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Nintendo Game Cube Crashing?

Posted by Cliff on from the consoles-shouldn't-crash dept.

flipper28 asks: "I recently purchased a Nintendo Gamecube with Luigi's Mansion for my wife's birthday. I thought with all the hype around the XBox crashing that I would be safe with the competition. As it turn's out, my system keeps crashing, and yes, I have exchanged the games (which IMHO only made Nintendo happy). I am interested if others have experienced the same problem. Is their a manufacturing problem, or did I just get a bad one." I've experienced crashing in the two days I've owned my GameCube, however this centers around replacing the disc with the power on and hitting reset...or something, but I've only had the cube crash at the power-on screen, so it's not been that big of an issue for me. Anyone else experiencing weird behavior on the GameCube?

53 comments

  1. Mine works fine... by jefflinwood · · Score: 1

    I've been playing Super Monkey Ball like crazy, and it works fine. I make a point of turning it off when I'm not using it, though. My Orbitron DVD player overheats all the time and refuses to work properly. When I lower the temperature in the room, the DVD player goes back to working normally.

    Sorry not to be helpful :)

    --
    Tips and Tricks for Mozilla
  2. Bias by Almace · · Score: 1

    My roommate says that his gamecube has crashed once or twice but I hav'n't personally seen it. I'm glad to see slashdot post this since all ive heard out of slashdot is ant xbox sentiment. Consoles have been known to release buggy software so it isn't like this is new.

    --
    Remember,democracy never lasts long.It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. John Adams (1814)
  3. PS2 too by repvik · · Score: 1

    The Sony PlayStation 2 (great, dammit! :) keeps crashing after a while here... I'm actually on my 6th (sixth) system now, exchanging them as it gets too bad. Got the system software upgraded now too, so I'm hoping this one won't go bad on me.

    1. Re:PS2 too by welkin · · Score: 1

      Hmm. . .I've not yet had a crash/lock-up with my ps2. . .got it a few days after the launch. My old ps1 locked up once while playing Silent Hill 1 & never locked again. Maybe it's just a matter of time for the ps2. So far it's been a model system.

    2. Re:PS2 too by motorcrash · · Score: 1

      I'm with you welkin. Picked up my PS2 on launch day, and I've NEVER experienced a crash. She's been on nearly constantly lately with all of the stellar games out this season, and I'm happy to report no glitches. *knocks on wood*

    3. Re:PS2 too by EulerX07 · · Score: 1

      You're on your SIXTH ps2? WTF are you doing? I've had mine since march and we're three roommates and we play/watch dvd constantly on it. Do you keep the ps2 in place where heat can be discharged? The odds of you getting six defects in a row when most people have no problem is slim to none. The only crashes i've had is with NHL2001, which locked up about 3 times in the time it took to play a full season and win the stanley cup with 15 minutes games.

    4. Re:PS2 too by DragonPup · · Score: 2, Informative

      If you are on your 6th PS2, then there's something VERY wrong at your end. My PS2 locked up maybe once in 8 monthes, and was fixed by simply hitting the reset button. Seriously, what's the room temp like? And are you blocking the exhuast ports in the back?

      -Henry

      --
      "Useless organic meatbag" -HK-47
    5. Re:PS2 too by repvik · · Score: 1

      nope. The room temp is approx. 20-22 degrees celcius.
      It sits on is own, dedicated shelf beneath my TV, which has plenty of space on the back. None of the boxes has been mistreated(atleast not by me).
      Most of the problems have been with the DVD-player (as far as I have been able to figure out). It doesn't seem like the other hardware fails.

    6. Re:PS2 too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No offense.. start taking showers before using electrical equipment. :)

    7. Re:PS2 too by lukegalea1234 · · Score: 1

      Strangely enough.. It seems that for the most part I think the ps2 is just plain fragile. I treat my PS2 like a home theatre component.. never move it, etc.. I have had no problems. A friend of mine occasionally moves it, etc.. and he is up to his third..

      Perhaps that is the problem..

