Topic: Wouldn't you like to play with this?

[Don'tHate742]

I'm not talking about your penis here people, instead something far more interesting (and sizeably bigger) has come up. [/of stupid sentence]

The GameCube Portable (mock-up of course) has been made, and I must say, it is quite sexy. Nintendo should be taking notes....

Clicky

[raptorspike]

If this thing was real, I would buy one in a heartbeat. I could actually have my cube at college then, which would be wicked awesome.  

[Mario]

Alright, while this is fake I would like to take this chance to talk about the possibility and the advantages of the next Gameboy playing games from GC discs.

1) Games would continue to be developed for GC until 2010+ since they're really being developed for the new thriving portable GC, but also playable on our GameCubes we all have, and if Revolution is backwards compatable, that too, everyone wins.

2) The handheld would have an instant library of critically acclaimed games.

3) Developers would be guaranteed success of almost any game since they have three different platforms to sell the game on (GC, GC Portable, Revolution all play the one disc)

4) PSP would be deemed irrelivant

I actually think Nintendo might do this, it would be a very good way for the next Gameboy to co-exist with Nintendo DS, though the big problem is whether it's actually possible, and what the price would be. Just imagine Pokemon XD is in fact an awesome huge 3D true Pokemon game, it launches with the GC Portable, it could be the highest selling game ever. Okay enough rambling.  

[couchmonkey]

Sega Nomad.  I'd like a portable GC as much as anyone else, but I think building handhelds from scratch is the correct way to go.

[Hostile Creation]

The whole play stop pause thing on the front looks absolutely ridiculous, and how the control sticks don't smash the screen I don't know.  Not to mention that version of the GC controller looks absolutely uncomfortable (and, by all appearances, lacks a few buttons).
Personally I still want some 2D games.  But something like this (except done properly) would work for Nintendo.

[Ian Sane]

There is no way in hell anyone could use those controls for any length of time without their bones changing shape.  Aside from that I think it's pretty cool.  The ideal scenario would be to just have controller ports on it and people play with a controller.  It could be like a laptop or a portable DVD player in that it would be portable but not pocket friendly.  Laptops and palms co-exist so I could see a pocket-friendly portable like the DS and a portable Gamecube co-existing.

[Pale]

Although it is all of our dream to have this ultimate device coincide with the Rev, I'm not convinced of the profitability.  Do you really think enough people would buy both a Rev and a Portable GC?  I know if i wasn't a Nintendo freak, I'd be hard pressed to shell out the bucks for a portable I don't _need_ to play the games on it.

Now, if they combined a portable GC with some new technology then it would be a sweet bonus and I'm sure they would sell like crazy.

[RickPowers]

"... and how the control sticks don't smash the screen I don't know.."

Simple.  The LCD is recessed in the lid a few millimeters.  If you examine the pic, you'll see that the LCD is not flush with the front of the housing.  There's plenty of room for the controls when the lid is closed.

As for the "weird stuff" on the outside of the lid, it's transport controls for a media player, using the top side of the lid as a "Stealth OLED" screen.  Basically a clear plastic that the OLED display shines through.  When closed, you can see that it's playing an Utada track, possibly off a memory card, since GD-ROMs can't be burned.

It's a fake, but the attention to detail is astounding.

[Don'tHate742]

It's sopposedly soppose to have a 2 gb harddrive for all your memory needs (sounds good to me).

As for the people who are not convinced of it's profitabilty....I believe I made a thread discussing this awhile back, and I'm to lazy to repeat what I said, so I'll have to get back to you on that.

However, I will say that the money is there!

[kennyb27]

It's sopposedly soppose to have

Try "It supposedly has."

Am I the only one who doesn't like this design at all?

[Rancid Planet]

Quote
Originally posted by: RickPowers
It's a fake, but the attention to detail is astounding.

Agreed. I can't quit staring at this thing. What a really good fake.

The button placement is great, the screen placement, everything. It's just amazing really.

[KDR_11k]

The drive mechanics would probably clip into the other hardware (never mind you can't cool that), though.

[Cap]

if the next gb isnt a portable gc, nintendo is missing a massive opportunity. When the first news of a new portable from nintendo was coming out(the ds), i actually expected a gc portable to compete with the psp.

thats a pretty nice mock up though.  

[raptorspike]

I have looked over the unit a second time, and I have a few problems with it.
1) Do not make it a portable MP3 player. that is way overdone
2) If you decide to make the 2GB drive for it, make it an after-market option.
3) no widescreen lcd?? I want to be able to play Star Fox Adventures in it's true aspect.

Other than that, it's a genius idea. This is a whole lot better than the PSP, because there is an already established library of games.  

[TMW]

I'd be amazed if the battery lasted any longer than 4 hours.  

[Savior]

Do not make it a portable MP3 player. that is way overdone

Its competing with the PSP, it needs to add some other functions...

adding MP3 capabilities would be an interesting choice. An Extension of the Play Yan, or just partner with Apple. Apple suddenly gets more iPod/iTunes customers.


Its fake though, but nicely done.  

[Don'tHate742]

Quote
Originally posted by: TMW
I'd be amazed if the battery lasted any longer than 4 hours.

I would as well, but if something like this were really in creation, I would think Nintendo would try to solve that problem as best it could.

I provided a link to a thread discussing the possibilities of a PGC, and how it could continue to sell GC software clear into the next next generation. Also, if marketed right, it would allow the DS to previal in a "land" rid of the PSP (thwarted off by the PGC), yet not in direct competion with it's counterpart.

