Keychain‑Sized GameCube Uses Original Nintendo Silicon, Dock Design Shared on GitHub

A new video demo shows the Nintendo Kawaii project squeezing a GameCube into a keychain‑sized enclosure. The finished unit measures 2.36 × 2.36 × 0.62 inches (60 × 60 × 15.8 mm) and is housed in a cool‑blue anodized CNC‑aluminum shell.

At the heart of the build lies an Omega Trim Wii motherboard, which retains the original Nintendo CPU and GPU used in the GameCube era. Because the Wii maintains backward compatibility with GameCube discs, the trimmed board can run GameCube titles and select Wii games that work with classic controllers.

To fit the system into a 60 mm × 60 mm × 15.8 mm case, the team applied several hardware tweaks. NAND Flex mods stack certain motherboard features and ICs, while the Thundervolt mod undervolts the CPU to keep temperatures low in the confined space. The ribbed fins on the aluminum shell add passive cooling help.

The keychain unit does not contain a display or battery; instead it relies on a small dock that connects via pogo pins. Users must supply a GameCube controller, a USB power brick, two sets of dongles and a television to complete the setup. Games are loaded onto a microSD card that becomes captive once the case is assembled.

All design files, including mechanical drawings, schematics and a bill of materials, have been published to the Kawaii repository on GitHub. The repository lacks a step‑by‑step guide, but the team points to a BitBuilt thread that documents the assembly of two units. This approach shows how vintage silicon can be repurposed for ultra‑compact forms, offering a glimpse into the possibilities of using existing console hardware for portable retro gaming.