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How to buy a GameCube and what to look for when buying? (GameCube versions)
In 2021, the GameCube console is no longer in production, and you have three options where to buy it (when we say three options, we mean available options where you can come, compare different lots, and immediately buy the console):
1. eBay;
2. Avito;
If you were buying a Game Boy Advance SP, you would be very surprised by the price difference between consoles listed on Avito and consoles on eBay. In the case of the GameCube, there is no longer such a difference. It is not a fact that on Avito this console will be cheaper and better.
We bought our console on Avito for 6700 rubles (6000 for the console + 700 for delivery). It was gray with a box and manuals (Japanese version). It came with:
1. Joystick;
2. Charger (110v);
3. AV cable;
4. Papers and manuals.
The only thing you can safely throw away is the manuals and packaging, everything else must be there!
Console Versions
The GameCube was released in two versions: DOL-001 and DOL-101. And if in other cases a later console meant an improved version (for example, the AGS-101 had a brighter and better screen), in the case of the GameCube, it's the opposite!
The DOL-101 version is a downgraded version! It lacks the Serial Port 2 and digital video output ports.
However, buying a DOL-001 does not guarantee the presence of all these ports. You need to understand that Nintendo wanted to save on console production and simply removed these ports in later revisions of the console, but they started removing them as early as the first version.
The problem is that even knowing the revision of the console's motherboard, you cannot tell without photos whether it has the necessary ports, which means you cannot buy the console if you only see its front photo!
Let's take a closer look at the places you need to pay attention to.
Digital output:
On the back of the console, there should be two outputs! Digital and analog outputs. On newer consoles, there is no left connector, and there is only one connector. If you see a console with one connector, you should not take it!
Serial Port 2:
On later versions of the console, this compartment exists, but there is nothing written on it, and it is empty inside.
Please note that the requirement for these ports is not just a whim, but additional console capabilities. The digital port allows you to use an adapter from AliExpress and get a more beautiful picture, and Serial Port 2 allows you to launch games from a Micro SD card (instead of burning discs each time).
Regional Versions
There is actually no big difference in which version of the console to buy. To switch the console version, Nintendo made a special switch on the board. So, to make a Japanese version, for example, an American one, you can connect two contacts. Of course, you need a soldering iron for this, but it's not difficult at all.
You need to understand that this is not for launching games (because for that you need to install a Xeno chip), but for changing the language in the menu.
You cannot simply launch, for example, Japanese region games on an American version of the GameCube!
Read more about how to change the console region in the article: «How to install a Xeno chip in GameCube and change its language (region)?».
What to Buy Extra?
In the GameCube section of our site, there is an article: «What to buy extra for GameCube?». In it, you will find additional cool things for GameCube, and in this article, we will list what you definitely cannot use GameCube without.
There is only one such thing – the charger. Only the power supply from the European version of the GameCube has a standard plug for us, while the American and Japanese versions of the GameCube not only have a different plug type but also a lower voltage (110V), which means you cannot use a regular adapter to power such a device, and you need to buy a special step-down transformer.
For example, this one:
You can buy it on the chipdip.ru website.
Or order a ready-made power supply from AliExpress:
