We'd all agree that the DS is a well-designed, well-put-together piece of hardware, but that doesn't change the fact that I've had 5 of them (a Phat, 3 Lites, and a DSi) break on me, in 5 different ways.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Mop it up on September 12, 2010, 10:20:03 PM
That's true, plus the Wii sold a lot more than the GameCube so there's a lot more of them out there to break. Unless statistics are ever posted then there's no way to know which system has had more problems.
Still, one needn't look past the design of the Wii to see it's less durable. Compared to GameCube, the Wii has more components, more moving parts, and runs much hotter, all in a smaller space. You don't need performance tests to know that's less durable. Sure, it still beats the other systems, but that's only because it is a lot less technologically advanced.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Chozo Ghost on September 12, 2010, 10:30:49 PM
I hate to say it, but its also true that for a lot of owners the GC didn't see much use at certain periods in its life due to a very severe drought of games. That was expecially true late in its life (2004-2006). No use meant no wear, so that was certainly a factor.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Mop it up on September 12, 2010, 10:37:52 PM
The Wii had game droughts too, depending on taste. What did people play before Super Mario Galaxy? Didn't people complain about the weak 2008 holiday season followed by no notable games in most of 2009?
The GameCube depends on taste too. I enjoyed later releases like Mario Party 7, Mario Superstar Baseball, Paper Mario, TimeSplitters Future Perfect, Tales of Symphonia, and more.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on September 12, 2010, 11:02:34 PM
That's true, plus the Wii sold a lot more than the GameCube so there's a lot more of them out there to break. Unless statistics are ever posted then there's no way to know which system has had more problems.
Still, one needn't look past the design of the Wii to see it's less durable. Compared to GameCube, the Wii has more components, more moving parts, and runs much hotter, all in a smaller space. You don't need performance tests to know that's less durable. Sure, it still beats the other systems, but that's only because it is a lot less technologically advanced.
Yeah, when there are more things that can go wrong, more things will go wrong. I don't think the Wii's lower failure rate is just because of its older technology, though. Nintendo has always had better build quality than its competitors, even with the same, or even higher, level of tech.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: UncleBob on September 12, 2010, 11:33:17 PM
Out of all my time with my five GameCubes and two Wiis, I've never had a GameCube fail (and four of those were purchased used). I've had one of my Wiis fail (and I haven't even had the other for more than a month). 0% failure rate of the GCN. 50% failure rate for the Wii. :p
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: TJ Spyke on September 12, 2010, 11:49:46 PM
My Wii never failed in the 3 years I had it (it was stolen earlier this year), my launch GameCube eventually stopped reading all discs (and GameStop only offered $20 because of that).
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Kytim89 on September 13, 2010, 12:19:55 AM
I find that I would like to have thaat battle damaged Gamecube for some reason.
What are some hypotheical tests that any of you would use to test the durability Gamecube? Here is a list:
Drag behind a car coasting at ten MPH via a cord Left under a heat lamp for twenty-four hours Left out in a rain storm and left to dry out for three days
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: MegaByte on September 13, 2010, 12:57:03 AM
Sure, it's anecdotal, but I bought my first GameCube from a friend who had accidentally left it on top of their car before going down the interstate, where it fell off. All of the corners were scraped up, but the system still ran perfectly. My Wii had problems from the get-go. It might not be having 360 levels of failure, but it's still not the same Nintendo quality of the past.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Kytim89 on September 13, 2010, 12:59:26 AM
What kind of aesthical desigh would everyone like to see of the wii 2? Not hardware itself, but the body or shell of the wii 2. I have already stated what I invision the wii 2 looking like when it is revealed.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: King of Twitch on September 13, 2010, 01:17:19 AM
That's a brilliant idea. I'd love a koopa shell-shaped console.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: UncleBob on September 13, 2010, 01:38:45 AM
Future Nintendo System design... It's entirely hand held, games are 100% downloadable (with super-crappy DRM). System has screens and buttons, but also has a wireless receiver that you can plug into a TV to play games on the TV while the system acts as your controller.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Chozo Ghost on September 13, 2010, 02:11:46 AM
When you make stuff smaller it almost always makes it more destructable. Check out those old computers from the 1940s that were the size of houses. Do you think those broke easily? You could probably pound on them with a hammer without destroying them... but now we have cell phones far more powerful that can fit in your pocket. Try hitting one of them with a hammer and see what happens.
So that's the downside (or one downside anyway) of technology getting smaller and smaller.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: MegaByte on September 13, 2010, 02:49:45 AM
I'm pretty sure my Droid is way more durable than the Wii, and possibly the DS. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh2g7AIHdc8
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on September 13, 2010, 03:11:40 AM
When you make stuff smaller it almost always makes it more destructable. Check out those old computers from the 1940s that were the size of houses. Do you think those broke easily? You could probably pound on them with a hammer without destroying them... but now we have cell phones far more powerful that can fit in your pocket. Try hitting one of them with a hammer and see what happens.
So that's the downside (or one downside anyway) of technology getting smaller and smaller.
