With DS sales continuing their astronomical climb and people still snagging Wii consoles off of shelves faster than you can say: "Your princess is in another castle," Nintendo's doing pretty well for itself in these difficult economic times. It's doing even better today on news that the lawsuit filed against it two years ago by Fenner Investments has been dismissed. The suit alleged that Nintendo inappropriately infringed on a 1998 patent relating to the monitoring of the position of analog joysticks in the Wii and GameCube. Since the company has been using analog sticks at least since 1996's N64, we didn't think this one would go far, and we don't think the proceedings against MS or Sony regarding the same patent will go any further. So, big N can now go back to focusing on other lawsuits and dreaming up new ways to take our hard earned cash.

It's out, and it works; the WiiGator GameCube Backup Launcher we mentioned last week has been released to the open arms of a community of incredibly clumsy gamers. Yes, you who can't possibly keep your discs from getting scratched or cracked or covered in peanut butter by your two-year-old sibling can now play backups of GameCube games on your Wii without having to install any modchips or void any warranties. The app, available with source at the read link, runs in the Wii's Homebrew Channel and enables the playing of GC games from a DVD-R (demonstrated in some incredibly dramatic shakeycam footage below). There are some issues with save games on certain types of memory cards, and not all titles work, but before you complain feel free to crack open those C files and try fixing things yourself, Mr. Critical.

[Thanks, Omega]

Right, so we've spotted some fairly gorgeous LCD-into-GameCube integrations before, and we've even seen a couple that came dangerously close to making us laugh, but it's rare to find a respectable LCD infusion on video. Thus, we present to you Liuhuparta's own GameCube mod, which weds a Sony PSone LCD screen, an integrated Wavebird receiver, loads of wiring / spray paint / blue LEDs and a pinch of TLC with a classic black GC console. Hop on past the break to see portions of the build process and a brief demonstration of it in action.

[Thanks, Sami]

Admit it. You've got an old GameCube from yesteryear laying around, and the slow economy (and fear for your life) is holding you back from running to your nearest brick-and-mortar to pick up a Classic Controller for your Wii. You know you want to play Super Mario 64 to work off that turkey, but you can't justify laying out the cash. Fret not; YouTube user marcan42 has you covered, courtesy of a PIC18F4520 microcontroller and makeshift GameCube connector, along with a chopped off Nunchuk extension cord. Of course, you could just pick up a different model, but that would be way too easy. We didn't say it was pretty, but if you're still intrigued, check the full vid after the break.

Update: As a bunch of commenters have pointed out, this can be done already by plugging the GameCube controller directly into the Wii. However, this mod lets you do it wirelessly -- err, if you don't count the big microcontroller and mess of wires.

Sony and Microsoft may have sorted things out with Anascape (otherwise known as the self-proclaimed ruler of all analog sticks) before things got too out of hand, but Nintendo has been busy fighting it out with the company in court, which resulted in them being ordered to dish out a hefty $21 million earlier this year -- a ruling that Nintendo naturally appealed. The big N is now facing another setback, however, as a US District Judge has rejected Nintendo's request for a new trial, which could potentially result in a ban on sales of Wii Classic Controllers, WaveBirds, and GameCube controllers (not to mention GameCube systems). To avoid that, Nintendo will apparently either have to post a bond or put royalties from the controllers into an escrow account. For its part, Nintendo seems to be remaining defiant, saying that it "was already planning to appeal this case to the Federal Circuit court," and that this new ruling "does not impact that decision."

[Via Slashdot]

Remember Anascape Ltd, the little "gaming company" that sued Microsoft and Nintendo back in 2006 for controller patent infringement? Well, it's payday to the tune of $21 million after a jury found Nintendo's Wii Classic, WaveBird, and Gamecube controller designs all guilty of violating Anascape's patents. Nintendo will appeal naturally while Microsoft settled the case before the matter ever went to trial. Now go ahead and Google Anascape with the challenge of finding a single service or product offering. Oh, did we mention that they are based in the patent-lawsuit friendly state of Tejas? Patent Trolls? Oh, you betcha.

Anascape... there is none.

Wouldn't you know it? No, really -- didn't you completely understand that Nintendo wouldn't be releasing something as magnificent as a stark white GameCube controller in the States? Okay, so maybe NoA hasn't made that official, but we're betting the unit you see there on the right will be a (highly coveted) Japanese exclusive. Apparently the Big N is re-issuing a Wii-white GameCube controller in its homeland this month with an extended (3-meter) cord, and while we can't glean any pricing information from the crumb of information out there right now, go ahead and start stacking those pennies for use on your favorite importer.

