The Limits of the GameCube

[Hero]

So, according to what I've been hearing, Metroid Prime taxed the GameCube to the extent of its small frame. It would tear through RAM, run the processor ragged, and even cause disk-read errors (I don't know if that's related to the first two). So my question is, has the GameCube already peaked in performance, barely a year old and all? If not, how much more could the hardware go?

[Jeremy]

I don't think Prime maxed out the GC. Although I don't see any games in the future for it, other than Zelda, that look like they could tax it.

[TreizePlus]

Originally posted by Hero
So, according to what I've been hearing, Metroid Prime taxed the GameCube to the extent of its small frame. It would tear through RAM, run the processor ragged, and even cause disk-read errors (I don't know if that's related to the first two). So my question is, has the GameCube already peaked in performance, barely a year old and all? If not, how much more could the hardware go?

It...did, what now? Any official reports of this? No one I have talked to has had any problems at all. I doubt it has been completely tapped out, however we still have a couple years to prove or disprove that statement.

[Kinopio]

Perhaps MP was streaming all the data that the gamecube could handle at some points to cut back on load times, but there is no way the hardware was firing 100% on all cylinders.

in theory, the gamecube would be a system that could be maxed out easily compared to the PS2, but we are talking about a developers first go round on the hardware.

[Dyne]

Originally posted by TreizePlus
It...did, what now? Any official reports of this? No one I have talked to has had any problems at all. I doubt it has been completely tapped out, however we still have a couple years to prove or disprove that statement.

believe me i went thru 2 systems because of that game. wish i had a link about the ram usage, cpu overclocking problem but it does exist. but prime only did it in certain situations and not throughout the entire game so im sure we havnt yet seen what the GC is capable of yet....prolly not until RE4 comes out.

[Shin Johnpv]

Originally posted by Hero
So, according to what I've been hearing, Metroid Prime taxed the GameCube to the extent of its small frame. It would tear through RAM, run the processor ragged, and even cause disk-read errors (I don't know if that's related to the first two). So my question is, has the GameCube already peaked in performance, barely a year old and all? If not, how much more could the hardware go?

and who said this now?


thos errors were caused from the fast streaming from the cd rom which on some models do to slight differences in ram would from time to time cause the main CPU to lock from things streaming too fast

graphics wise its far from being tapped out

I state again what one of Factor 5s main guys said about the system

this quote is in regards to asking what Rogue Leader was doing performance wise

"Actual numbers are in the 12-16 million poly / sec range.

Remember though that this is only first gen, so we'll probably be doubling that if not more by the end of the lifecycle."

[gamevet]

Originally posted by Shin Johnpv
and who said this now?


thos errors were caused from the fast streaming from the cd rom which on some models do to slight differences in ram would from time to time cause the main CPU to lock from things streaming too fast

graphics wise its far from being tapped out

I state again what one of Factor 5s main guys said about the system

this quote is in regards to asking what Rogue Leader was doing performance wise

"Actual numbers are in the 12-16 million poly / sec range.

Remember though that this is only first gen, so we'll probably be doubling that if not more by the end of the lifecycle."

I still think that Rogue Leader has pushed the graphics hardware more, than any other game on the system or any other system available today. The capital ship's exhaust ports were 120,000 polygons a peice. Just imagine how many polygons a whole ship took. The hardware is amazing and still has a ways to go, to see all it's true potential. I can't wait to see how Factor 5 will max out the hardware, when they make the next game on the GC.

[Andy]

Considering games like Starfox Adventures, and plenty of games on the horizon, look much better than MP, there's no way GC is maxed out yet graphically. It may have maxed out ram usage or something though, considering there was pretty much no loading through out.

[Blaze]

I remember reading the Dreamcast reached it's max point suprisingly early in its lifetime as well.

The way I see it developers can always find a new way to play with old hardware.

[Diff-chan]

Originally posted by Blaze
I remember reading the Dreamcast reached it's max point suprisingly early in its lifetime as well.

The way I see it developers can always find a new way to play with old hardware.

Well... if you look at Dreamcast games... the best looking one was Soul Calibur...

Anyway. Maybe MP did max out the system in some ways, maybe technically not much more can be pushed out of it. But developers have been cheating for over 20 years, theyve been squeezing performance where they shouldn't. I think of Naughty Dog on PSX, as Crash and CTR had software z-buffering and filtering, shit that was never supposed to be on PSX. Better looking titles will come out on GC, even if MP used 95% of the system's potential.

I hate saying that though because its totally impossible to gauge if a system has been "maxed out". But Im just saying that even if MP used quite a bit of GC's resources, games still will come out looking better.