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Gamecube Linux Port Announced, In Progress
NiteStar writes "A group of people from the homebrew scene and Xbox Linux have now started a new project to port Linux to the Nintendo Gamecube. A small preview version has already been released, it's a small application that draws Tux the penguin on the GameCube screen. The roadmap explains a small client will run on the Gamecube, so the 'GameCube could be used as a desktop computer, which stores its data on a server on the network. The GameCube has a CPU that is powerful enough to decode common multimedia data like MPEG-4/DivX and MP3. It can serve as a display unit for content stored on a server'."
Wait a sec, go back to the part about it being small again...
But now the Xbox 2, PS3, and GameCube successor (name?) are looming, so....how about waiting til then, and starting on those immediately?
"It's'a me, Tux!"
As cool as these things are to play around with, they aren't worth sullying the GNU/Linux name... especially with the SCO situation looming. Does anybody know if this sort of concern is present with this code?
Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
-- Dr. Spock, stardate 2822-3.
I look forward to writing those shellscripts a character at a time using a gamepad. Like I don't get RSI from the mouse and keyboard as it is...
And using an ordinary TV for a screen? No thanks.
I'm sorry if I haven't offended anyone
I cant wait to get KDE 3.2 on this thing. Then I will have a Game Kube!
Similarly, there is a BZFlag GameCube port in the works. http://www.webtrotter.com/bzflag
not as good as the xbox
No hard drive for easy locale storage. And may not be as simple as flipping a switch to boot from linux or from the default enviorment (i'm not sure how they're overriding the default start up)
but for gc owners a nice addition to it's funconality. The ability to stream music, and / or video via a silent (and micro) computer. No real fan noise in the background when listening to music, and a much better video out quality than S-Video on the typical video card.
So let's try it again:
"Can you imagine an Xgrid-cluster of these?"
Thank you.
"Honey, I feel a certain distance between us..." "Really? A 31ms ping ain't that bad..."
There were any number of hobbyist platforms in the 70s and 80s. They're not around anymore. The people that control the industry today got their start on programming and hardware on these machines and are all too happy to remove that opportunity for the next generation. Some might think it's a bit hypocritical, but it's really about cutting out the competition.
Besides, if just anyone can write for or modify these things, that cuts out the revenue stream from licensing. The future will be in renting, not buying. And really, they've got every right to control the product if we keep buying it.
Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
-- Dr. Spock, stardate 2822-3.
.. I don't see it as anything but YaLC (yet another linux conversion) or in short, just a hobby.
I just can't see it working as a cheap thin client, due to all the (extra) needed accessories, like keyboard, mouse, etc. XBOX would probably be much better for this, due to DVD + HDD.
And as for the multimedia terminal, I'd personally rather have one machine that does it all; acts as tv recorder, multimedia player, storage server and even all that in silence, so it can stand next to the TV. Again the XBOX would most likely be better for this.
Having said that, I think it's a neat project. If I was a kernel monkey, I'd probably spend some time on it too. I also love messing around with new projects myself. I'm not trying to troll (honestly!:), just expressing my concerns/views on the project.
A gamebit, screwdriver and some solder are all you need to change a US system to a Japanese one, or vice-versa. Add a switch and some wire and you have a dual-mode system - no chip required. The ROMs on the board even have the system menus in both Japanese and English.
Sure, it still voids your warranty, but it's a lot less hassle than modding a PS2 or Xbox. Heck, it's even easier than modding a PS1. Thanks, Nintendo!
You'll have a lot more titles than the current Gamecube selection.
There's another use for it.
I'm sorry if I haven't offended anyone
For anyone like myself wondering how they run the homebrew code on something that doesn't employ a standard CD format the FAQ has some - ableit brief - answers.
### Can I just burn a 8 cm CD/DVD and use it in the GameCube? ###
No. The GameCube reads no CDs/DVDs. There is no way to produce a GameCube compatible optical media using a CD/DVD burner.
### So do I run homebrew code on the GameCube? ###
The PSOload method is the only way.
### What do I need in order to run homebrew code? ###
A GameCube, any version of "Phantasy Star Online", a "Broadband Adapter", a memory card, and PSOload.
### Do I need a modchip? ###
There are no modchips.
All sounds kind of cumbersome IMHO.
aus.music.scrapbook
Superior hardware doesn't make the Xbox a superior platform. If so, sales would have been much higher. So far, the Xbox is the 3rd console and it's share in the gamingmarket is decreasing (in percentages).
"Honey, I feel a certain distance between us..." "Really? A 31ms ping ain't that bad..."
How on earth is this going to be useful? The GameCube uses a proprietary media format, so in order to boot anything that's not an official game, you need to use the Phantasy Star Online-exploit.
Which means that you would have to boot up the GC like you normally would, load PSO, do the exploit-thingy and then begin streaming Linux to the console from your PC/server/whatever via the Broadband Adapter. Am I the only one who thinks this is way to big of a hassle?
I mean, Linux on the Dreamcast was just a matter of throwing in a DC-Linux cd and hitting the power button. By comparison, this GameCube hack is cumbersome, to put it mildly. Why not just buy an Xbox and screw Microsoft over?
try mario golf, that's a lot of fun. also the monkey ball series is worth 100's of hours in gaming. pikmin is fun too. there's plenty of decent titles, just look around. get monkey ball though.
Good vga output would make it a nifty little diskless terminal (the proper name for a "small client desktop computer which stores its data on a server on the network").
Some operating systems were designed from the ground up to have diskless graphical terminals, even on serial lines.
