EGM Rumor Mill: Portable Gamecube!

[javeryh]

I know that it's just a rumor but more often than not the stuff that gets printed in this section of the magazine become fact sooner or later. This would be so cool.

Believe it or Not
Q: Will the next Gameboy handheld be essentially a portable Gamecube?
A: Man oh man, wouldn't that be a punch to Sony's gut. From a visual standpoint, a machine like that would put even the PSP to shame. Plus, developers wouldn't have to learn new hardware, thus increasing the likelihood of triple-A games at or around launch. Still, a handheld that powerful, not to mention having to stream data off a disc, could be too taxing on its battery (as we all know, the PSP struggles in that department). Does Nintendo know something about battery life that Sony doesn't? Maybe...

[uzumaki_star]

I don't even play the one I have sitting in my home so why would I waste more cash on a portable one.

[rynomite]

This was written well before E3 and the announcement of the Game Boy Micro. Alas, with Nintendo you'll never know for sure.

[polaricecaves]

ha Ikaruga Portable .

[repetske]

I don't even play the one I have sitting in my home so why would I waste more cash on a portable one.

Agreed. I dusted it off for Resident Evil 4 and haven't touched it since. Oh wait. I think I pushed it behind my entertainment center so it wasn't just sitting there looking sad. I might as well put a sign on it that says, "Do not touch until Zelda comes out."

[RAMSTORIA]

this is a wonderful rumor... but the whole battery thing is a huge concern. however, i have been reading a lot about advances in batteries (not just the nuclear ones) and moving past lithium-ion. Perhaps Nintendo is taking a risk by investing in one of these new batteries... hell who knows. All I know is that if this is their next system, I will prepay it off months before it comes out.

[BIG5]

I hope Nintendo doesn't make a more powerful handheld for a long time, because when they have something similar to the PSP, 2D gaming will be dead. GBA is the last refuge of the 2D game; enjoy it while it lasts.

[maxflight]

I hope Nintendo doesn't make a more powerful handheld for a long time, because when they have something similar to the PSP, 2D gaming will be dead. GBA is the last refuge of the 2D game; enjoy it while it lasts.

there should be a decent amount of 2D games on the DS.

[Quackzilla]

I can't believe people are so stupid that they think the Gamecube could easily and affordably be made portable.

And then what? After the fanboys spend a year bitching about the PlayStation Portable are they going to praise the Gamecube portable?

Ignorant.

[PawnTakesKing]

Want it to happen, wish it would happen, but it's not gonna happen.

[Snake2715]

I can't believe people are so stupid that they think the Gamecube could easily and affordably be made portable.

And then what? After the fanboys spend a year bitching about the PlayStation Portable are they going to praise the Gamecube portable?

Ignorant.

Its an old piece of hardware. Givena nother year or so it would be very possible.

Look at the scale down of the PS2 vs PSTWO.

[javeryh]

Its an old piece of hardware. Givena nother year or so it would be very possible.

Look at the scale down of the PS2 vs PSTWO.

I'll second this. The PSP is so compact it's crazy. I'm not saying it would be easy to do but if Nintendo shrunk the GCN down to PSP proportions it wouldn't surprise me at all... I do hope if it happens that they go with the 16:9 screen even though currently very few GCN games support it.

[PawnTakesKing]

I'll second this. The PSP is so compact it's crazy.

The PSP is portable, but definitely NOT compact. I can't shove it in my pocket and forget about it like my GBA SP. If they ever do make a Gamecube portable and it's the same size as the PSP, I'm gonna have to pass.

[Quackzilla]

The PSP is portable, but definitely NOT compact. I can't shove it in my pocket and forget about it like my GBA SP.

Yees, it is compact.

It is more compact tan the GBA SP, and WAY more compact than the DS.


Remember, compact =/= small. ;)

[javeryh]

I wouldn't walk around with either the SP or PSP in my pants (heh) but putting either in a pouch on my work bag or in the pocket of my jacket is simple. The SP isn't that much smaller...

[Quackzilla]

I put my PSP or my SP in my pocket when I go places.

It's easy if you have a skinny ass like me.

