Update [Fri 23rd Aug, 2024 09:45 BST]: Pre-orders are now live for the FlippyDrive over on the website Crowd Supply.
As the team behind the project promised back when it was initially announced, the device only costs $38, but there is also the option available on the site to purchase a bundle for $65 that comes with an additional ethernet connectivity kit. The benefit of this is, according to the website, "more predictable performance and transfer speeds when loading files from a PC or NAS compared to Wi-Fi".
If the FlippyDrive sounds like something you might be interested in, you can place your order here. The device is expected to ship at the earliest in January 2025, according to the website.
Original Article [Thu 4th Jan, 2024 16:05 GMT]: Optical drives are often the first thing to fail on retro consoles, which is why so many people choose to swap out their disc drives for an Optical Disc Emulator – effectively, a device that replaces the drive and allows you to load games from solid-state media. For the GameCube, for instance, we've seen things like the GC Loader in the past, which we were clearly very impressed with at the time.
However, over the last few years, we've also noticed a growing demand among gamers for new ODEs that allow users to retain the original drive and have the best of both worlds — the ability to load games from a MicroSD card and use their discs — and the FlippyDrive is one such product.
It requires you to mod your console (there's no soldering required), but, once installed, it gives you two means of booting up games on Nintendo's boxy beauty.
FlippyDrive essentially aims to offer a better alternative to your Nintendo GameCube disk drive and will be able to load games from either an SD card or a Wi-Fi connection, in addition to being able to stream audio. It is being built with the Raspberry Pi Pico W and will feature Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), file, and in-menu configuration, which one of its creators ChrisPVille has claimed will make it faster than pre-existing alternatives like SD2SP, Broadband adapters, and memory card loaders.
Like other GameCube ODEs, FlippyDrive uses the freeware 'Swiss' program to load up games, but the team behind it has also developed their own software, named CubeBoot, which boasts an especially attractive design. Perhaps the best news, however, is that it will apparently cost just $38.
Here's the feature list, taken from the official website:
- No-solder install
- Use with or without OEM drive
- 2.8x-10x faster than all EXI devices (SD2SP2, BBA, any memory card/SP1/SP2 device, etc.) in non-WiFi mode
- Real drive interface, no software hacks required
- One-button disk passthrough
- OTA software updates
- Rescue USB port for brick recovery
- No disk drives are scrapped to make this mod
- Stock-like menu using Cubeboot (pre-installed)