The DS will die however, unless updated again, while the PGC could last until 2010 and beyond.

Click Here

[Caillan]

Quote
The DS will die however, unless updated again, while the PGC could last until 2010 and beyond.

Why would the DS die? I think it's most dangerous period was when it was launched prematurely and didn't have enough games. If it stopped selling then nobody would be developing for it now. But it's got a great selection of titles comming up, and the mysterious WiFi capability is still yet to be revealed. I really hope Nintendo does't kill the DS so soon.

My thoughts on a portable Cube can be found here. I remember once Bill pointed out why the PSP's control stick wasn't a good idea: it will eventually come loose or wear out. With a console you can buy another controller after a few years but that won't work with a handheld. It would be the same with a portable Gamecube.

[Don'tHate742]

The DS won't last, as is, for more than 5 years....that's just a given really.

That's a good point about the wear and tear of the hardware. It's going to have to last.

Basically, at some point in time, your going to have to deal with it. Handhelds, like consoles, are only going to become more complex. So, why not deal with that fact now instead of later?

[Caillan]

Five years is around the average life span for a console, is it not? Handhelds have typically lasted longer (if they lasted at all). Because heldhelds are always less powerful than consoles they're never going to deliver cutting edge graphics, there's not so much of a techno rush. Sure, some people are crazy about the PSP, but they also think that it plays DVDs and has graphics like a PS2. I think people will stay longer with handhelds then they will with consoles.

Even if the DS doesn't stick around until 2010, I'm sure it will be here for a few years yet. I don't think Nintendo would launch another portable within the next two years unless the DS is mysteriously crushed by the PSP. For a start they need to focus a lot on the Revolution in the time close to it's launch, and secondly I don't think they're willing to try and support three systems when they could support two instead.

I don't buy the 'deal with it' argument. If nobody can make a heldheld that will last as long as its lifespan then it just needs to be simpler. Screw complexity. Having said that, I'm sure there's something Nintendo could do which Sony just hasn't. Like have an easily replacable control sticks or use something like a trackball or a touch screen instead.

[Don'tHate742]

When I said "DEAL WITH IT" I didn't mean you. I meant the companies that provide the handhelds. They need to engineer some solution to deal with these problems.

I wasn't saying that if you bought a handheld with 2 joysticks and they broke off two years after, that you should DEAL WITH IT. No...that's absurd, and I think noone should have to go through that.

There already supporting 3 systems RIGHT NOW! All this 3rd pillar talk is going to come in handy, one way or another.

[stevey]

What stoping the next gameboy can't the stick come off A or B have them move to the side or better yet C why dose the screen have to move the best pgc wound be a wavebird saw in have with a screen and disk in the middel.the min hard drive will be bigger that that fake thing

[Dasmos]

I think you lost me there steeeeeevey.......

How long has the GBA been in comission?? I think it was 2001 sometime or maybe 2002? All i am trying to say is the general consensus is people think the DS is the new Gameboy.....i have heard many of my friends (I put them in their place!!) saying that it is the next gameboy....How long is the GBA gonna last side by side with the DS....certainly i don't think another year or two (making its lifespan approx. 5 years)..

An example The PSX was still being developed for when the PS2 came out.....but who can say it co-existed side-by-side? It didn't....people may have still bought games for it, albeit past games because there was no decent game for them after the PS2 released. It was considered inferior and slowly the support dwindled and it was seemingly dead.....

I think something similar will happen with the GBA.......on the DS you can play GBA and DS games so why not buy just a DS? The GBA is inferior and although may try to co-exist with the DS it simply will not happen....

So if there is a true successor to the GBA coming in the near future, it will no doubt have the same affect on the DS as the DS had with the GBA.

[Nile Boogie]

What I find to be so intriguing is that the 2Gb hard drive is just enough to load the entire disk to memory thereby saving countless amounts of energy by not having to spin the disk.  Battery life could soar to the 10hour mark. Too damn smart and brilliant to be true!! I nominate this as "the best fake product ever produced by a fanboy"(along with the episode II trailer from 2000). Some local tech editor for the Philadelphia Daily News had hinted @ the idea of a GameCube SP. Although I don't belive that has any thing to do with this, I may dream, if only for the moment... this is not fake. Let my dream live.

[hudsonhawk]

Quote
Originally posted by: Nile Boogie
What I find to be so intriguing is that the 2Gb hard drive is just enough to load the entire disk to memory thereby saving countless amounts of energy by not having to spin the disk.

Right, because hard disks certainly don't have spinning discs inside of them....

Sorry to burst your bubble, but not only will this never happen, it wouldn't be that great if it did.  

- GC games aren't optimized to conserve energy, so most games would eat your battery for dinner.
- Nintendo wouldn't be able to guarantee a quality user experience - tiny fonts, split screen multiplayer, etc.  These games are optimized for a large TV; it's already difficult to play these on those little flip-top screens; a handheld screen is another 40-50% smaller than that.
- No multiplayer.  Multiplayer is key to Nintendo's portable market, and you'd be effectively stripping it out of the product (since there's only a couple games that use the GC's net library - the rest are all split screen / multi-controller setups that wouldn't be translatable).
- But most of all, it just wouldn't make them any more money.  Like it or not, Nintendo makes a ton of money by optimizing old games for the new generation and reselling them; I just don't see what their vested interest would be in doing this.  Would it drive GameCube sales?  Sell new games?  It didn't work for the TG16 Express.  It didn't work for the Nomad.  This is no different.

It's just so wraught with problems, it's not going to happen; end of story.