[pumbaa]

Nintendo will not release a portable that is not relatively compact, cheap, or has at least 6-7 hours of battery life. Look at the history of Nintendo portables and you'll see ALL their choices in hardware design were based on size and battery life. Hell... the GameBoy stood in the face of the GameGear... black and white with no backlight. It took Nintendo even LONGER to release a GBA w/ a backlight. Why? Because it was finally technologically feasible in a small and long lasting package.

When it comes down to it, Nintendo will not create a portable that isn't... well... portable. Unless battery life constraints and pricing magically goes down... I doubt this rumor to come to fruition any time soon. Is Nintendo playing around with the concept? You can bet on it... but Nintendo plays around with a lot of concepts that never see the light of day.

[Duo_Maxwell]

Agreed. I dusted it off for Resident Evil 4 and haven't touched it since. Oh wait. I think I pushed it behind my entertainment center so it wasn't just sitting there looking sad. I might as well put a sign on it that says, "Do not touch until Zelda comes out."

:lol: Mine is in a simlar situation...only it's saying "Don't touch until Fire Emblem comes out." That and I've been buying so many DVDs lately I havent bought hardly any really new games.

[drone8888]

Seriously, I love my Cube, but having a GBA, DS, and PSP is enough already.
Even if the system played the current discs, it'd be a waste of time for us fans.

To the people who don't have anything but a GBA, or XBox,.... it might sell.

Or,.... if it were priced at $150.

It's sad, because the GC is really awesome. The graphics are on par with most of XBox's stuff, minus the 720p stuff, and the 4 or 5 1080i games. The sound on the GC really is the only thing that pisses me off.
I mean, the thing should have had an optical out on it from the get go. Even the Panasonic Q has digital sound,.... even though it's only for non-game functions.

Otherwise,... I'd recommend that if this portable GC came out, that it should have true HD glasses with it, for IMAX movies, and virtual endeavors.

BTW,... You should see the MiniDisc players here in Japan.
They are the same size as a MiniDisc, with about .5 cm of casing around them. It is the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Funny though, they probably have been out for years here, as MD sells well.

[javeryh]

Nintendo will not release a portable that is not relatively compact, cheap, or has at least 6-7 hours of battery life. Look at the history of Nintendo portables and you'll see ALL their choices in hardware design were based on size and battery life. Hell... the GameBoy stood in the face of the GameGear... black and white with no backlight. It took Nintendo even LONGER to release a GBA w/ a backlight. Why? Because it was finally technologically feasible in a small and long lasting package.

When it comes down to it, Nintendo will not create a portable that isn't... well... portable. Unless battery life constraints and pricing magically goes down... I doubt this rumor to come to fruition any time soon. Is Nintendo playing around with the concept? You can bet on it... but Nintendo plays around with a lot of concepts that never see the light of day.

I agree but the DS is a portable system that isn't very small... I think if Nintendo could get the battery life around 8-10 hours and the price below $150 then something the size of the DS isn't out of the realm of possibility...

[pubes]

With flash memory prices dropping it'd be sweet if the hypothetical portable gamecube could rip a GC disc to be stored in onboard flash memory. (I can't remember the exact storage of a GC disc, but I think it's around 2GB.)

But even though prices are dropping on flash memory, 2GB is still pretty cost prohibitive, and I doubt Nintendo would consider any kind of ripping since it might increase piracy. But battery life would probably be pretty good.

[pumbaa]

I agree but the DS is a portable system that isn't very small... I think if Nintendo could get the battery life around 8-10 hours and the price below $150 then something the size of the DS isn't out of the realm of possibility...


I would say the DS puses the limits of hard far Nintendo will go for a portable. It's just about the size limit to fit in a pocket comfortably.

[Genocidal]

With flash memory prices dropping it'd be sweet if the hypothetical portable gamecube could rip a GC disc to be stored in onboard flash memory. (I can't remember the exact storage of a GC disc, but I think it's around 2GB.)


1.4 GB actually, but they'd still have to use 2GB if they wanted to use one memory module.

If Nintendo can make a handheld that will play GC discs and have it priced at $200 or less, I would very strongly consider getting it when the second or third batch gets shipped. I think that this handheld would do better than PSP because the gamers would already have a huge library of games and wouldn't have to spend money on new games, or wait for them to come out.