    8. Re:PS2 too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've had my PS2 since launch, and have only noticed one particular set of circumstances that causes a lockup. As far as not moving it, this gets hauled around about every sunday night, it lives in a nylon bookbag during the journeys.

      Now for the lockup circumstances:
      1. WDL: Thunder Tanks
      2. Mad Cat's 8MB memory card in slot one
      3. single player "tournament" mode
      4. saving after every level, it'll lock up while saving on about the 5th or 6th time doing it.

      Other than that I've had no problems dvd or otherwise with my PS2.

    9. Re:PS2 too by zonker · · Score: 0

      also, take a look at the electric in your place. computer equipment is very sensitive to poorly grounded systems. perhaps you have too much running on a circuit that is too small and it is causing problems. surges are also a possibility, not just from your electric outlets, but from phone lines (to modems), cable tv and satelite lines (going outside), etc... you could easily induct a current that could zap stuff... worth taking a look at anyway...

      --

      Large print giveth, and the small print taketh away

    10. Re:PS2 too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you have one of the first generation PS2 consoles? I've heard about problems with the first batch with playing DVDs.

    11. Re:PS2 too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You sound like a friend of mine that I hung around in high school. He's blown a few PlayStation consoles and is the only person I've ever heard of frying a motherboard on a PC runnin Win95 by not shutting it down properly.

    12. Re:PS2 too by lukegalea1234 · · Score: 1

      That's pretty crippling as far as I am concerned..
      I mean.. compare that to a ps-one..

  4. Happend To A Friend by jsonic · · Score: 3, Interesting

    My friend and I bought gamecubes on the release day from the same store. His has crashed multiple times while playing games, but I've had no problems with mine.

    The crashs happened while using different games, which leads one to think that this is a hardware problem.

    1. Re:Happend To A Friend by Judg3 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Same here, a bunch of us from work all bought units the same day (about 10 of us) out of that, 4 have serious crashing problems while the other 6 (including me) dont have any problems. 50% of the machines seem to have problems, not good.

      --
      Looking for hardware (Currently need: Large Etch-a-Sketch) Have one? See my journal!
    2. Re:Happend To A Friend by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      4 out of 10 is 40% not 50%.

    3. Re:Happend To A Friend by damiam · · Score: 1, Troll
      50% of the machines

      4/10 is 40%, btw.

      --
      It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.
    4. Re:Happend To A Friend by Shabazz · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That's being nitpicky. 10 units is not a large enough sample to get an estimate. Would you say 44% if it was 4 or 9. I think 50/50 is a pretty good figure given what he's seen.

    5. Re:Happend To A Friend by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The crashs happened while using different games, which leads one to think that this is a hardware problem.

      Why? Sounds like it could be a software problem to me! You could only eliminate the software as a factor if the box crashes on the same game.

  5. GameCube Problems? by ebooher · · Score: 1

    I purchased my GameCube after the midnight mark at a local 24 hour retailer. I was at my cousin's and playing the system, regretably only with Luigi's Mansion, by 01:00. They hadn't received their shipment of Rogue Leader. Luigi's Mansion, however, is a very good cute little game and I played that until about 04:00 before packing up to go home. Once home, I plugged everything back in and was back at it. It got turned off again around 09:00 so I could go to another retailer and purchase Rogue Leader. I then sat on my behind and played until roughly 20:00 when I went to get some dinner. Didn't notice any crashes or system problems. I unfortunately haven't had a chance to play since, but starting tomorrow it probably will not get turned off. Going to parents for the holiday and will be there with much family. So it's going to get a lot of use. I will let you know if it does start crashing.

    --
    "Genius may shine aloof and alone, like a star, but goodness is social, and it takes two men and God to make a Brother."
    1. Re:GameCube Problems? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      keep us posted.

  6. Works great for me by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've been playing it extensively for the past few days with no problems on three different games. All my friends have had similar results, I'd check your hardware.

  7. crashing cube by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    i picked up my game cube sunday morning at 11:30 from eb, got home at 12:00. my friends and i finally stopped playing 12hrs later and not a single problem. since then every night after work...its played for a good 3hrs.

