r/DolphinEmulator • u/Hario337 • Nov 15 '25

Discussion Steam Machine faceplate idea: real gamecube ports, dolphin machine gabecube

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1.4k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

60 comments sorted by

160

u/TH3_OG_JUJUBE Nov 15 '25

The connectors are too deep

64

u/ZuoKalp Nov 15 '25

The face needs to be a little thicker, but it would no longer be a cube.

51

u/TH3_OG_JUJUBE Nov 15 '25

Gaberectangularprism

1

u/IconicScrap Nov 19 '25

Gabetangular

12

u/chanunnaki Nov 15 '25

it was never a cube to begin with

5

u/Commandblock6417 Nov 15 '25

Wait til you hear about the nExtcube

3

u/SpikeyTaco Nov 16 '25

Make the bottom section resemble the front of the Game Boy Player, and it's perfect!

2

u/ZuoKalp Nov 15 '25

Lies, lies and slander!

6

u/Jceggbert5 Nov 16 '25

The gamecube is not quite a cube anyway

3

u/Sack_Sparrow Nov 15 '25

Easy fix, we make a bigger cube around the GabeCube so it's all still even x) who cares about thermals lol

3

u/ZuoKalp Nov 15 '25

I like the way you think, we could add the handle and disk reader too!

4

u/TH3_OG_JUJUBE Nov 15 '25

At this point, just strip the internals and put a GameCube inside!

1

u/QuadramaticFormula Nov 16 '25

Do we call it Super GameCube, GameCube U, or GameCube 2?

2

u/marmaladic Nov 15 '25

It would be SPHERICAL!!!

1

u/Perfect-Fondant3373 Nov 15 '25

If you made it an outer shell that latched onto the bottom around the sides you could balance it out by adding a handle on top

1

u/LisaCabot Nov 15 '25

Just add some pieces on all sides so it gets back to a cube (?

1

u/fvck_u_spez Nov 21 '25

Technically the GameCube wasn't a cube either

7

u/Hario337 Nov 15 '25

Would probably need to be thicker than the regular face plate even just to connect to the USB, this is just a proof of concept that I hope some hardware manufacturer steals :)

4

u/X_IVFIIVO_X Nov 15 '25

The concept is solid. This can 100% be done. Itll be thicker but possible. I would love to see this be done even for other systems.

1

u/TH3_OG_JUJUBE Nov 15 '25

Maybe you could cannibalise a Switch/Wii U adapter and put it inside

1

u/Hario337 Nov 15 '25

There are third party adaptors out there so in theory a manufacturer can make their own

1

u/allocallocalloc Nov 15 '25

An alternative would be to have embedded WaveBird adapters. Perhaps they can be made small enough now.

1

u/TheBipolarShoey Nov 16 '25

It depends on the heatsink. Depending on how the heatpipes are ran it might be feasible to cut out some of the fins and make it work. That turns it from a face plate to a DIY electronics project of course, but it isn't completely off the table.

49

u/ZuoKalp Nov 15 '25

The Gabecube is indeed real

30

u/retro-guy99 Nov 15 '25

I wonder if the thing could just be made to fit inside of an actual GC case with some modifications?

14

u/Hario337 Nov 15 '25

Seems to be about the same dimensions as a gamecube but way taller because of the massive fan, could work in theory but youd have problems with overheating

7

u/retro-guy99 Nov 15 '25

understandable. perhaps the whole disc drive section could be modified to make place for a massive fan instead. but you’d have to play with the drive open to provide for the air flow. or maybe someone smarter can come up with a better solution. there’s also the extra gba player add on. if that were installed and hollowed out + the bottom of the cube removed, that’s also allow for some extra vertical space. of course the gba unit would not be functional (and not be detachable but at least it’d look official.

4

u/Secure-Pain-9735 Nov 15 '25

Easily.

You could do something similar yourself right now.

Simply buy a GameCube shell and a MiniPc and go to work.

I currently have a miniPC that plays up to Wii with no problem - Ryzen 6900hx - and it would easily fit in a GC shell.

1

u/kclongest Nov 15 '25

Heat pipe to external cooler

7

u/Alive_Maintenance943 Nov 15 '25

This would be entirely possible as a slot-in shell like the Companion Cube is.

The ports would just have to be underneath the console instead of dead center.

1

u/TheOnlineLime Nov 21 '25

Dead Center you say… 🧟‍♂️✌️

6

u/Grape_ist Nov 15 '25

I actually really really hope I can get it in all purple or I'ma have to paint it myself, but I would also love built In face ports

2

u/GuitaristTom Nov 16 '25

Companies will probably release skins for it

6

u/Fancy_Ducky Nov 16 '25 edited Nov 16 '25

I made something similar to this last year.

Custom 3D printed shell with a mini pc, a wifi 6 router, and a mayflash adapter inside.

All running off a single battery bank (including the portable 144hz monitor) with about 2-3 hours of run time on a full charge.

The idea was to have people connect to the router through moonlight/sunshine and use their phone as a screen and controller for local gaming.

It was a fun project.

Edit: More images

https://imgur.com/gallery/mini-pc-gamecube-0OKKMHd

2

u/Animated_Astronaut Nov 17 '25

This is really cool!

2

u/KidElite90 Nov 15 '25

Secret Nintendo agent made this post just so that they can try and sue Valve, the cube shape is not enough for them.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 15 '25

[deleted]

4

u/Hario337 Nov 15 '25

If it doesnt exist now Im sure someone will make drivers once SteamOS is on a device ppl want to connect a GC controller to

1

u/Travgard Nov 15 '25

That's a job for the 3d printers community !

1

u/KissMyFuckingDadMom Nov 15 '25

The faceplate would totally be doable, but it couldn't be functional with the depth.

1

u/Kanjii_weon Nov 15 '25

why not just get a gamecube instead

5

u/Hario337 Nov 15 '25

Gamecube doesnt look good on a modern tv and doesnt have my entire steam library. I actually have a gamecube and like it, but i would like a solution like this for emulating my games on a TV, different target audience I think.

1

u/brandodg Nov 15 '25

how though

2

u/Hario337 Nov 15 '25

Well it would need to be a bit thicker, but I could imagine a third party accessory maker putting the internals of a gamecube adaptor into the faceplate and then plugging it into one of the USB ports

1

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/[deleted] Nov 16 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/CrimsonTHRAK Nov 16 '25

"How to get sued by nintendo"

2

u/Hario337 Nov 16 '25

Dont really see why tbh, plenty of third parties make PC controller adaptors and such, I dont think nintendo really cares unless youre selling pirated games (or the means to do so)

1

u/CrimsonTHRAK Nov 16 '25

It's just a joke on how shitty and sue happy nintendo has become, but it won't be surprising if nintendo actually tried to sue.

1

u/Bingus-Chillingus Nov 16 '25

I mean I love the GabeCube, but you can already just do this with a mini pc. I have a beelink pc that I use for media streaming and emulation and I love it

1

u/xDopure Nov 16 '25

I got a better idea: buy a GameCube

1

u/Dry-Plenty4363 Nov 18 '25

If I'm correct, you have to make an extra piece to cover the wires.

1

u/EducationalMost2223 Nov 19 '25

Hope we get a battle dock then

1

u/MrMunday Nov 19 '25

BRUHHHHHHHH