Of course, Nintendo shouldn't do this until they can have a nice long lasting battery, or they'll be making the next Nomad.

[MorPhiend]

Well, any of you who have followed Nintendo for the past two decades would know that some of the main announcements that Nintendo has always made concerning upcoming portables is the battery management systems. They usually have a lot of talk about how low on power consumption it will be and how few batteries will last for so long with this technology that they are having such and such company develop. And it has always produced a handheld with not just good battery life, but greater battery life than it's predecessor. But that seems to have patly changed with the SP and DS. They still have good battery life for what they are, but they didn't expand the battery life from previous handheld offerings. But they use lithium-ion batteries now, something that is relatively new to them. But with their history, would it make any sense that they had abandoned the tradition of expanding normal battery life? No, but the very contrary is true. I'm sure that they have had something in development and the RevOlution is just proof of that. One of the few things they spoke of about the Rev is how it will be very low on power consumption. I do not think that they have simply shifted this concern to the home arena, but it is more of an expansion. And I think they have been developing new ways for rechargable batteries to last longer with their chip structures as well, but it just takes time.


All that rambling said, if anyone can make a GCN powered handheld be energy friendly, it would be the Big N. But who knows? I guess we shall just wait and see...

[epobirs]

Well, any of you who have followed Nintendo for the past two decades would know that some of the main announcements that Nintendo has always made concerning upcoming portables is the battery management systems. They usually have a lot of talk about how low on power consumption it will be and how few batteries will last for so long with this technology that they are having such and such company develop. And it has always produced a handheld with not just good battery life, but greater battery life than it's predecessor. But that seems to have patly changed with the SP and DS. They still have good battery life for what they are, but they didn't expand the battery life from previous handheld offerings. But they use lithium-ion batteries now, something that is relatively new to them. But with their history, would it make any sense that they had abandoned the tradition of expanding normal battery life? No, but the very contrary is true. I'm sure that they have had something in development and the RevOlution is just proof of that. One of the few things they spoke of about the Rev is how it will be very low on power consumption. I do not think that they have simply shifted this concern to the home arena, but it is more of an expansion. And I think they have been developing new ways for rechargable batteries to last longer with their chip structures as well, but it just takes time.


All that rambling said, if anyone can make a GCN powered handheld be energy friendly, it would be the Big N. But who knows? I guess we shall just wait and see...


I think most would agree that the convenience of rechargable batteries, as well as the elimination of ongoing cost for expendables, made giving up some duration per charge a very worthy compromise.

But let a little reality drop in here. Nintendo isn't in the battery business. They buy from vendors specializing in various technologies as needed and apply that to game systems. The improved battery life on previous Game Boy models came from application of off the shelf technology advances. Every company in the world that thinks they have something nintendo can use is knocking on their door. Nintendo's task isn't to develop new technology but to evaluate what is offered to see what will offer the best ratio of price and performance at the time a suitable launch window for a new model appears.

The low power consumption of the Revolution is no mystery. They've already stated it will only be a mild upgrade from the GameCube. Just taking the existing GC chipset to 90 nm would accomplish this very eaily. Whether they'll add any new functionality to the chipset is the real question.

Taking an existing optical disc based console and making it a portable platform presents a lot of problems. The exisitng library of software was written with no consideration for power usage resulting from disc access. Sony went down this path already. They had Toshiba developing a 'PS1 on a chip' at .13 micron with several applications in mind. This went far beyond the PSone and the PS2's I/O chip to a device suitable for a handheld running off batteries. but nothing ever came of it. After a time the press releases were withdrawn from the sites and not long after the PSP, with an entirely new chipset, was announced. A more ambitious product but lacking a built in library.

My suspicion is that after long evaluation of the problem they couldn't find a practical way to leverage the huge value of the existing library without a bulky and power hungry CD-ROM drive. Going to a different medium was possible and much room could be saved by replacing sreaming audio with compressed files in RAM, which would also eliminate a lot of disc accessing. But that also meant a lot more work than many of the PS1 library IP owners would find reasonable compared to just pursuing entirely new platforms with better features. Requiring a media change for the software meant losing much of the value and made it ever more effective to design a new platform instead.