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
its aliveee! And this is just after Nintendo has declared excellent sales during the holiday period. Ofcourse, it has been attributed to the low pricing, but their sales were (apparantly) better than the PS2 and the XBOX.
The linux port should help widen the gamecube's appeal to more people
|/________
|\A|ALYS|
Mario Kart: Double Dash! is a fairly fun single player game. However, get your buddies to come over and play co-op or battle mode and it's an instant party game. Tons o' fun, IMNSHO.
I wish I had a kryptonite cross, because then you could keep Dracula and Superman away.
The GC is small, runs quietly, and has decent audio and video outputs. It's already sitting in my living room, where my large TV and sound system are. If, in addition to games, it can be used to play media that lives on my network then so much the better!
I can think of othere uses. RSS feed displayer, anyone? :-)
-- MG
I think i will start to work on linux for my GBA as soon as i get home from work :)
Anybody wanna help?
You're old school? I beta tested the motherf***ing abacus!
Mario Kart is excellent.
It all has to do with business practices and control. You're absolutely right about only Ford-authorized car parts working with Fords in the future... And the practice of "licensing for use" (usually with Draconian terms) rather than "selling" a product is used virtualy everywhere with companies from Lexmark to Intuit to the RIAA paving the way.
So the *real* question, in my mind, is: How we can steer things as society fragments between those who can "own" property, and those who are only able to "use" property?
Open source is one crucial part of helping prevent this fragmentation, along with creative-commons licensing of media (creativecommons.org), and perhaps organized educational campaigns to consumers letting them know what they are giving up in exchange for opening that shrink-wrapped EULA-laden widget.
But when corporate interests are intent on herding consumers into "Terms-of-Use" based agreements which prevent a consumer from actually owning something, what is the best way to combat this?
Why not?
This will add a lot of functionality to an aging piece of hardware. Why go out and build/buy a media center when you can just port linux onto an old Gamecube?
'Scuse me? Show me where modding an Xbox/PS2 has affected any revenue stream. It is a niche, hobbyist thing to do. If some hobbyist can out perform an entire software team in writing an application or game, then the company deserves to lose revenue.
If I purchase a piece of hardware, the ONLY thing a manufacturer should be able to do is void my warranty if I decide to hack it. Period. Hackers are not competition for big companies. Now maybe a company could be worried that the competition will leverage a hack to gain some insight into how they do things, but that would be pretty fruitless. After all, once a console hits the market, it doesn't do much good to figure out what it does because the company that released it is probably already working on the next generation. Heck, I am sure companies do their own hacking on competitors products, and they are probably much better at it than the hobbyist.
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
Games worth checking out...
Super Monkey Ball 1&2 soon to be 3 multiplayer lan baby
1080 avalance
Mario Kart: Double Dash
Viewtiful Joe
Ikaruga
LOTR:ROTK ----best version of this game
Cubivore, if you can find it, quirky title
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles will be out soon
Just a few that you can check out
Ubuntu- Linux for human beings.
When you buy a product, it should be YOURS, period, end of story. If you want to mod your Xbox into a PC, and you have the skills to do it, then you damn well ought to be able to do so. Once you pay your $175 (or whatever they're going for) for an Xbox, Microsoft should cease to have any control over what you do with it -- save voiding the warranty if you decide to take it apart and start modding it.
I agree wholeheartedly. I have thought for a long time that once I buy something, it is mine to do with as I please. This also relates to MS' EULA. They say they are selling a license, which I never signed and I believe shrink wrap and click through are highly unenforcible, but in that license they state that they take no responsibility for damage caused by their product nor for its useability for the purpose intended. Therefore, what the hell are they selling?!?
If I install it on one or 12 computers in my home, for MY use, how does it affect them? I would not buy 12 copies of Windows and I can only really use one PC at a time. But that's not really the point, I don't use their software since it is not fit for the purpose that they sell it for.
As far as music goes, if I but the CD or cassette, I feel I have the right to listen to that music in perpetuity in any format I convert it into. When I was a kid, my dad had a reel-to-reel tape player. The player had excellent sound. He had recorded several LP albums to tape and had enough music to run several hours without changing records or flipping sides. I could listen to the Beatles, Tom Jones and Elvis for hours on end until I memorized those songs. Now you can do the same thing with your computer, but you can have all of your media stored and available at an instant and it takes up less space. I have 40GB of MY music ripped from CD. I own over 200 CDs, but its a pain to find the one I want. The kids kept getting into them and getting them out of alphabetic order.
I'm not sure where I'm going on this, but I just had to get it off my chest. I bought it, now stay out of my house.
--Somewhere there is a village missing an idiot.
Sega's Mega Drive (called Genesis in USA) and Nintendo's Game Boy and Game Boy Advance platforms require some sort of textual or graphical logo to be present at a given address in ROM, but distributing Game Paks containing such required logo data does not infringe the console maker's trademarks or copyrights. Sega v. Accolade, 977 F2d 1510 (9th Cir. 1992). Heck, even the GBA's packaging, which depicts a GBA showing a complete BIOS intro screen, makes it appear as if the logo were generated by the GBA BIOS rather than by the Game Pak.
Ah, but child, you forget that the network port is actually faster than your precious disc drive. There's already a couple of builds out there that hijack an online game and place in a small boot loader that operates over said network. FWIW, most of the piratey bootloaders are too slow and buggy, the "Streaming" of the image across the network isn't fast enough or low latency enough. A demo coder group has released an incredibly faster bootloader, however it doesn't support bootloading a lot of data, intentionally. They don't wish to condone or support piracy.
Sadly, none of these bootloaders are open source or GPL'd.
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