  8. works great by ninster · · Score: 0

    I have never experienced a system crash. I swap my games all the time and have never seen it crash. I try to make game systems crash and haven't been able to crash it yet. Heating doesn't seem to be an issue either as the heat gets dissipated rapidly.

    I am Weird!

    ->DrakHacker

  9. No problems here by lmd · · Score: 1

    I bought my Gamecube on Monday night along with a memory card. I've rented Rogue Squadron II, NHL Hitz 2002, and Wave Race: Blue Storm and have had no problems whatsoever. It could be a problem with Luigi's Mansion but I haven't played it yet. What color Gamecube do you have? I bought the black one. Do you have a memory card? Some more information would help us to determine your problem.

    --


    Just my $0.04 (adjusted for inflation)
    1. Re:No problems here by ajmarks · · Score: 1

      Why should the color of the casing have anything to do with whether or not it crashes?

      --
      Opinions are not Informative, though they may be Insightful or Interesting.
    2. Re:No problems here by Colin+Bayer · · Score: 1

      My guess is that GameCubes with differently-colored casings may have been made on separate production lines, and thus, if one line is bad, it will only affect specifically-colored GameCubes.

      Just my $0.02.

      --
      Want Linux games? HERE.
  10. Solid as a rock by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My roomate bought a Game Cube the morning of release and we've played it almost nonstop since then. We've even accidently left it running one night and have had no lock ups yet. We've played Star Wars, Tony Hawk 3, and Madden 2002 so I don't know how t would perform on Lugi's Mansion.

  11. Interference maybe? by Leknor · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I haven't personally tested any of this but since people are getting mixed stability reports maybe it has something to do with external interference. Most people I know, including myself, tend to put all their A/V equimentment in one small area next to their TV and then on each side of the A/V unit is two large speakers. It seems to me this would increase the probablity of seemingly inconsistent crashes.

  12. No Problems Here (JPN) by r.suzuka · · Score: 1

    Hello! I have owned a Nintendo GameCube since it was release in Japan about two months ago. I have used it with multiple games including Pikmin and others and I have not yet seen my console crash. A few of my friends also have this console and they have not reported a crash.

    I hope my comments are useful from someone who has owned a GameCube for longer than it has been possible for Americans ^_^

    R. Suzuka

  13. Rare case... by Halcyon-X · · Score: 1
    That must be a rare case, or perhaps you're putting it through some abuse. Also, smoking near electronics is never a good idea.

    I've got a PS2 from the launch date (30001, and another just recently (the 35001 with GT3 as a pack-in). Both work fine, play all my DVDs, all my old games, all my new ones... There have always been such things as defective systems concerning any electronics, but I can't help but wonder if there might be another factor in your case.

    --

    .sig: Open Source, Open Mind

    1. Re:Rare case... by zonker · · Score: 0

      smoking around most electronic stuff isn't a good idea... on a similar note, peeing on stuff isn't either. a friend of mine pissed on another of my friend's n64's when he was drunk. fortunately it wasn't plugged in or he'd probably not survived to sobreity. after cleaning the thing off, it still worked. amazing what some stuff can go through. i remember reading an article jerry pournelle wrote several years ago about an old nec monitor he had that sat out on his porch and got rained on. he cleaned it off the day after and the thing still worked fine...

      --

      Large print giveth, and the small print taketh away

  14. gamecube for the wife by rfsayre · · Score: 1

    She didn't get what she wanted for her birthday, but when "your system" started crashing at least she got what she wanted for the day after.

  15. Why are we only hearing this now? by Xenex · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    The GameCube has been out in Japan for the best part of 3 months. In that time I have not read one complaint about the console crashing anywhere online.

    Now that the GCN has been out in the States for a week, and there is now people (well, one person on Slashdot actully) talking of it crashing?

    So, what am I supposed to believe? That the console has been flawless for the past 3 months in Japan, yet now crashes on US soil? This Ask Slashdot story is the first I've heard of the GCN crashing, but I guess the repuation around here will be that the GameCube is buggy now.

    Personally, someone out there is just making themselves some news. Why don't you just go back to bitching that Nintendo didn't include DVD playback. At least that is based on fact. I mean, DVD playback is essencial in a machine made for playing games...