The biggest advantage for the GameCube would be it's mini-DVD format but the downside is that it would require a screen of much better resolution to not lose much of the visual quality of newer games compared to PS1 generation that did most things in 320x240. The problem of software written for a console plugged into an AC outlet remains. If you cannot use the existing library it becomes better to start from scratch with something close to what your developers already know but requiring new versions for any existing game.

[epobirs]

1.4 GB actually, but they'd still have to use 2GB if they wanted to use one memory module.

If Nintendo can make a handheld that will play GC discs and have it priced at $200 or less, I would very strongly consider getting it when the second or third batch gets shipped. I think that this handheld would do better than PSP because the gamers would already have a huge library of games and wouldn't have to spend money on new games, or wait for them to come out.

Of course, Nintendo shouldn't do this until they can have a nice long lasting battery, or they'll be making the next Nomad.

If they were implementing an onboard mirror to store the contents of GC discs there is no reason it would have to be any greater in capacity than the original disc. You don't see 1.5 GB flash cards at retail because of a preference for doubling sizes for marketing purposes. There is no techical issue preventing, say, a 750 MB SD card from being offered.

The mirroring existing discs to a flash memory store is an idea Sony likely considered when they were gearing up to produce a handheld PS1 but it turns into a copy protection nightmare, adds tremendous cost to the platform, and requires very expensive flash cards to allow multiple games to be easily used on the same unit. The capacity needed just to mirror CD-ROMs would still be excessive in cost. Mirroring a GC disc would really be prohibitive for the next several years. Currently Nintendo views a mere 128 MB as the practical upper limit for DS games until the cost of ROM, which is a fair bit less than the cost of flash, drops a fair bit.

Keeping the cost down is another challenge. The screen would need to be of significantly greater resolution that that of the PSP to be consistent with what a GC delivers connected to a regular TV.

Another big problem is whether a portable GC is going to reward Nintendo with new software sales on existing titles. Without that it's really pointless to go to any great effort to miniaturize an existing platform rather than creating a new one. With the GameCube still in stores for at least another couple of years, it's going to be quite a long time before the massive amount of used GameCube games in the stores and online would make it difficult to realize much value from the product's compatibility. What appeals to gamers who already own a GameCube is not necessarily in line with Nintendo's reasons for producing a new portable platform. Nintendo is in the software business. The hardware is just a means to that end. Keeping software that has already been sold in use isn't a big win. For Sony it made sense to continue the PS1 platform within the PS2 because it was the dominant platform then by a large margin. Trying to make the same thing work with the GC is a more difficult feat.

It would be far more in Nintendo's favor to wait several years until a new young audience that isn't familiar with the GC library is available to make those games into new hits as they did with ancient SNES games on the GBA. As well, the older audience will have had sufficient time to become nostalgic and willing to pay to play those games again. Pretty much anyone who was likely to buy those titles currently has already done so, so giving them a few years to make the remakes more attractive is in order.

There is also the consideration of features lacking in the existing GameCube versions of games that could be added on a new platform if remade rather than just kept in production. The biggest, of course, would be wireless multiplayer.

[epobirs]

Its an old piece of hardware. Givena nother year or so it would be very possible.

Look at the scale down of the PS2 vs PSTWO.

The PStwo doesn't need to run existing software on a battery for a satisfactory duration. The task for making a handheld from an existing platform goes far beyond physical size.

[epobirs]

Nintendo will not release a portable that is not relatively compact, cheap, or has at least 6-7 hours of battery life. Look at the history of Nintendo portables and you'll see ALL their choices in hardware design were based on size and battery life. Hell... the GameBoy stood in the face of the GameGear... black and white with no backlight. It took Nintendo even LONGER to release a GBA w/ a backlight. Why? Because it was finally technologically feasible in a small and long lasting package.

