Four Spice Orange GameCube Controllers

I'm not sure what I'll do with four spice orange GameCube controllers.

It's highly unlikely I'll ever need that many. I very rarely have friends over, and I might not have four of them anyway. Four friends, that is. I definitely have four controllers (see pic), which is the point of this post.

Four spice orange GameCube controllers.

Even if I somehow convinced my family to join me in a GameCube session, we'd still be a player short of utilising all four pads. Still, having a full set just seemed like the right thing to do, which is why I bought a fourth a few weeks back. I wanted to use all the controller ports and get fully plugged in; I needed to gather all that orange, even if just for the visual treat.

I bought my GameCube in early 2024 and, to be honest, I haven't used it much. I played a good chunk of Eternal Darkness, and have dipped into a handful of other titles, spending the most time with NBA Street Vol. 3 and Wave Race. I've been quite selective in what I've bought, accumulating maybe a dozen games in total, and only 1080 Avalanche and Super Monkey Ball remain on my wishlist. I do not feel the need to build an extensive collection. Besides, is playing a spice orange GameCube even the point of owning a spice orange GameCube? I'm not convinced it is. 

I'm happy just admiring my Cube. Despite its inactivity, it's spent the last year and a half set up on my desk. I just enjoy having it there, as it's so tidy, compact and toy-like (complimentary). Also, it's got a handle, for handling. It's the perfect remedy for the current-gen eyesores that live under the BIG TV, in particular the grotesquely misshapen and humongous PS5.

And it looks even better with four matching controllers. The first controller came with the console, and I picked up a second soon after from a local Book Off - ¥1,980 yen and in excellent condition. The third came from the same spot and at the exact same price earlier this year, just as the fourth and final one did over the summer. No gunk in the seams, no lack of spring in the triggers, and no peeling or discoloration on the rubber nub of the stick. Perfect. And now the set is complete: useless but exceedingly pleasing on the eye. I've completed my mission, unless of course I decide to buy the spice orange Game Boy Player expansion, which I definitely wouldn't use. I'm not doing that though, am I?

No, no I'm not.

I don't limit myself to useless purchases in just orange. I recently picked up the DS TV tuner, for example, which isn't orange. It still works, but I almost never watch TV, as it's 24/7 mind rot. The same twenty "talents" recycled over the same half-dozen variety show formats. However, I like knowing that, should I choose to, I can watch that rubbish on my DS. As long as I go outside the house, that is, as the two-pronged antenna doesn't seem to pick up a signal indoors. Delightfully useless.

As you know, I'm no stranger to buying Sega Saturn hardware that I don't really need, though I only strike when I see something that's too cheap to pass up. I recently paid ¥2,300 for an unchecked, 90%-white-10%-yellow Saturn, minus cables but including two mis-matched controllers. An absolute steal if it worked, and still pretty cheap if it didn't. I'm delighted to report that it works perfectly, and I didn't even need to wiggle the cable to get a signal, turn it on and off again several times to warm it up, or loosen screws in the cart slot to convince it to read an expansion cart. It just worked! Emboldened by that recent success, I almost bought another Saturn last weekend, this time a grey model, which was just ¥3,500 with everything included. Saturns are still very affordable, if you know where to look, and have the time and patience to keep checking.

All (4) of my Saturns are starting to fail in a variety of ways, and I don't want to be stuck with a library of 200+ games that I can't play. That's why I'm keen to have spares. I can handle a few quick fixes of common hardware issues, but I'm well out of my depth when it comes to anything more technical than disassembly or dusting, so having several spares to hand is the best way to keep Saturn in my gaming rotation. 

I suspect it may finally be time to consider an optical drive emulator. However, the best solution would be for Analogue to hurry up and make a Saturn-compatible machine. I'd happily endure three years of radio silence, awaiting a dispatch notice, if it meant I got a reliable and up-scaled way to enjoy my Saturn library at the end of it. 

Especially if it came in spice orange.