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NES (Games) Classic Games (Games) GameCube (Games)

The Ultimate Nintendo Console 354

Posted by michael from the callused-thumb dept.
Ngamer writes "Logan West, a member of a fanatical group of gamers known as "The Elite," recently created a Nintendo fan's ultimate dream: his Nintendo Entertainment Console is a composite of the NES, SNES, N64, GC, and Gameboy, all combined into a single system! With no shortage of electrical/carpentry ability, Logan carefully dissected his consoles, wired them to a central unit, then crafted a wooden vessel to host all five systems as one. Logan has already gotten a response from Nintendo after submitting his creation to them--they were quite impressed!"
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The Ultimate Nintendo Console More

The Ultimate Nintendo Console

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  • Capability? (Score:3, Funny)

    by mfh ( 56 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:00PM (#9797082) Homepage Journal
    > ...a composite of the NES, SNES, N64, GC, and Gameboy, all combined into a single system!

    Yes, but can it run Doom 3??

    • Re:Capability? (Score:2, Redundant)

      by foidulus ( 743482 ) *
      No, but it can run Linux [gc-linux.org]

    • Re:Capability? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Jerf ( 17166 )
      Well, it run several incarnations of Doom 1 and Doom 2:
      • Dooms 1 and 2 for the GBA
      • Doom "64" for the N64 (neither 1 or 2, so lets call it 1.5)
      • Super Nintendo Doom (~ equivalent to Doom 1)
      So if I'm doing my math right, this should support Doom 5.5.

      (What, you say it doesn't work that way...?)
    • Nah, but by some fluke (some refer to it as the "1 Million Monkies Theory"), when you power all of these devices at the same time, it plays Duke Nukem Forever!
    • "Yes, but can it run Doom 3??"

      Has Doom3 been announced for the GC?

  • Epa! (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Chess_the_cat ( 653159 )
    That thing looks positively retarded.

    • Re:Epa! (Score:5, Funny)

      by Jahf ( 21968 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:11PM (#9797153) Journal
      I kinda like it, could be done a bit better in places, but not bad at all. Sure looks better than having all of those systems on a shelf with cables and whatnot everywhere.

      It could use:

      * grabhandles on the top

      * wheels

      * a projector in the back

      * a generator

      Once you have those mods, it's time to go camping and see what happens when people see you playing games on a 60' rock embankment.

      Oh yeah.
      • Heh, till the people who went camping to get away from electronics "accidentally" toss it off the embankment. Gravity can do terrible things to a gamecube....

  • Heh (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:03PM (#9797097)
    My ultimate Nintendo console does all that and it's called a Power Macintosh.... [i]if you get my drift here[/i]

    Seriously though the Gamecube is about the ultimate Nintendo console, stick in a GBP and between ports, GBA ports, and Animal Crossing w/Action Replay you can play a really big hunk of Nintendo. In particular a Gamecube with GBP is capable of playing every single Zelda game ever made*

    * Not counting the Phillips CD-I titles. Which you shouldn't.
    • I use the Xbox to play all the old Nintendo games. It might seem wrong, but I didn't have to pay $100 for a GameBoy Player either.

  • I have one too (Score:5, Funny)

    by SpooForBrains ( 771537 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:04PM (#9797099)
    I made myself one of those too, and very effective it is too.

    For anyone else who wants one, what you do is, you walk down to your local furniture store and buy what we in England like to call a "shelf".

    • Indeed (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Nurgled ( 63197 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @11:14PM (#9798390)

      I was a little disappointed when I read what the guy had really done. He's just de-cased his consoles and put them in a big box.

      I imagined some clever wiring/electronics to have all the consoles driven by one set of four controllers, with one SCART/Component output for all of the consoles, a cleverer switch setup that doesn't boil down to having one reset button for each console, etc. Now that would have been neat, although

      I suppose hardcore Nintendo fans would balk at the idea of using the wrong kind of controller with the wrong game -- a Game Cube controller for the NES? NOOOOOO! I assume, also, that the GC controllers are a bit more complex than just some pushbuttons hooked up to some wires as the old controllers were. Still, it would have been cool!

