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
Read - Nintendo confirms Wii 2.0?

The Wii modchips are really coming on fast, with Wiinja and CycloWiz already drawing their own shares of fanboys and detractors, but the latest chip on the scene, "WiiKey," from the same kids responsible for the XenoGC modchip for GameCube, looks to be the best yet -- at least on paper. First off, the chip is upgradeable via DVD, meaning new functionality can be added, and future Wii software updates can't easily disable it for good. The even better news is that the chip supports NTSC Wii game imports from different regions, a first for a Wii modchip, and one of the most useful features to actual users. Of course, functions like compatibility with backups, mult-disc games and audio-fix GC titles are all included. No specific word about homebrew of the Wii or GC variety -- perhaps that's just a given -- but the creators stress that "More features are being worked on, and will either be included in the upcoming release or in a future upgrade that will follow the release shortly." Unfortunately, at the moment there's no actual picture of the chip, so the CycloWiz still has the upper hand on the "actually exists front." Supposedly shipping should begin February 7th, so we'll plan on checking in around then to see if this thing actually works as advertised.

Cheap Ass Gamer "hollowfreak," who apparently had quite a bit of time on his hands, but not a moment to spare for reaching around his Wii to get at the GameCube ports, just modded up his Wii to redirect the ports that oh-so-important 5-inches to the front. In the process, hollowfreak doubled his Wii heft, not to mention totally killed the sexy, but in all he really didn't do a bad job for himself, and the extra blue LED lights never hurt. Plus the mod looks to be modular, so hf can always get his Super Smash Bros. Melee game on for a few hours, and then pop off the hefty mod when he's in a mood to impress the ladies. Check out the insides and another angle after the break.

We've seen plenty of Wii hacks since its November release, and we've even seen a completely uninspiring "hack" to run backup discs, but this time, we're thinking it's for real. The Wiinja modchip is on the loose, and apparently it requires soldering to the Wii innards in order to function, but it purportedly allows for Wii and GameCube backups to be played back on the console. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of information beyond that, and there's just a single photo to instruct forthcoming owners how to correctly attach it, but if there's one thing that helps its case, it's the video. So go on, click on through for the YouTube demonstration, and start saving up those €40 ($52) it'll run you when this hits "commercialization."

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Ben Hartland's so-called handheld GameCube here isn't quite in the same league as the homebrew wonders from that other Ben, our hero Ben Heckendorn, (though really, what is?) but we've still gotta give him a few points for effort. Unfortunately, the biggest drawback is that it just ain't all that portable, basically consisting of a full-size GameCube console stuck on an over-sized but well-engineered controller and screen -- and made even less portable by the fact that you still have to plug it in. If you can live with that, following Ben's lead should cost ya about $370.

[Via Joystiq]

Just thought you'd like to know. And yeah, even thought it's not the stylingest, we think aesthetically (if not the Wii then) the PStwo is probably our fav. But that's just us.

P.S. -We understand the Wii's not 100% accurately represented here. Looks pretty close though.

[Via Joystiq]