Author Topic: Nintendo GameCube Expansion (Read 19514 times)

cipher32 · « **on:** April 14, 2003, 12:41:30 PM »

The past shows that Nintendo always puts expansion slots on their systems and never uses them. That's just Nintendo. So why should the Nintendo GameCube be any different?

Mingesium · « **Reply #1 on:** April 14, 2003, 12:45:46 PM »

They are using the expansion slots. Broadband adapter and GB Player use the slots at the bottom of the GameCube.

Bloodworth · « **Reply #2 on:** April 14, 2003, 12:52:19 PM »

Actually, Nintendo always uses them, they just get such little support that the devices never make it outside of Japan. -Until now that is.

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #3 on:** April 14, 2003, 01:08:06 PM »

Why shoudl now be any different? Becuase just about all of Nintendo's add ons have failed. There was the CD add on for the SNES (2, actually, and we all know how THEY turned out), and the 64 DD, which was an utter flop. Besides that, Sega's dabbled in quite a few expansions, veru few of which I believe actually worked out. From a financial stand point, I doubt Nintendo will release any major add on.

Jonk · « **Reply #4 on:** April 14, 2003, 01:20:23 PM »

Serial port 2 will most likely be the wireless LAN mod that has been talked about, but I guessing that it may stick out on the side or not. Im not sure the size and the necessary area for a wireless LAN device.

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #5 on:** April 14, 2003, 01:21:16 PM »

Actually, I think it's been said that the broadband adaptor would be used for any LAN connections, similar to in the XBox. I doubt they'd need a special LAN add on.

Uglydot · « **Reply #6 on:** April 14, 2003, 01:48:22 PM »

I was under the impression that the N64 memory add-on was relativly successful. Quite a few games that required it sold very well. I was never a fan of add-ons, I tend to prefer buying games rather than more and more ways to play them. I am one of those kids that gets every ounce of space out of his memory cards and such. Nintendo seems to be putting out useful add-ons lately.

Boffo · « **Reply #7 on:** April 14, 2003, 01:53:42 PM »

A memory pak would be interesting, but i'm guessing impossible.

Infernal Monkey · « **Reply #8 on:** April 14, 2003, 01:53:49 PM »

Just wait, in time, we'll see Nintendo bring out the 'Expansion Pak Mk. II'

It fits with ease under the Game Boy Player (Which will be required for mega ultra fun-tastic happy good time Game Boy Advance Expansion enabled games)

In fact, it's a game in itself. Woah, can you keep the GameCube stable? Watch out, it's zany! It's going to fall, woah, woah, WOAH! JENGA!!!

What with this little chunk of plastic do? Why, it'll give you an extra 251 kb of graphical POWER!
Pokemon - Yet another Stadium will be the first to take advantage of it. Now you'll be able to see Pikachu blink. NOTA ABLE TO WITHA OUTA THE PAK!!!1

Not only that, but it'll also work with 'Pokemon- Sloppy Brown' on GBA which will be needed to connect with the Expansion Pak Mk. II and Pokemon - Yet another Stadium on GameCube.

Because you can't start the game without that all wired together. In fact, it's bolted on. Pokemon becomes your GameCube. Soon, after you complete both and trade the info with 16 SP's and 57 link cables, complete with the new GC memory card 69, Pikachu will launch from your control pad slot.

Only if you have a Wave Bird though.
He'll go "AW MY NUTS"

And spill his bag of nuts. Which turns into a mini-game.
Once collected, he'll scout your room for all the right Nintendo add-ons.

If you haven't collected them all, you die. Nasty death involving 32X's and Philips CDi's. Rising from their graves and having their way with your eye socket.

OMG GO GETA EM ALL! NOW TODAY! WOAH!

Epitaph · « **Reply #9 on:** April 14, 2003, 03:16:40 PM »

3rd port was gonna be used for a hard drive btw. I think made by intel or mitsubishi or something but not much info has been given i remember pictures though. I don't feal like searching.

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #10 on:** April 14, 2003, 03:22:27 PM »

Epitaph: Are you thinking of the Iomega hard drive for the N64? I don't remember Nintendo or even a 3rd-party talking about a hard drive for the Gamecube.

GeN · « **Reply #11 on:** April 14, 2003, 04:08:43 PM »

Wasn't the Iomega Disk drive gonna be used on the Dreamcast? I remember seeing pcitures of it.

Bloodworth · « **Reply #12 on:** April 14, 2003, 04:28:56 PM »

There was speculation about using memory in that slot, but nothing has been said by Nintendo in those regards.

Tael · « **Reply #13 on:** April 15, 2003, 12:01:55 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: mouse_clicker
Why shoudl now be any different? Becuase just about all of Nintendo's add ons have failed. There was the CD add on for the SNES (2, actually, and we all know how THEY turned out)...

None of the SNES CD add-ons ever saw the light of day.

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #14 on:** April 15, 2003, 03:25:30 AM »

TaeL: Yes, both of them did, just not throguh Nintendo. The first was Phillips's CD-i console they made out of their defunct SNES CD add on (you may remember Phillips forced Nintendo into giving them the rights to three Zelda games). The second is currently kicking Nintendo's @$$ worldwide, as Sony's crack at the SNES CD add on was the Playstation. What I meant was Nintendo kept messing up with the add ons and could never get it right (unfortunatley for Nintendo Sony did).