  16. Rogue Leader Crashing by catfishmonkey · · Score: 2

    I bought the system on Sunday (launch date) with Luigi's Mansion and Rogue Leader. Luigi's Mansion seems to work fine, Rogue Leader on the other hand has issues. At the Battle of Hoth after taking down the AT-ATs the game will lock-up and this high pitched screech comes out of my speakers. I've exchanged the game and still I can't get rid of this problem. I love the Gamecube to death so far and I really hope this is something that can be fixed by exchanging my system for a new one once they're available again.

    --
    The horse is dead. Either fuck it or walk away, but please stop beating it.
    1. Re:Rogue Leader Crashing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I beta test games for a living, and I seriously doubpt that exchanging your console will solve your battle of Hoth problem.

      Let me tell you, its not rare to have programmers (evil bastards the lot of 'em ;-) tell you that "this bug won't be fixed". Usual excuses are lack of time or not being able to replicate said bug on their side.

      What you need to do is call up (or better yet, snail mail) nintendo of america and complain, tell 'em you don't tolerate buggy software.

  17. Update by flipper28 · · Score: 1

    Since posting this article, I have exchanged the console and it now seems to be fine. When I contacted Nintendo, they were very keen on me bringing it to their repair center - I opted to the store where I purchased the unit.

    All things said, I think the GameCube is a good system and the games are well designed.

    1. Re:Update by zonker · · Score: 0

      unfortunately, if it is a hardware defect it will take longer for them to find out about it if units aren't sent into repair. most companies want people to send their units in for repair because they start to build a database of known issues which can be used to resolve the problem in future manufacturing runs... items returned to the store often don't get the same treatment. this leads to people complaining about problems, and the company that produced the product can't research the problem and fix it until many, many people are experiencing it...

      --

      Large print giveth, and the small print taketh away

    2. Re:Update by flipper28 · · Score: 1

      I agree, but time is also a factor and when the Nintendo repair center is an hour away, it becomes less important, since my time is worth more than the unit.

  18. There could be an explaination! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Maybe they were shipped UPS ground?

    1. Re:There could be an explaination! by xhypertensionx · · Score: 1

      I used to load trailers at UPS (college job) and I can tell you that this is an EXTREMELY VALID POINT. The other loaders and I used to beat the fuck out of a lot of packages -- especially if you need a package to squeeze into a wall.

      Don't send something UPS ground unless you expect it to be slammed around.

      --

  19. Luigi's Mansion crashed for me by Triple+Helix · · Score: 1

    The first time I turned on my Gamecube with Luigi's Mansion, the Game froze after hitting start from the main menu. I've played several times since then, without any crashes at all.

    1. Re:Luigi's Mansion crashed for me by flipper28 · · Score: 1

      That's what happened to me - but over a period of time and with more gameplay, it froze more often to point where it was unusable.

      I'd return it if it happens a few more times. I've seen this behaviour with bad memory on PC's (usually the chips with the most problems).

  20. Wow! by Tayknight · · Score: 1

    Wow. Where the hell do you find a wife who wants a GameCube for Christmas? You da' man!

    --
    Pair up in threes. - Yogi Berra
  21. Simple Fix by eric2hill · · Score: 1

    Take the CD out, blow on it real hard, hit it lightly a few times, and try again... ;-)

    --
    LOAD "SIG",8,1
    LOADING...
    READY.
    RUN
    1. Re:Simple Fix by flipper28 · · Score: 1

      swapped the discs - didn't work (see original post) - swapped the units - it worked. A brand new unit should not have significant dust issues.

  22. similar to sonic for dreamcast by zonker · · Score: 0

    as i remember there was a defect with the first run of the sonic game for the dreamcast. sega reissued the fixed discs and everything was fine (at great cost to sega i'm sure). maybe the manufacturing process of the discs new disc type (the 3 inch pseudo-dvd thingy) they are using may be an issue and the quality isn't up to 100% yet. anyone notice if the drive was accessing when it crashed? just a thought...

    --

    Large print giveth, and the small print taketh away