This is going to be a short review, because there isn’t a ton to say about this product. It’s a battery. All it claims to do is power the GameCube and Interact’s previously released Mobile Monitor 5.4, and yes, it does manage to accomplish that task. Everything else is just details...but the details can make or break a product, no?

First, Interact says the Mobile Power GC will support the GameCube and LCD Screen for 1.5 hours on a full charge. My testing didn’t get quite that much time out of it, but presumably the exact battery life depends on all sorts of factors. It’s close anyway. The problem here is that, in practice, an hour and a half just ain’t much time. Considering how much trouble it is to carry around the fully equipped wireless GameCube (more on that later), you’ll only want to do it for a sufficiently long and boring trip. Being able to play for 1.5 hours out of a 6 or 8 hour trip is not so great. This isn’t necessarily Interact’s fault...the battery technology is probably out of their hands, but it’s still something you should consider before spending your money.

The battery itself is a black square the same width and depth as GameCube, and it’s about one inch thick. It attaches easily to the GC via thumbscrews and holes in the bottom of the system that were seemingly included for just such a device. In the back of the battery is a split cord that plugs into the GameCube’s power supply jack and also to the LCD Monitor’s AC adaptor jack. The battery also has an input jack for charging; you’ll have to use your own GameCube-compatible AC adaptor for this purpose, because Interact does not include a separate one for the Mobile Power GC. At first I expected this fact to be a problem, but you can easily connect the system to the battery and play while still charging. Or at least, you can play without having to unplug and replug anything...I highly doubt the battery is able to recharge and support the system (and screen, if you want) at the same time.

The only remaining consideration, and perhaps it’s one that you never considered, is the battery’s weight. Although not exactly heavy on its own, this sucker plus the GameCube plus the LCD screen weigh quite a lot when put together. I’m a strong guy, and carrying all three devices by the GameCube’s handle still got pretty strenuous after a while. Worse yet, the whole bundle is essentially a very heavy, very large cube...not the most convenient shape to carry around in your backpack or most other small bags. Add games and controllers on top of that, and you’ve got a portable console that suddenly doesn’t seem so portable. Don’t get me wrong, I made it across two states and back with my wireless GameCube, but it wasn’t always easy. It’s not something you could just casually carry around with you; transporting this mess will take a bit of planning and some room in your vehicle.

In the end, the Mobile Power GC is a product that really had to be released in light of Interact’s LCD screen. It does what it’s supposed to, but I still have to be reserved in recommending it. This is a product that will appeal to a niche segment of the already niche segment who shelled out big bucks for the Mobile Monitor 5.4. If you fit into that group and don’t mind the meager battery life or increased system bulk, shelling out another fifty bucks for this device will indeed make your GameCube truly wireless. I have to admit, it looks slick with WaveBirds and all.