  • Love (Score:3)

    by FractusMan ( 711004 ) * on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:04PM (#9797102)
    That is quite possibly the sexiest piece of mahogany I have ever seen.

    • Re:Love (Score:4, Interesting)

      by spinlocked ( 462072 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:38PM (#9797309)
      Sadly there's no such thing as mahogany any more. Not growing at least. It's one of the reasons Chippendale furniture is so jolly expensive.

      • Re:Love (Score:3, Interesting)

        by secolactico ( 519805 ) *
        Dang, I didn't believe you at first, but after some googling, I found out your are correct.

        While not yet extinct, it's almost there. Almost makes me feel bad for putting all that wooden furniture my grampa/grandma left me in a storage.

        We are truly killing this planet(*)... not that I'm doing anything to prevent it. :-(

        (*) In a manner of speaking. As George Carlin said, the planet isn't going anywhere... we are.

  • Dealing with heat? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by chrispyman ( 710460 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:05PM (#9797109)
    While that is quite an awesome beast, how does it deal as far as heat output. While I know the NES, SNES, and GB probably don't put out much of any heat, I'd imagine the N64 and GameCube would. Without any ventilation (being a wooden box and all), couldn't you meltdown you N64 and Cube?

    • Re:Dealing with heat? (Score:4, Informative)

      by solive1 ( 799249 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:09PM (#9797131)
      You'll notice [See Picture] that I have all the power switches and reset buttons in an easy to access position right on top if this system, that fifth switch over on the far right is for my monster DC fan. I'm certain that I don't need a fan half this size with all the space inside this box, but you know boys, they love their fans!

      That's how.
      • I still think it will be unstable, possibly only showing up in long gaming sessions. the conductivity of air is much lower than aluminium, and he's removed the heatsinks from the n64 internal (CPU&RSP) and 4MB RDRAM expansion. i can tell you these get hot even with the heat sinks on (and convection flow).

        So i _would_ doubt the stability of this thing.

        Secondly, assuming you can get enough cooling off the surface of these chips, you have to give thought to the actual airflow inside the case, even with a

  • Class 1 Laser, eh? (Score:5, Informative)

    by casuist99 ( 263701 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:06PM (#9797114) Homepage Journal
    the Nintendo GameCube has a Class I laser housed inside a Class I case and if the mechanism is bypassed that prevents operation of the laser while the lid is open, then potential eye damage is probable. They didn't want to give anyone the idea to take apart a GameCube and damage their vision.

    Well, drawing upon the definition [uky.edu] of class 1 lasers, we can see that:
    No individual, regardless of exposure conditions to the eyes or skin, would be expected to be injured by a Class I laser. No safety requirements are needed to use Class I laser devices.

    It is neat that they replied with a non-canned response, but it was total BS. You don't have anything to worry about with this laser, and they just don't want to encourage people to modify their products like this for some reason.

    • Re:Class 1 Laser, eh? (Score:5, Informative)

      by casuist99 ( 263701 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:14PM (#9797178) Homepage Journal
      Some extra checking shows that they might not be totally full of shit. Wikipedia discusses Laser safety [wikipedia.org] and mentions that a laser may be defined as a class I laser system if there is an interlock preventing exposure with the laser. It's not obvious that's what Nintendo meant to say, but it's possible the laser is actually class II but the interlock makes it class I. Or it's still possible the laser itself is class I and there's nothing to worry about. Either way, I think they should have published the photos.
    • Actually, I've written to Nintendo a number of times, and I have NEVER gotten a canned response.
    • *No safety requirements are needed to use Class I laser devices.*

      normally you wouldn't be able to hurt yourself with a class I device because it won't operate when open, hence you don't need special training to use a cd player.

      (however, i think it's quite unlikely anyways to hurt yourself as it's focused very near..)

      a definition I digged up goes something like this "Class 1 Laser devices are not considered to be hazardous when used for their intended purpose.", intended purpose is the key.
    • Lasers can be dangerous, so you warn people about them. Same thing as toxicity warnings on poison. No shit, it's poison, of COURSE it's toxic, wouldn't do much good if it wasn't.

