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Nintendo has been a pioneer with hardware and software over the years, with the likes of the NES and SNES helping to propel video gaming into the living rooms of many people around the world. But the Japanese veteran would go on to have commercial stumbles with the Nintendo 64 and GameCube. These two consoles – released in 1996 and 2001, respectively – were powerful machines but could not match their respective rivals, the PS1 and PS2, in terms of popularity.
Nevertheless, the GameCube, with its funky design and some truly unparalleled games in its library, inspired a devoted following. Around that time, the Internet got into a hot mess over a potential portable GameCube. It was a neat looking device, complete with screen and in-body controls, when the likes of the Wii U and Switch were still years away. Sadly it turned out to be a pipe dream, existing only as a picture as some enterprising soul had mocked up the concept, sparking desires that were never fulfilled. But now, in 2022, someone has gone ahead and made a portable GameCube.
Console modder GingerOfOz said that when he originally saw the portable console mock-up his immediate thought was, "I need this!", but that when he discovered it was fake he was disappointed. "Well. I got tired of it being fake", he posted on Twitter, before announcing that he had made a real console based on that 15-year-old picture.
The modder explained how he went about designing and creating this console in a YouTube video. The portable he created was achieved as a modded Wii, as inside the custom case is a trimmed Wii motherboard since it supports full backwards compatibility with GameCube games, but modded further with custom software for that console's classic boot-up screen. The display is 480p and the modded console includes headphone support. However, battery life is somewhat lacklustre, reaching not even an hour and a half. But the whole thing is still a pretty neat device.
In GingerOfOz's video he also tracked down the original creator of the mock-up, who explained how the concept came to be, and chatted about the wild Internet reaction the mock-up got after he shared it online. It's a fascinating video that goes into a good amount of detail on the precise processes the modder went through to build his custom console. It seems like dreams can come true, gamers.