Ben's Wii Laptop Memory Card?

[eagle5953]

Sorry guys but I've never owned a wii. In his engagdget article he says he forgot the gamecube memory card How does he save games or what is the Gamecube card used for? He also only included 1 controller port... does that mean what I think?

If I can get a wii for dirt cheap will definatley do this project.

Yes, he did not include a memory card port due to the height of the two ports. By removing them, he was able to make the laptop itself smaller. If you wanted to include a memory card port, you could probably get one off a Gamecube - they are not connected; thus, you could get one rather than both.

Yes, one controller means single-player only. Again, you can keep more of them if you want.

The reason for both of these design decisions (besides saving space) is that he was only intending the Gamecube controller to be used with virtual console games. As such, he didn't think either especially necessary.

[eagle5953]

So if I wanted I could probably squeeze a permament gamecube memory card somewhere right? So what about the wii SD cards?

Yes, you could get a either hard-wire a gamecube memory card or include a port to make it removable. The Wii uses normal SD cards up to 2GB. Ben did include that in his laptop.

[eagle5953]

Did he include the slot or did he hardwire it?

The port is small and flat against the motherboard - he didn't move it, so the cards are removable. There's really no need to move it.

[eagle5953]

Let me rephrase. When this unit is done can I easily remove a SD card or do I have to open the entire case up?

Yes, it is easily removed. It is the little slot below the disk drive in the final pictures. It has a push-in click mechanism, much like a pen.

How much did it cost him by the way? (excluding wii)

Haven't a clue. Probably twice what a standard portable costs, considering the screen he used. Also, he has access to equipment you'll have to pay for by the hour (CNC equipment -get your mind out of the gutter ).

Can't say definitively what this would run.

[eagle5953]

Here's my guess in estimates

$150 screen
$150 case (atleast the place I'm using for CNC projects)
$50 dollars extra parts
$350 for wii (don't quote me on this haven't checked price in a while and forgot how much blah blah)

So the total is $700
Hopefully I can squeeze $350 out of there! to com to the price of $350-$400

Sounds cool to me

Wii retails for $250, but you might be able to trim some off by buying used. Also, you can probably find a decent screen for less by waiting for a deal and watching eBay carefully.

I have one of the insta-portable screens for Wii. You slide the Wii inside of it and plug it into the wall; instant Wii laptop! It also comes with a car adapter. Costs $100-$150, but I saw it on clearance at Target for $33. Couldn't pass that deal up. Yeah, I know it's cheating

Where's everyone else? Seems like an IM conversation.

[64M320N3]

Remember that you can't save your GC games with the SD, so you'd have to go through the whole game again every time you turn it on .
The SD card is only for Wii games, so get a mem card port out of a used GC, they're dirt cheap .

[palmertech]

Here's my guess in estimates

I have one of the insta-portable screens for Wii. You slide the Wii inside of it and plug it into the wall; instant Wii laptop! It also comes with a car adapter. Costs $100-$150, but I saw it on clearance at Target for $33. Couldn't pass that deal up. Yeah, I know it's cheating

How is the quality? Standard fare, or better than most portable DVD players? They are notoriously low res.

And if you end up wanting to sell it for cheap... Well, you know who to call.

[eagle5953]

How is the quality? Standard fare, or better than most portable DVD players? They are notoriously low res.

I don't have anything to compare it to, really. I guess it's about the same quality my portable DVD player... It's probably the standard portable screen, if I had to hazard a guess.

It's certainly playable, and for that price, I'll put up with lower quality (if that's what it is).

[eagle5953]

Is it widescreen? I can't seem to tell from google pics. Seems like that'd be the main reason for building wii laptop.

Now do the wii games actually have a widescreen feature or are they stretched?

Yes, mine is widescreen - I have to switch my display setting on my Wii when I use it (stupid standard-def square TV).

Just checked - mine is by Intec. Looks like this:


Many Gamecube games have widescreen settings, so I should think Wii games would be even more so, but it depends on the individual game, of course.

By the way, the screen spins around like a tablet laptop. It comes in handy sometimes.

Edit: if you can't tell from this picture, you can access all 6 gamecube ports (4 controllers, 2 memory cards) while it's in there.

[eagle5953]

Yep that's the one I was looking at... what's the diagonal on that? 7" (just like ben's ) Got any gripes complains remarks or just a general review on that thing for us...

Um, it works. I dunno, obviously the picture isn't as good as on a TV and the contrast leaves something to be desired, but the ease of setup and the fact that you can still get at everything makes it worth it to me.

Basically, it's sufficient, and the only way to do it better is much, much more expensive.

[eagle5953]

What do you mean do it better? (get a huge flat screen tv)

A screen like Ben used will be a higher resolution, faster response time, etc. which would provide a better gaming experience.

[eagle5953]

Do you notice a slower response time? I could imagine that there'd be a lower resolution. But Ben didn't use the best connection in the world possible like is xbox360s

I guess there's a bit of blurring, but not enough to ruin the experience. It's sufficient for what it does and what it costs.

[eagle5953]

Just curious do you use it for in the car or everywhere?

Actually, I most use it when I'm laying in bed and don't want to sit up and play, such as when I'm not feeling well or at night when I'm trying not to wake everybody up (TV is hooked up to a rather loud sound system). Of course, laying down is much easier with virtual console and gamecube games...

[eagle5953]

Yeah I could imagine laying there trying to hold the wiimote like a pencil

How much do the virtual games run for? Say what if I grabbed some Zelda games?

Anywhere from $5 to $10, typically. NES games on the cheap end, N64 on the high end.

[grossaffe]

Yeah I could imagine laying there trying to hold the wiimote like a pencil

How much do the virtual games run for? Say what if I grabbed some Zelda games?

------------edit-------------------

Well... I gotta go now so I won't be replying until tomorrow. Nice talkin' to ya

research something called the 'Twilight Hack', and while you're at it, look up the 'Homebrew Channel'. You can thank me later