When it comes down to it, Nintendo will not create a portable that isn't... well... portable. Unless battery life constraints and pricing magically goes down... I doubt this rumor to come to fruition any time soon. Is Nintendo playing around with the concept? You can bet on it... but Nintendo plays around with a lot of concepts that never see the light of day.

A handheld GameCube, if such came to pass any time soon, would not be branded as GameBoy and as such wouldn't be subject to the requirements that come with the name. This would be pursuing a high-end position countering the PSP. Sony still has to prove that market is viable before nintendo is likely to jump in. The DS is already experimental territory for them and supporting that along with the GBA line is plenty for now.

As I see it, the original Gameboy didn't stand against the Game Gear, Lynx, etc. so much as pursued a specific formula while the others went for higher end slots that proved univiable in that era and self-destructed. That formula still works because the competition remains clueless but the market has expanded and many potential customers for portable gaming wouldn't be caught dead in public with a GameBoy but can still be sold on a Nintendo product so long as they don't perceive it as being incompatible with their self-image.

There used to be some PC games with a panic button you could use to quickly throw up a spreadsheet screen if the boss walked by. I'd like to see DS games that used a pseudo-PDA app appearance when paused. It would be a great continuance of the old gag.

[gamemasterjd]

it is quite possible and plausible. Not created yet but if anyone can do it...
www.benheck.com
^It's him.
There used to be some PC games with a panic button you could use to quickly throw up a spreadsheet screen if the boss walked by. I'd like to see DS games that used a pseudo-PDA app appearance when paused. It would be a great continuance of the old gag.

Lol Office Apps DS

[pumbaa]

A handheld GameCube, if such came to pass any time soon, would not be branded as GameBoy and as such wouldn't be subject to the requirements that come with the name. This would be pursuing a high-end position countering the PSP. Sony still has to prove that market is viable before nintendo is likely to jump in. The DS is already experimental territory for them and supporting that along with the GBA line is plenty for now.

As I see it, the original Gameboy didn't stand against the Game Gear, Lynx, etc. so much as pursued a specific formula while the others went for higher end slots that proved univiable in that era and self-destructed. That formula still works because the competition remains clueless but the market has expanded and many potential customers for portable gaming wouldn't be caught dead in public with a GameBoy but can still be sold on a Nintendo product so long as they don't perceive it as being incompatible with their self-image.

There used to be some PC games with a panic button you could use to quickly throw up a spreadsheet screen if the boss walked by. I'd like to see DS games that used a pseudo-PDA app appearance when paused. It would be a great continuance of the old gag.

My comment was about Nintendo PORTABLES, not the specific GameBoy line... the DS still adheres to the portability/battery life "rules" Nintendo has always followed. Its not about moving upstream to match Sony... its about making a portable system that is "portable" as defined by Nintendo's standards. Everything the company has done with portable systems has been defined by battery life and size... there is no other way to see it.

Sure, the company would do something different and pull a 180 on their stance... but its quite unlikely. The GameBoy and DS lines have been quite succesful even in the face of graphically superior handhelds because of this mindset.

[jkam]

Even though a portable Gamecube would be cool it's not going to happen. Nintendo has always done well in the portable arena. They have done well selling a seperate line of software for their portables. To introduce yet another portable would be overkill. I could see a new smaller gamecube with an LCD screen a way to get this accomplished like the PS1 did. It has already been stated that the Gamecube will not get the 2nd model treatment though. Plus the PSP has shown us that it doesn't really need to be done in this manner to get similar results. Where will the next gameboy fall though? The DS is comparable to the N64 but it isn't a gameboy according to Nintendo. It would be silly for Nintendo to realease a N64 type of a gameboy. I would think they would shoot for something more powerful.

I'm actually worried about disc based portables in general. Wether it is Sony or Nintendo because will they hold up like our gameboys have? Even the home based consoles that are disc based tend to crap out easier than our older generation consoles and they don't get bumped and moved around as much as a portable. I guess only time will tell with this one.

The GBA micro will probably be the last gameboy for at least a year. I'm thinking the end of 2006 will be the Gameboy Advance's successor. It is overkill but I love REALLY portable devices. The SP is a great portable for its size and weight. The DS and the PSP although bigger are still very portable. The Micro however is that yet to be touched super mini portable much like the IPOD mini. I don't always bring my portables along if I know I will be going to certain places or when I won't have a feasible place to put it away. I see this more as of carry with me all the time no matter what the situation is more than anything.

