Duality

I’m going to put a region switch on my GameCube.

I think I was reading this list of “top 10 games you’ve never played” at IGN or something—can’t remember how I got there—and one of the entries was Mr. DRILLER: Drill Land. Years ago, Drill Land seemed like it was on track for domestic release. But then, it was never released in the U.S. Seeing it again reminded me of how badly I’ve wanted to play it all these years. That’s when I made my decision.

Admittedly, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but I’m sticking to it. Everything that kept me from indulging in import games—cost of import games, cost of a replacement console (in case I screw up), cost of mod materials, lack of soldering skills—are non-issues now. I’ve already placed my order and Drill Land, Nintendo Puzzle Collection, and a 4.5mm Gamebit (to handle Nintendo’s special screws) are on their way. No turning back now.

Things to get:

• Fine-tipped soldering iron (maybe that ColdHeat iron)
• Thin rosin-core solder
• 30-Gauge Kynar wire
• On-off switch (SPST or DPDT if I want to do the dual-LED mod too)
• Digital multimeter with connectivity testing
• Electrical tape
• Wire stripper (come on, gotta have one at home…)
• … some kind of grouding bracelet or anti-static thingy?

Resources:

• IGN: How to Modify Your GameCube (JP to US mod, but has good disassembly pictures and instructions)
• GameCube Import Mod (covers JP to US and US to JP; nicest button placement out of the links here)
• GCN Mod (JP to US mod, but with high-res photos)
• mmmonkey Game Cube Region Switch (site also has a nice dual-LED mod to complement the region switch)
• Region switch guide (covers three different sets of contacts for the switch)