Author Topic: The Gamecube system menu...  (Read 3871 times)

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Offline Oldskool

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The Gamecube system menu...
« on: June 14, 2003, 07:05:16 AM »
I just thought of this. Where is the data for the Gamecubes menu stored? There is no Hard Drive in there or anything, so I'm wondering where it is stored...
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Offline Mario

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The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #1 on: June 14, 2003, 07:16:14 AM »
Good question. I have no idea.

Slightly off topic, but wouldnt it be awesome if the GC had some sort of game timer thingy that tells us how long we've played each game for. For example, it would say;

Super Smash Bros Melee - 250 hours, 10 minutes
Wave Race - 123 hours, 17 minutes
etc.

I think thats a good idea, i hope Nintendo puts that in thier next console or something.

Offline Michael8983

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The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #2 on: June 14, 2003, 07:50:22 AM »
A lot of games already have timers that tell you how long you've played them.
Smash Bros Melee actually does have one.

As for the Gamecube menu. It's nothing new.
The ancient Sega Saturn had one that had all the same features and, if I recall, many more.
So it obviously doesn't require a hard-drive. I think there's just a really small amount of memory storage somewhere in the console or something. I think maybe it's called RAM but, what do I know, I'm not a techie.

Offline KnowsNothing

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The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #3 on: June 14, 2003, 07:59:14 AM »
mario, i've wanted that forever.  they should have that on the memory card data screen thing.  see, i got mad eat my brothers for using me to buy video-games so they could play them, so i started charging them 2 bucks an hour to play.  but they could've played behind my back for all i know, so a timer would've gotten me more money.  
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Offline Strell

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The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #4 on: June 14, 2003, 08:30:33 AM »
I'm almost sure the GC, along with other systems that don't have HDs in them, have a small amount of flash ram or memory cache on them in order to have the menus and whatnot.

The original Sega Master System, if you started it up without a game cart in it, would default to this snail maze game.  So the practice of having some sort of internal instruction set is very old and probably used more often than you'd think.  The PSX has a CD player in it, the Dreamcast has a similar menu system like the GC, and the PS2 has another menu system in it.

So surely there's some hardwired information in there SOMEWHERE you could probably tinker with if you had a development kit and the know-how.
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Offline Scyth3r

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The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #5 on: June 14, 2003, 09:27:22 AM »
Quote

Originally posted by: Michael8983
A lot of games already have timers that tell you how long you've played them.
Smash Bros Melee actually does have one.

As for the Gamecube menu. It's nothing new.
The ancient Sega Saturn had one that had all the same features and, if I recall, many more.
So it obviously doesn't require a hard-drive. I think there's just a really small amount of memory storage somewhere in the console or something. I think maybe it's called RAM but, what do I know, I'm not a techie.


Close.    If it's similar to the computer, all the info is stored in the ROM.   I wouldn't think its flashable though, but who knows...

Offline Caster13

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RE: The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #6 on: June 14, 2003, 12:37:27 PM »
The stuff is probably just hard coded onto a ROM chip on the mobo. The same way a BIOS on a computer works.

Offline Matt

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RE: The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #7 on: June 14, 2003, 12:49:46 PM »
Quote

The stuff is probably just hard coded onto a ROM chip on the mobo. The same way a BIOS on a computer works.


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Offline Grey Ninja

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The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #8 on: June 14, 2003, 01:29:20 PM »
Quote

Originally posted by: Caster13
The stuff is probably just hard coded onto a ROM chip on the mobo. The same way a BIOS on a computer works.


Close.  It's EXACTLY the same as the BIOS in your computer.  Except the GameCube is likely not flashable, as has been said.
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Offline Hostile Creation

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The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #9 on: June 14, 2003, 02:04:20 PM »
Zelda also has a timer, and I think Metroid Prime does, too, but I'm not sure.
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Offline Ninja X

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The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #10 on: June 14, 2003, 02:51:12 PM »
Zelda doesn't have a timer if I recount right.  It uses the GCN clock to record the time you ended your last play of the game.
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Offline Infernal Monkey

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The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #11 on: June 14, 2003, 03:39:27 PM »
Quote

Originally posted by: Michael8983

The ancient Sega Saturn had one that had all the same features and, if I recall, many more.
So it obviously doesn't require a hard-drive. I think there's just a really small amount of memory storage somewhere in the console or something.


Ahh yes, the Saturn (and Mega CD) used an every day battery to save the clock and game saves -_-
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Offline nitsu niflheim

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The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #12 on: June 14, 2003, 04:09:54 PM »
I'm sure if you unplug your GCN and leave it that way for a while, when you plug it back in and go to use it it's gonna ask you to set it up again.  I think the PS2 does the samething.
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Offline BlkPaladin

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RE: The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #13 on: June 14, 2003, 04:17:22 PM »
More than likely because they uses some type of capasitor to store energy. And it has some short of discharge rate. Though I had my VCR unpluged for a year and still had the time correct when I pluged it back in.
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Offline Ninja X

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The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #14 on: June 14, 2003, 05:47:35 PM »
For some reason...I recount a faint memory where the Saturn blew up on me...
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Offline KDR_11k

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RE: The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #15 on: June 14, 2003, 08:22:12 PM »
nitsu: Nope. Needs a few months-years for that.

When your computer boots up, go into the setup. See? Even 80286 (and maybe even the AT/XT) have such a menu. That data doesn't get saved to the HD or something, because it says how to address the HD.
On your mainbord you might have noticed a flat battery. This keeps the CMOS alive, a little RAM (ROM is Read Only Memory) that cannot hold much data. If you look into the cases of transparent Gameboy games with save function, you'll notice a similar battery, which powers the save RAM. The CMOS battery is also used to let the internal clock work when the power supply is turned off. I mean, the GC's clock runs on as well. In addition to time and language, the GC CMOS seems to hold a flag whether or not you seem interested in 60Hz mode (i.e. get asked on each boot up).

Offline HereticPB

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The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #16 on: June 14, 2003, 10:25:26 PM »
It is either a rom or Eprom!

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Offline Rogue

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RE: The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #17 on: June 15, 2003, 01:35:56 AM »
The Saturn used a lithium battery to store all its data. It blew out after a couple of years. Mine is gone. =(

Offline nitsu niflheim

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The Gamecube system menu...
« Reply #18 on: June 15, 2003, 05:21:39 AM »
Quote

Originally posted by: KDR_11k
nitsu: Nope. Needs a few months-years for that.


Then it was a few months.  Until recently I only had the system I was currently using plugged up because all the outlets near my tv were used.

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