[hmbtnguy]

Here is your portable gamecube:


http://tyrantcompany.com/portable_cube_open.jpg

http://img.engadget.com/common/images/9131584372647915.JPG



If only it were real.

[FriskyTanuki]

Here is your portable gamecube:


http://tyrantcompany.com/portable_cube_open.jpg

http://img.engadget.com/common/images/9131584372647915.JPG



If only it were real.
Old, and it looks too fake to me to be anywhere near real.

[rubaiyat]

If they were implementing an onboard mirror to store the contents of GC discs there is no reason it would have to be any greater in capacity than the original disc. You don't see 1.5 GB flash cards at retail because of a preference for doubling sizes for marketing purposes. There is no techical issue preventing, say, a 750 MB SD card from being offered.

The mirroring existing discs to a flash memory store is an idea Sony likely considered when they were gearing up to produce a handheld PS1 but it turns into a copy protection nightmare, adds tremendous cost to the platform, and requires very expensive flash cards to allow multiple games to be easily used on the same unit. The capacity needed just to mirror CD-ROMs would still be excessive in cost. Mirroring a GC disc would really be prohibitive for the next several years. Currently Nintendo views a mere 128 MB as the practical upper limit for DS games until the cost of ROM, which is a fair bit less than the cost of flash, drops a fair bit.

Keeping the cost down is another challenge. The screen would need to be of significantly greater resolution that that of the PSP to be consistent with what a GC delivers connected to a regular TV.

Another big problem is whether a portable GC is going to reward Nintendo with new software sales on existing titles. Without that it's really pointless to go to any great effort to miniaturize an existing platform rather than creating a new one. With the GameCube still in stores for at least another couple of years, it's going to be quite a long time before the massive amount of used GameCube games in the stores and online would make it difficult to realize much value from the product's compatibility. What appeals to gamers who already own a GameCube is not necessarily in line with Nintendo's reasons for producing a new portable platform. Nintendo is in the software business. The hardware is just a means to that end. Keeping software that has already been sold in use isn't a big win. For Sony it made sense to continue the PS1 platform within the PS2 because it was the dominant platform then by a large margin. Trying to make the same thing work with the GC is a more difficult feat.

It would be far more in Nintendo's favor to wait several years until a new young audience that isn't familiar with the GC library is available to make those games into new hits as they did with ancient SNES games on the GBA. As well, the older audience will have had sufficient time to become nostalgic and willing to pay to play those games again. Pretty much anyone who was likely to buy those titles currently has already done so, so giving them a few years to make the remakes more attractive is in order.

There is also the consideration of features lacking in the existing GameCube versions of games that could be added on a new platform if remade rather than just kept in production. The biggest, of course, would be wireless multiplayer.

Though on the other hand of things, backward compatability on Revolution might make the prospect of creating new games for a protable GC a much more palatable endeavor. Especially for games/genres that don't really have any need to be bleeding edge hardware pounding.

It would definitely be a hard sell, given that a current GB(A) with the installed tens of millions can be served with a fairly cheap dev cycle and so continued support is assured...and with DS grandfathered in with GBA support it made a smooth transition even through the launch drought. But without an MBA or business training, I'd like to think that with the potential market of handheld gamers willing to shell out $200+ on a system + a subset of Revolution owners that do not wish to buy a pricey handheld, but willing to buy a GC quality game...that it might be a workable business plan.

I suppose this is helped if the highend portable market turns out to be viable.

Then you could have a low priced (by then) DS covering the 2D, entry level gaming that the GB's covered, and a high end GC model. And as a business plan, this would neatly bracket the PSP with a cheaper, well established "generic" brand model AND a higher end MONSTER of a handheld...

And, paradoxically, if this comes about, Nintendo would have Sony to thank for establishing the viability of that market.

[BIG5]

I have no need for a portable GCN, nor do I have a need for a portable PS2 (sorry, PSP).