[Via Joystiq]

Update: Apparently it'll cost around $20. Thanks, Chebwa!

Without question we've seen GameCube mods more extravagant than this, but until something even more adorable comes to light, we're definitely giving the "Most Heartwarming" badge to this here creation. The Wall-E GameCube mod was inspired by the character in Disney's upcoming film (titled Wall-E, of all things), and hours upon hours of TLC were clearly poured into this concoction. We know you're eager for more angles of those eyes, so hit up the read link to get what you're after.

[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]

There are mods, and then there are works of art. Without question, the item you see above falls squarely into the latter category, and it's likely to give any devout Star Wars fan a chance at fainting upon first glance. The AT-AT Gamecube mod (also referred to as the AT-GC in some circles) was built a few years back, but now the proud creator has decided to cash out and let the highest bidder take ownership. This beast maintains the original heatsink and cooling fans, and comes with the AT-AT pilot, four Wavebird controllers and a pair of memory cards. Check out a few more detailed shots and a video in the read link below, and go ahead and throw your bid in while you're at it -- resistance is futile, you know?

Fanboys (and girls) with enough cashflow and skill can certainly drop a few jaws with their heartfelt creations / collections, and while the Mac cathedral certainly holds a special place in the hearts of Apple freaks abroad, the Nintendo playhouse doesn't fare too badly either. While the production certainly isn't perfect from an architectural viewpoint, the creativity and sheer brilliance of such a domicile is worthy of applause, as the life-sized Game Boy, littering of characters, and barrage of retro inspirations are enough to make just about anyone show some respect. Unfortunately, we've absolutely no idea where in the world this palace is located, but until the quest to locate it finally concludes, be sure and hit the read link for homegrown Nintendo mania.

UPDATE: We've been informed that this was a part of the spring carnival at Carnegie Mellon University, and we owe this honor to Sigma Phi Epsilon, who had the hand in constructing it. Kudos!

[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]

Yes, indeed reports of the GameCube's death were highly exaggerated. Last we left off in the soap opera saga of Nintendo's last-gen console, we heard from a rep in the UK what sounded like news that the N wasn't finished with it yet. Well, good news Cubers not ready (or able) to step up to a Wii, we've finally wrangled an official statement from Nintendo:

"We are continuing to manufacture and sell Nintendo GameCube, which is an ideal entry-level value system and has a strong library of games. The continuing appetite for new games is best demonstrated by strong sales of the GameCube version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which is one of the top 10 industry titles. And, Nintendo GameCube still enjoys solid third-party support."

Alright, you heard it, you can still enjoy GC console availability for the time being before they finally scorch that earth. Now stop staring and move on with your life. That means you, Paul.

Looks like we might've used up a perfectly good eulogy on Nintendo's might-not-be-dead-yet GameCube. Nintendo of America VP Perrin Kaplan has been known to, erm, miss the mark, with some pretty notable quotes in the past (anyone remember that whole region-free debacle?), and now a Nintendo UK spokesperson has stepped in and contradicted her statement: "I can confirm that globally, Nintendo is still continuing production of GameCube hardware and GameCube software." We can't help but think that the 'Cube isn't long for this world all the same, but we're always glad to hear it has a few rounds of SSBM left in it. We're still trying to get a bit more confirmation on this, so stay tuned for updates.

[Via Joystiq]

Maybe it was the purple hue, maybe the lackluster 3rd party game catalog, or perhaps the non-standard disc size and missing DVD playback did it in, but for whatever reason Nintendo's 6th generation console never really caught on, and now the GameCube is no more. Nintendo of America's VP of marketing and corporate affairs, Perrin Kaplin, pulled double duty at a recent Q&A session, and confirmed the cease of production: "Are we producing any more GameCubes? No," said Kaplin. "But do we have the inventory there for people to still purchase? Yes." She says the console has moved past the point of being for core gamers, but the remaining inventory should still be plenty desirable for a Family's First Console, thanks to the dirt cheap pricetag and decent catalog. On the other end of Nintendo's console front, the Wii is rocking preliminary sales numbers for January, and might even have some sort of revision due in the not so distant future, according to a different interview with Kaplin. When asked if the Wii is going to see the sort of revisions Nintendo's handhelds have, she responded: "Sure, absolutely. You'll see the ways in which we do that." Not exactly the confirmation of the century, but it'll do for now. Oh, and in case you missed the GameCube love song on Valentine's Day, you can peep it after the break in some YouTube trimmings -- the passionate lyrics seem all the more appropriate after the passing of this dear console.

[Via Joystiq]

Read - Nintendo kills off GameCube
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