Hemmorrhoid · « **Reply #15 on:** April 15, 2003, 08:13:13 AM »

Would a memory addon improve the GCN graphics significantly enough to make it worth it?
The N64 expansion pack sure kicked ass, I found that it vastly upgraded the quality, making gaming much more pleasant.

oohhboy · « **Reply #16 on:** April 15, 2003, 08:32:34 AM »

Well, with a memory upgrad the first thing you would notice is that the textures are of higher rez and there are more of them. Levels are bigger. More sound. Corpes stick around for looker. Unlike the N64 there won't be a high rez mode. read the back of the expanion pak box. The best example of what extra memory could do is when F-zero comes out. Go and compare the arcade and home version. The arcade version has more memory. Differences noted to far from interviews/impressions is that in the arcade version there are more objects in the background.

GoldShadow1 · « **Reply #17 on:** April 15, 2003, 04:17:33 PM »

I would definitely be for it if it could seriously help the GCN's life span and be relatively cheap. But I don't want another N64-style expansion - mostly all it did was increase the resolution and allow for a few slightly fancier effects.

Tael · « **Reply #18 on:** April 15, 2003, 05:16:52 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: mouse_clicker
TaeL: Yes, both of them did, just not throguh Nintendo. The first was Phillips's CD-i console they made out of their defunct SNES CD add on (you may remember Phillips forced Nintendo into giving them the rights to three Zelda games). The second is currently kicking Nintendo's @$$ worldwide, as Sony's crack at the SNES CD add on was the Playstation. What I meant was Nintendo kept messing up with the add ons and could never get it right (unfortunatley for Nintendo Sony did).

You're right about the the CD-i, but wrong about the PlayStation. Sony's crack at the SNES CD add-on was the Super Disc. While developing a prototype, Sony also planned to make their own console called the Play Station, which would play SNES carts and Super Disc games. When Sony announced the Play Station, Nintendo went to Philips for the SNES CD-ROM, which basically meant Sony couldn't use Nintendo's hardware designs, and couldn't make the Play Station. So work began on the Play Station X, which became the PlayStation (PSX) we all know. Nintendo's only stuff up there was working with Sony in the first place.

cipher32 · « **Reply #19 on:** April 15, 2003, 07:28:13 PM »

Ok, you all got me with one add on or another, and I do admit that many add-on/accessories were in fact successful in thier own time. Yet it's the simple fact that none of the expansion slots on the underbelly of the Nintendo systems were actually used until Nintendo brought out the GameCube, that leaves me thinking the serial port 2 on the GCN will never be used; at least, America won't see these add-ons.
I've heard about hard drives, Wireless LANs, Memory expansions-but which one has actually been seen? Which one will I be seeing pictures of in upcoming video game magazines? Is there any truth to tales of the crazy devices people are dreaming up? Or will the serial port 2 on the GCN be yet another target of the ever popular phrase, "I wonder what that's for?"

razorpit · « **Reply #20 on:** April 15, 2003, 09:16:00 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: cipher32
The past shows that Nintendo always puts expansion slots on their systems and never uses them. That's just Nintendo. So why should the Nintendo GameCube be any different?

To steer this thread in a slightly different path from the original post, because I think it's obvious by now Nintendo has used every expansion port except Serial #2. It almost sounds like a troll was asking...

What do you think was the most succesful expansion option ever offered? I think the Sega CD had a good run followed up by the 64's memory pack.

I think one of the worst failures was the Atari 2600's keypad. It was for one game, Star Raiders. Some one once told me there was another but he was never able to name the game so I count that as not true. The keypad was cool. To be able to set your shields and photon cannons on a system well known for games as simple as Combat or Freeway was awesome.

--Dave

cipher32 · « **Reply #21 on:** April 17, 2003, 08:31:33 AM »

The SEGA CD would, I'd have to say, be the best expansion I've ever seen. SEGA made a CD add-on and then actually went throught with it's plans, creating a CD gaming system that was better than anything at the time.

But the best expansion that Nintendo has brought out would have to be the Game Boy adapter for the GCN. That, for the momen has to be the best expansion that they have made and probaly will make.

What's your favorite expansion for a Nintendo system. (or any other if you wish, although this is called "Planet GameCube")

cyrus420 · « **Reply #22 on:** April 17, 2003, 07:25:07 PM »

whys the gameboy player so great? they had one on the snes too.

Tael · « **Reply #23 on:** April 17, 2003, 09:57:30 PM »

cyrus420 - I think cipher32 meant the GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable.

joeamis · « **Reply #24 on:** April 24, 2003, 09:51:58 PM »

quote:

I would definitely be for it if it could seriously help the GCN's life span and be relatively cheap. But I don't want another N64-style expansion - mostly all it did was increase the resolution and allow for a few slightly fancier effects.
-----------------------------
actually besides increasing the resolution and fancy effects, the expansion pack allowed for more textures, and perhaps the biggest plus was that the extra ram allowed for more complex AI and allowed more data to be processed in the N64 as you played.

as for those talking about an expansion pack for the gamecube,,, it would do absolutely nothing to help, unless it contained like 10 mb of ram (which would never happen)
the gamecube already contains a large amount of ram, and some of it is vram or dram...i forget...but ANYHOO the special type of ram works better than the standard 'ram'

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Author Topic: Nintendo GameCube Expansion (Read 19514 times)