      The US is just really lawsuit happy thesedays, so you cover your ass as much as possible. I mean there might be some way to injure yourself with that laser. Maybe you pump more power through it than normal and stare right at it for 5 hours. Stupid? Yes, but better the company be able to say "we told you not to do that" than to loos
    • Lasers are hazardous, and ignoring common hazards is a hallmark of amateur design.

      He needs to put this sticker on the outside of the unit: "WARNING! DO NOT LOOK AT LASER WITH REMAINING EYE".

    • I think this says it all: .. Class I laser housed inside a Class I case..
    • I once had this CD player I took apart which said inside, "If you can read this you are being exposed to low level radiation." Not quite sure how that works when it was off ... but nevertheless
    • The Nintendo Gamecube uses a 0.8 mW, 668 nm semiconductor laser, with a 0.6 numeric aperture

      source (lengthy pdf) [nintendo.com]

      Class I lasers are limited to 0.4 mW. source [osha-slc.gov]The Gamecube laser would be a class II device, were it not for the safety interlock. OSHA explains

      Since lasers are not classified on beam access during service, most all Class I industrial lasers will consist of a higher class (high power) laser enclosed in a properly interlocked and labeled protective enclosure. In some cases, the enclosure may b

  • Ummm OK (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Prince Vegeta SSJ4 ( 718736 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:08PM (#9797125)
    I don't intend to be overly critical, but that thing looks like he put all of the systems into one box, and just combined the video outputs. (i know the voltages and power supplies et all). But I thought I was gonna see some streamlined piece of beauty and not a behomoth of a monster. Got to give him some props though for doing this.
    • difficult to make it much tighter given the size of the motherboards and the fact that you must be ablet get carts/discs in&out, you could squeeze them in a little harder (b**ger getting them in and out then) and use a thinner material for the case, but that's about it unless anyone has a brainwave? of course Nintendo, with the designs and money to burn could shrink them all onto one board but that's way beyond what a hobbyist can do - maybe this'll give N an idea for us nostalgia freaks, hehe :p

  • Controller nightmare... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by GarryOwen ( 190545 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:10PM (#9797143)
    My biggest problem with having so many game systems, is that the controller wires always end up in knots. What I would love to see is a combo system that lets use just one set controllers that is switched to what ever system is currently active (like an AB switch). That being said, the woodworking is impressive, I loved the cd player top.

  • Looks like he forgot the Virtual Boy (Score:4, Funny)

    by cpt kangarooski ( 3773 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:10PM (#9797148) Homepage
    Making it, eh, okay, but hardly all that impressive.

  • Ive seen better (Score:4, Informative)

    by SteveXE ( 641833 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:12PM (#9797156)
    I dont remember what site i saw it on, possibly HardOCP, but it was a SNES, Genesis, N64, Gamecube, PS2, and an Xbox all inside a custom PC case it looked a 1000 times better then this and since the xbox can emulate every console before Dreamcast id wager it was way more usefull.
  • I mean - as a gaming enthusiast I can understand the desire to combine all of these systems - but it does not look like he saved much physical space in the process.

    Given the choice of having all the listed systems working in their original cases - or having all of them in one large block of mahogany that took up the same amount of space - I would have to go with leaving them alone (I personally enjoy the 'cool' factor of having mint condintion, working, old game consoles)

    • Re:Wow - That thing is HUGE! (Score:4, Funny)

      by lavar78 ( 573962 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:34PM (#9797293)
      It's almost as big as the Xbox!
    • Instead of a big wood box, he should have gutted an old coffee table... Heck, buying a 15 or 17 inch flat screen for the center, and you could have the games load on the front(where your knees would normally touch the table... Just find the right model/size table that has the room to hold the circui boards and hollow out (or similar) 1 leg for a single power(extension cord feeding to surge protector) and video cable and you are all set...

      A coffe table would look nicer, take up less room(hardly any, since y

  • A better combination would be... (Score:4, Funny)

    by twalls ( 789774 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:13PM (#9797168) Homepage
    a PS2, Xbox, GameCube, and GameBoy Advance SP so that you can play every game currently on the market with one box! I'd call it the XcubeStation Advance. :)

  • pretty damn creative (Score:3, Insightful)

    by bl8n8r ( 649187 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:13PM (#9797176)
    Takes a good bit of imagination.. more than I've seen in most of the posts about it.

