Nintendo GameCube
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 18 of 29 game consoles by recommenders
People recommend it for its fun, nostalgic games that still play well today. Critics point to its slow optical drive, which can fail, and its limited uses beyond gaming.
People recommend it for its fun, nostalgic games that still play well today. Critics point to its slow optical drive, which can fail, and its limited uses beyond gaming.
15 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 73%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2.8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Still fun and engaging today
“it’s just as fun and engaging as I remember it being as a kid.”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “Noclip.website – A digital museum of video game levels” “It was a pretty great console, in its own way.”
Comment from 17 Feb 2026 in “Rise of the Triforce” Nostalgic retro collection favorite
“I have a wonderful collection of retro consoles and games”
Comment from 3 Jan 2026 in “TIL: Parental Controls Aren't for Parents” “for me it'd be the 64 or GameCube”
Comment from 31 Oct 2026 in “My favourite PowerMac is a Nintendo Wii”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Slow or failing optical drive
“stationary gaming consoles have been held back by slow (optical) storage”
Comment from 3 Dec 2025 in “Helldivers 2 devs slash install size from 154GB to 23GB” “the optical drive is dead, so now my games are just expensive coasters”
Comment from 2 Aug 2026 in “Just because a game is on disc doesn't mean it will work in the future” “GameCube optical lasers will fail.”
Comment from 4 Aug 2026 in “Xbox goes down. You can't play games you own on disc” - Comment from 5 Aug 2026 in “Xbox goes down. You can't play games you own on disc”
Other game consoles people recommend
The four most recommended other game consoles, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valve Steam Machine | 326 | 240 | 58% | 12 | 1 mo5 owners | — |
| PlayStation 5 | 121 | 181 | 40% | 12 | 3 yrs8 owners | — |
| Xbox console | 62 | 212 | 23% | 12 | 21 yrs6 owners | — |
| Xbox 360 | 41 | 19 | 68% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Nintendo GameCubeThis page | 11 | 4 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
What people said
All 17 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“for me it'd be the 64 or GameCube”
“your 10 seconds is significantly Ur into with the big long dyobololodololo”
“the optical drive decided to die”
“GameCube optical lasers will fail.”
“the optical drive is dead, so now my games are just expensive coasters”
“Thirty, twenty year old games still running perfectly well.”
“The PlayStation 1/2 and Nintendo 64/GameCube were a thing.”
“GameCube had a handle to encourage people to take it to friends' houses”
“the C-stick was a dumb move”
“the battery is soldered, not socketed”
“I think the big thing that held gamecube back was the lack of other 'utility'”
“The Gamecube was competitive on graphics with PS2 and Xbox.”
“It was a pretty great console, in its own way.”
“I have a wonderful collection of retro consoles and games”
“it’s just as fun and engaging as I remember it being as a kid.”
“it's refreshing to play purely offline content from an age without any AI art of any kind”
“stationary gaming consoles have been held back by slow (optical) storage”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.