So the DS and GB series of handhelds are more destructible then the SNES or NES (or even the Wii?)? Or the new cellphones are more destructible then the walkie talkie sized phones? Or a PDA is more destructible then some of the original PC towers? Heck
I am not sure, your statement has much truth to it.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: ThePerm on September 13, 2010, 04:37:50 AM
Eh, I still think the NES easily beats the Wii in terms of durability. I mean, mine's over twenty years old and still works fine. Sure, I replaced the 72-pin connector, but that wasn't until only a few years back, and it technically still worked, just not very well. That replacement was pretty easy and cost $8. The Wii, on the other hand, lasted only two-and-a-half years before it needed a repair from normal use, and that sure wasn't cheap. That's a pathetic amount of time.
I agree, i bought a replacement 72-pin connector as well, and aside from that issue the NES is built like a tank. Wii seems much more breakable then the other systems because the type of plastic they used. N64 is probably the most durable one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EYAfQds1cs
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: TJ Spyke on September 13, 2010, 09:49:14 AM
When you make stuff smaller it almost always makes it more destructable. Check out those old computers from the 1940s that were the size of houses. Do you think those broke easily? You could probably pound on them with a hammer without destroying them... but now we have cell phones far more powerful that can fit in your pocket. Try hitting one of them with a hammer and see what happens.
So that's the downside (or one downside anyway) of technology getting smaller and smaller.
Those computers usually required at least one person to be employed whose sole job was to maintain them since they broke down often and required a lot of upkeep.
Has anyone ever seen the Ironix XR 1 Rugged Notebook? There are similar laptops too, check out YouTube videos to see what people put them through. They run over them with trucks, leave them out in the rain, leave them out in 120 degree heat for several days, etc. and show that they still work perfectly.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Kytim89 on September 13, 2010, 01:11:44 PM
Eh, I still think the NES easily beats the Wii in terms of durability. I mean, mine's over twenty years old and still works fine. Sure, I replaced the 72-pin connector, but that wasn't until only a few years back, and it technically still worked, just not very well. That replacement was pretty easy and cost $8. The Wii, on the other hand, lasted only two-and-a-half years before it needed a repair from normal use, and that sure wasn't cheap. That's a pathetic amount of time.
I agree, i bought a replacement 72-pin connector as well, and aside from that issue the NES is built like a tank. Wii seems much more breakable then the other systems because the type of plastic they used. N64 is probably the most durable one
Anything can be solar-powered, it converts the sunlight into electricity.
Are they cost effective enough for Nintendo to use on a wireless sensor bar?
It would need to have a battery anyways, so that wouldn't be cost effective. Plus, you would need a very special panel to be able to broadcast a wireless signal, and output two heat sources all from the lighting in your room.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: MegaByte on September 13, 2010, 06:08:16 PM
The sensor bar doesn't broadcast anything, and infrared, while an indicator of heat, doesn't require much of a "heat source" when your LEDs are tuned to that wavelength.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Guitar Smasher on September 13, 2010, 08:06:53 PM
I'm not really familiar with the typical failure modes for Wii (disc-drive? bad memory? overheating?), but somehow I don't think the plastic is the reason.
I certainly haven't heard of a situation where the console broke because of structural failure, without it going through unusual abuse.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: greybrick on September 13, 2010, 08:30:23 PM
The sensor bar doesn't broadcast anything, and infrared, while an indicator of heat, doesn't require much of a "heat source" when your LEDs are tuned to that wavelength.
Excuse me, that was dumb of me to say. Especially when I acknowledged in the very post that it needed to emit light- I need sleep!
I still do think that a solar sensor bar wouldn't make much sense.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on September 13, 2010, 08:41:14 PM
Maybe they could make a sensor bar with a crank you could wind up before you play to generate power.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: MegaByte on September 13, 2010, 11:59:55 PM
I'm not sure how powerful the LEDs are. It's conceivable that just ambient light and light from the TV would be sufficient to keep them charged, but probably risky. I also wonder how much energy could be collected from swinging the Remote around compared to the energy burned in its electronics.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Chozo Ghost on September 14, 2010, 01:12:08 AM
I have tiny LED battery operated tea candles. Could those fill in for the role of the sensor bar? Then again, these candles are programmed to flicker so they wouldn't be providing a reference point very consistently and would probably cause problems.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Mop it up on September 14, 2010, 08:58:24 PM
So that's the downside (or one downside anyway) of technology getting smaller and smaller.
That's why I don't understand the drive to make certain things as small as they can be, even going so far as to sacrificing integrity or features. With portables devices, it makes sense: the smaller something is, the easier it is to carry. But with home systems, what's the point? Did anyone honestly have trouble finding a place to set their NES, Super NES, or Nintendo 64?
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: MegaByte on September 18, 2010, 04:29:36 PM
Here's another solution to the sensor bar: http://spritesmods.com/?art=virtwiibar&page=1
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Chozo Ghost on September 19, 2010, 02:06:16 AM
I was looking at Wii accessories on Amazon, and I came across an 18ft extension cable for the Sensor Bar and I was like "WTF?!" because the wire on the sensor bar is already like 20 ft long, and who would ever need to place their sensor bar 40ft from their Wii console?