  • Electrical and carpentry ability? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Gannoc ( 210256 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:16PM (#9797190)
    Hahaha. It looks like he superglued 4 consoles together and covered it in wood.

    Now he has a 40lb console that would look completely awful if you actually plugged all the controllers and power supplies in.

  • Nintoilet (Score:5, Funny)

    by LGagnon ( 762015 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:16PM (#9797191)
    Is it just me, or does this thing look a lot like a toilet for an outhouse?

  • Nice Case (Score:5, Interesting)

    by CastrTroy ( 595695 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:21PM (#9797219)
    I never understood why they didn't make nice computer cases out of wood. People have these nice solid wood desks, with leather chairs, and hardwood floors in their offices, and their computer is made out of sheet metal and plastic. I would love to get a wood, or even wood-look computer case.
    • Wood is expensive, even just particle board with a nice veneer on it costs far more than a plastic or metal case. Computers are expected to be cheap, and a wood case would add a significant amount to it, espically if it were something nice like solid cherry.

      If you want a wood case, and are willing to drop som cash on it, find a local woodworker (they are out there, frequently they do construction jobs) and comission them. It will be expensive though.

    • Re:Nice Case (Score:5, Informative)

      by gwoodrow ( 753388 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:36PM (#9797300)
      Ask and you shall receive: Wooden computer cases [exoticwoodcrafts.com]

      Splah-dow!
      • This doesn't look like it made of wood. Rather they took a standard antec case and put a wood veneer over the metal sides. Still kind of cool looking
    • Because wood is a very poor conductor of heat and I'm running AMD.
      • OK, I'd like you to conduct a small experiment.

        Touch your computer case.

        Now turn off your computer, and leave it off for a while. I recommend playing Gamecube to deal with the withdrawal symptoms. Touch the case again.

        How different are they in temperature? Not very. Most of the heat inside of your case exits with the air, not through case heat transfer. That's why plastic computer cases are fine also - plastic sucks at heat transfer just like wood.

  • Worst part... no s-video... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Rahga ( 13479 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:21PM (#9797223) Journal
    Call me a spoiled kid with a big TV, but Nintendo's systems since SNES have had the capability to support s-video cables, and I love it on my TV. Great picture quality... Even on NES, I can't be bothered with using anything but A/V out, and have successfully rewired my Atari 2600 to support A/V cables.

    As for the merits, I don't really like this mod. I wouldn't call it "The Ultimate Nintendo Console", that's for sure.
    • What would you expect from a fanatical group that gave itself the title, "The Elite"? Something less than ultimate?

      Nah, all kidding aside, this is just sad people desperately trying to express themselves creatively. It should be encouraged, as I doubt they get much chance otherwise. Poor souls. I used to be just like them, and it wasn't pretty.

    • Yeah, re-wiring the Atari for composite video and audio out (RCA-type) should be necessary for all who wish to call themselves geeks.

      It was easy enough to do, and quite fun. Google for "2600 composite video" and you should be set.
    • "but Nintendo's systems since SNES have had the capability to support s-video cables,"

      Only the older SNES supported S-video. The newer, smaller model (which they used) doesn't support S-video without modification. You'll note the warning if you browse to Nintendo's S-video cable in their online store [nintendo.com].

      It's kinda like the top-loading NES not supporting composite outputs, only not as stupid. :)
  • After learning about the Gameboy Player that attaches to the bottom of the GameCube, I had a dream about this other attachment that allowed inserting of SNES cartridges on the left side, NES cartridges on the right side, and N64 cartridges in the middle. Technically, I believe that this is entirely possible as the GameCube has enough computing power to emulate all these systems. Except that in my dream, I could insert Sega Genesis cartridges in the back, but in reality, that would be somewhat of an oddity.

