4) The GC Loader slots into the connection which was used to link the drive to the mainboard. 3) Under the drive, you'll need to remove more screws to detach the actual optical drive – the GC Loader connects to the metal plate, which you'll need to retain. 2) Remove the lid and you'll find that there are lots of screws to remove in order to detach the GameCube's optical drive assembly. The drawbacks? Well, for purists and collectors, the idea of not actually playing their discs might be off-putting, and there's also the obvious modification work required, too.Ĭlockwise, from top left: 1) What you'll need for the mod. They also allow you to play homebrew code on your machine, as well as access other cool settings and hacks. They're convenient, because you don't need to swap discs as you can fit several games on a single SD card, and because there are no moving parts or lasers to clean, they'll prolong the life of your hardware.

These little devices act just like a proper optical disc drive – often using FPGA chips to simulate the original drive on a hardware level – but use SD cards for storage. Thankfully, there is something of a solution for those who which to experience games on original hardware but don't want to take the software emulation route: optical drive emulators, or ODEs. Then there's the problem of the hardware required to actually read these discs over time, optical drives become misaligned or fail completely.

Not only are discs easily scratched and far less robust that cartridges, but some of the older examples are also experiencing an unpleasant phenomenon known as 'bit rot', rendering them unplayable – even when kept in mint condition. Back when cartridges were the main means of distributing video games on home consoles, the prospect of optical media was a technological revolution of sorts these shiny discs promised greater storage at a cheaper cost (not that the consumer always saw the latter benefit), and carts were considered to be such a throwback in the mid-'90s that Nintendo was seen as 'stuck in the past' by using them for its N64 console.Īs time has gone on, though, the industry's switch to optical media has become something of a curse for retro players.

Gamecube usb loader for wii