I did however see a wireless sensor bar which got good reviews and I am interested because messing with wires is a hassle when you move the Wii around. One of the negative things reviewers said is that it drains batteries fast though, but I guess that's okay because I use rechargeable batteries in everything anyway. I'm actually kinda okay with the wire anyway, but I wish it was shorter and a bit thicker so that it wouldn't get tangled up so much. I keep the Wii right next to my TV so having 50ft wires is pointless for me anyway. 5ft would probably be more than sufficient.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: MegaByte on September 19, 2010, 11:37:38 PM
I was looking at Wii accessories on Amazon, and I came across an 18ft extension cable for the Sensor Bar and I was like "WTF?!" because the wire on the sensor bar is already like 20 ft long, and who would ever need to place their sensor bar 40ft from their Wii console?
If you Wii is hooked to a projector on the other side of the room, this might be necessary.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: TJ Spyke on September 20, 2010, 12:41:57 AM
How big is the room though? Unless you live in a mansion or something, I can't see why you would need a that much more chord that your project is that far away. I am sure some people could use that, but I have to imagine that it is a very small amount.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: NWR_insanolord on September 20, 2010, 01:55:46 AM
Well, in a situation like that I think you'd be likely to want to take an indirect route from the bar to the Wii, like around the edge of the room, as opposed to a straight line, and he said he saw this on Amazon, where you'd be more likely to see something only a few people would need than you'd be in a brick and mortar store.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Chozo Ghost on September 20, 2010, 03:55:22 AM
You might need that long of a chord if you owned a movie theatre and decided to hook your Wii up to the projector... that would be cool to be able to play video games on a screen the size of a movie theatre. But then again, you'd have to sit well away from the screen to be able to take it all in, and would the relatively tiny sensor bar work with such a huge ass screen?
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Mop it up on September 20, 2010, 09:22:18 PM
The Sensor Bar cord is ten feet.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Kytim89 on September 21, 2010, 04:22:55 AM
A friend of mine bought the new 360 slim and I know that I am notorious for hating on the xbox brand, but that system looks really nice. I prefer to stay with Nintendo and Sony, but if I could afford it, I would buy it just play Gears of War, Fable and Reach.
I really like the aesthics of the 360 slim and hope Nintendo incorparates something similar with the wii 2. I mean I like the button layout and functionality and pretty much everything about the system.
Yhe biggest question that I have is will Nintendo allow an internal hard drive to be used with the wii 2? I like the little compartment for the 360 slim and wish to see it for the wii2. Of course, Nintendo might allow the option, but require that the consumer buy the hard drive from other sources and plug it into the wii 2 console.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Stratos on September 21, 2010, 06:54:43 AM
I bought a wireless sensor bar I use exclusively when bringing the system to other people places. I just leave the real one on my personal TV. I plan on buying extra copies of all the other cables so I can keep the spare set in my gamer backpack and just toss the Wii and my CD book of games in the bag and go. When I get home I just place the Wii back on it's normal shelf and the cords are all there ready to be plugged back in. No tangled cords, no arranging the TV or moving stuff around to replace cords.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Louieturkey on September 22, 2010, 07:06:37 PM
So that's the downside (or one downside anyway) of technology getting smaller and smaller.
That's why I don't understand the drive to make certain things as small as they can be, even going so far as to sacrificing integrity or features. With portables devices, it makes sense: the smaller something is, the easier it is to carry. But with home systems, what's the point? Did anyone honestly have trouble finding a place to set their NES, Super NES, or Nintendo 64?
It has more to do the Japanese. In Japan, homes and apartments are a lot smaller than in the US and European countries. They tend to have very little room for a tv and even less room for components. So Nintendo strives to make it smaller so they can sit the system right next to the dvd player or in tandem with the cable box. That way, they don't have to clear an entire shelf just to make room for the new system.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Louieturkey on September 22, 2010, 07:10:06 PM
I bought a wireless sensor bar I use exclusively when bringing the system to other people places. I just leave the real one on my personal TV. I plan on buying extra copies of all the other cables so I can keep the spare set in my gamer backpack and just toss the Wii and my CD book of games in the bag and go. When I get home I just place the Wii back on it's normal shelf and the cords are all there ready to be plugged back in. No tangled cords, no arranging the TV or moving stuff around to replace cords.
That's not a bad idea if you tend to move your Wii to other people's houses like.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Toruresu on September 23, 2010, 09:47:55 AM
Sensor bar cable sucks when I bring the Wii to my church. We have a huge screen and a projector, but the connections are made around 70' from the projector and said screen. Impossible to play! Yet the Xbox360 and PS3 offer no challenge. Of course, this market is super small, but a wireless bar would be awesome.
Title: Re: Does anyone else wish the Wii had the portability of the Gamecube?
Post by: Stratos on September 23, 2010, 04:52:04 PM
I was looking at Wii accessories on Amazon, and I came across an 18ft extension cable for the Sensor Bar and I was like "WTF?!" because the wire on the sensor bar is already like 20 ft long, and who would ever need to place their sensor bar 40ft from their Wii console?
If you are putting on an event at a place like a gym or church or other large community center then the long cords would be essential.