  • Google Cache (Score:5, Informative)

    by citking ( 551907 ) <jayNO@SPAMcitking.net> on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:32PM (#9797280) Homepage
    Google Cache [64.233.167.104], since their servers are apparently far from elite :)

  • Positively wretched! (Score:4, Funny)

    by SID*C64 ( 444002 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:33PM (#9797285) Homepage
    Way to take a bunch of cool consoles and turn them into something that looks like a reject from Ikea!

  • Heres a mirror in case it needs it. (Score:3, Informative)

    by HybridJeff ( 717521 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:34PM (#9797291) Homepage
    mirror [random6.com]

  • Logan has already gotten a response from Nintendo (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    after submitting his creation to them--they were quite impressed!"

    Translation, they sent him a cease & desist letter. ;)

  • Already been done (Score:5, Interesting)

    by JuggleNuts ( 685761 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @07:44PM (#9797354) Homepage
    Yoshi from TechTV has already done this, and it looks a hell of a lot better. See it here [yoshi.us].
  • To be quite honest, I was expecting something more like an arcade cabinet. Oh, well, it was neat idea, but the case is horribly ugly. And I bet it would be horrendous if a decent percentage of the controllers were plugged in at once It would be way cooler with some sort of cable management system and a little door behind which to store the controllers.

    On the aside, I have always wanted to take one of the three Atari 2600's I own and condense it to the size of a Nomad so I could play on the road.

  • play every game, ever made, ever (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Saeger ( 456549 ) <(farrellj) (at) (gmail.com)> on Sunday July 25, 2004 @08:19PM (#9797532) Homepage
    An all-in-one Nintendo cabinet sounds great. The only thing missing is support for a few other classic consoles and a cheap and legal subscription to a server containing every game ROM ever made for those platforms (couple gig). Do that and then you've got yourself something!

    Too bad it'll never happen, so the technically 'illegal' abandon-ware [wikipedia.org] ROMS will have to do (but it's actual work collecting them).

    --

  • Mirror (Score:5, Informative)

    by billatq ( 544019 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @08:29PM (#9797574)
    I went ahead and mirrored it here [is-a-geek.com].

  • The Response From Nintendo (Score:5, Funny)

    by ArcticCelt ( 660351 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @08:34PM (#9797598)
    Logan has already gotten a response from Nintendo after submitting his creation to them--they were quite impressed!"

    And they answered him:

    Dear Logan, We are quite impressed by your resourcefulness and ingeniousity. Its always remarkable to see that individuals with limited resources can make more original and inspiring toys than the average established big corporation. Nevertheless your limited resources guarantee us that you probably wont be able to defend correctly in court against a giant monster with unlimited legal war chest like us. For that reason we simply decided to sue you ass to the bone.

    Surrender immediately (and by immediately we mean in the next 15 minutes) all the Nintendo modified material, the tools you used to do your exploit, the residence were the manipulation of our proprietary design as been done and your first new born girl.

    Any attempt to delay or negotiate the terms of this request will be considered as an hostile act against Nintendo Corp. and all of is partners. We are currently seeking permission from court to shoot you on sign and this formality will be accomplish in the next minutes. Our black suited agents in black SUV's are already on their way to your home

    Resistance is futile

    Again, congratulation for you impressive fun home made gizmo and have a nice day. Sincerely yours.

    Al Suy Ouras
    Nintendo legal department director and VP of the kitties and puppies crushing department
  • I swear, the way he designed the box the cd access lid makes it look like an old fasion toilet.

  • Here's how to get Doom 3 to run... (Score:3, Funny)

    by OOO0000OO0O0 ( 799394 ) on Sunday July 25, 2004 @09:19PM (#9797803)
    ...hook together an XBox, GameCube, PS2, PS1, SNES, NES, N64, Sega 16, Sega Saturn, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, Virtual Boy, Game Gear, and Nomad. A hard drive completes the collection.

    Then you load a custom cartridge/CD in each system that is a fragment of the main game loop. Each console's firmware has been modified to execute things like glTriangle and stuff very efficiently (ask John Carmack to do it).

    Then custom-machine a motherboard and bus that takes in the inputs from the consoles and at the same time manages them for parallel processing. A video output to the TV, connect a controller, and BAM Doom 3 on your TV!

    *runs*

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