Gamecube bulk storage

[topper]

I've realised that as much as I've been bitter towards Sony over the years, that I do enjoy the fact that I can play my backups (and I /mean/ backups) on the PS2 hard disk, and the PSP memory stick. Same wrt the DS with TT. Yes, I am aware that it wasn't an OEM feature. It's just great to be able to leave the actual media boxed up, and fire up <some game>.

I was wondering if anyone knows if there's a similar solution for my favourite console, the Gamecube. Some sort of hard disk attachment etc. The best I can think of is streaming from a PC, but this obviously requires a network, which, whilst possible, isn't quite as cool as the above. I have seen http://wiki.nintendo-scene.com/Gamec.../ATA_Interface but who knows what the status is.

As an aside, I wonder if one day it will be possible to hook up a USB hard disk to the Wii for this type of functionality for native Wii games. They are even worse than Gamecube ones what with the disks being so large!

NB Mods if I have crossed any lines, sorry and feel free to delete.

[sj33]

There were plans, with the Viper modchip having a USB connector, and the schematics for a USB connection released into the public domain, but it never resulted in anything.

And the whole network streaming this, using loaders that I'm not allowed to link to, isn't really worth the hassle because the streaming is much slower than from disc.

I can relate though, I have a PS2 at home with a DMS4 modchip and a 300GB HardDrive, was excellent having all my games on the console itself, I didn't even need a bootdisc. Kept my original discs minty in storage. Now everyone's going nuts about the NXE having such a 'revolutionary' feature.

[smouty]

I have a PS2 at home with a DMS4 modchip and a 300GB HardDrive

Just so you know - It isn't even necessary to have a modchip any more to do this. Thankyou Free MCBoot
I know of no way to do this on the cube though.

[topper]

And the whole network streaming this, using loaders that I'm not allowed to link to, isn't really worth the hassle because the streaming is much slower than from disc.

You say it's not worth the hassle but how bad can it be? Surely not as bad as having shelves etc packed with toot.

[sj33]

It's enough so that a lot of games stutter quite badly because they cannot stream quickly enough. The expansion port used by the GameCube ethernet is something like 24mbit, and I think the loaders run at 10mbit anyway.

Many games are incompatible too since development on the loaders was abandoned when DVDR booting using software like GCOS (and indeed with modchips like Viper and Qoob) became possible. That particular method only existed because, at the time, there was no way of booting DVDR's on a GameCube - usage of the loaders was intended for piracy rather than mass storage like me and you would use, and it just doesn't serve our legitimate purposes well enough - I'd be using it myself otherwise.