gamecube

When the Xbox 360 turned 5 years old this week with no known successor on the horizon, and no new imminent PlayStation or Wii either, it may well have signaled the demise of one of the video game industry's most longstanding truisms.

Since at least the mid-1980s, major console makers have generally come out with new models every five years or so. For example, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) came out in 1985, followed by the Super NES in 1991, the Nintendo 64 in 1996, the GameCube in 2001, and the Wii in 2006. Sony put out the first … Read more

I have little doubt that at least some Nintendo fans have read that headline and are preparing to unleash comments in support of the Zelda franchise. But before that happens, hear me out.

I'll be the first to admit that I am, quite simply, one of the biggest Zelda fans around. I own the Ocarina of Time soundtrack (the songs are on my iPod), have played every Zelda game since the beginning, and firmly believe that it's the greatest work from Shigeru Miyamoto (yes, I believe it's a better franchise than Mario).

And perhaps that's why I have such strong feelings about the Zelda franchise and where it's headed as of late. See, I've been wanting to write this column for quite some time, but I decided that before I would, I should go back and play every Zelda game to its completion to ensure that my contention--that the franchise has lost its way--is strong.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, I believe it is.

I don't expect every Nintendo fan to agree, and I'm sure some Zelda fans are already upset with what I'm saying. But I'm hoping that you will see this for what it really is: a Zelda lover's hope for the future.… Read more

Unless Nintendo complies with a federal judge's order by Thursday, the company will be faced with a ban on several of its controllers, Bloomberg reports.

A judge for the U.S. Court in the Eastern District of Texas failed to overturn a verdict entered against the Japanese video game maker on July 18. The company had been previously ordered to pay $21 million to Anascape, a Texas company that holds a patent on motion-sensitive controllers.

After declining to order a new trial as Nintendo had requested, Judge Ron Clark instead is scheduled to issue a ban on the sale … Read more

It seems that the Nintendo Wavebird is going the way of the Power Glove. According to Go Nintendo via Joystiq, Nintendo has ceased shipping its wireless GameCube controllers to stores. This isn't too surprising (the Wii has been out for more than a year and effectively completely replaced the GameCube), but it is disappointing. Since the Wii plays all GameCube games and includes four GameCube controller ports, the Wavebird presented a great way to play both Virtual Console and GameCube games wirelessly.

Go Nintendo claims that Nintendo is still shipping wired controllers to stores, which seems very odd. If … Read more

Have you ever wanted to see how your game system works? Do you scoff at warranties? Do you not mind risking your $80-to-$600 gadget just so you can screw with it? Then this toolkit is for you.

Modding peripheral companies like Divineo and Mod-chip.com are selling the Zoozen Access Pro Tool Kit v2, a toolkit with virtually everything you need to crack into virtually every game system you have. It includes a socketed handle with standard driver bits for slotted, Phillips, and Torx screws, and specialized driver bits for the "tamperproof" screws many systems use (Ever … Read more

Nintendo can't seem to make up its mind. The company was no longer manufacturing GameCubes or developing titles for the console, according to company spokesperson Perrin Kaplan (quoted in a GameDaily interview earlier this week). That prompted a slew of teary-eyed GameCube retrospectives and obituaries. Now comes word from Nintendo's U.K. arm (as reported at Eurogamer) that the company is "still continuing production of GameCube hardware and GameCube software."

That's enough for Kotaku to declare the 'Cube as being "still alive and well," but it's missing the real story. Whether or … Read more

As soon as it was announced that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess would be a Wii launch title, the GameCube version, which started production back in early 2005, took a backseat. Now, it may not even finish the trip. Joystiq is reporting that major gaming retailers are not carrying what many believed would be the plucky li'l console's swan song (a similar rumor is making the rounds regarding the Japanese version, too). We here at Crave decided to conduct our own independent investigation--in other words, pester our local GameStop clerks--and found out that the title is still … Read more