N-Sider reader Joe Trotter recently experienced the LodgeNet interactive television service, which has featured playable Nintendo GameCube games in participating hotels since 2003. For those of you who've never had the opportunity to try it out in person, Mr. Trotter kindly emailed us to offer an explanation as well as his impressions.
Trotter says, "I recently stayed at an Embassy Suites hotel, and was surprised to see a GameCube controller sitting atop the TV cabinet. I remember being able to rent some N64 titles a while back, like 5 years ago, but here it was, Nintendo's latest console. I went into the actual Lodgenet menu system, and found that for about $7, you could play any combination of first-party Nintendo games for an hour.
I was quite surprised at the selection. They had titles like Geist, Eternal Darkness, Battalion Wars, both Pokemon RPGs, every Mario game, every GCN Mario Party, every Zelda (including the collectors disc and the separate master quest disc), both Metroid Prime's, both Pikmins, but surprisingly no SSBM. So of course I ordered it to play some games. It seems that it is delivered via broadband, with an in-menu loading bar, and then it boots like any normal GameCube, which isn't actually in the room. The controller looks the same except the start button is surrounded by a Reset, Menu, Select, and other Lodgenet buttons. The Nintendo emblem is moved to above the Control Stick. And the plug ends in a coaxial plug (it looks like a phone jack). Every game was exactly like playing on a 'Cube in front of you. Yes, MP stayed at 60 fps."
Trotter says, "I recently stayed at an Embassy Suites hotel, and was surprised to see a GameCube controller sitting atop the TV cabinet. I remember being able to rent some N64 titles a while back, like 5 years ago, but here it was, Nintendo's latest console. I went into the actual Lodgenet menu system, and found that for about $7, you could play any combination of first-party Nintendo games for an hour.
I was quite surprised at the selection. They had titles like Geist, Eternal Darkness, Battalion Wars, both Pokemon RPGs, every Mario game, every GCN Mario Party, every Zelda (including the collectors disc and the separate master quest disc), both Metroid Prime's, both Pikmins, but surprisingly no SSBM. So of course I ordered it to play some games. It seems that it is delivered via broadband, with an in-menu loading bar, and then it boots like any normal GameCube, which isn't actually in the room. The controller looks the same except the start button is surrounded by a Reset, Menu, Select, and other Lodgenet buttons. The Nintendo emblem is moved to above the Control Stick. And the plug ends in a coaxial plug (it looks like a phone jack). Every game was exactly like playing on a 'Cube in front of you. Yes, MP stayed at 60 fps."