What's the deal with slot loading disc drives?

I sold my Wii a while ago as I found that it would be better for me to emulate it. However, I just had the opportunity to use one this weekend (I really haven't had the chance recently) and one thing struck me as incredible- how easy it was to insert discs.
I've used a wide range of slot loading disc drives- cross Apple desktops and laptops and a handful of PC ones too, but nothing beat that Wii's drive- I only had to put in the disc nearly halfway until it detected it and pulled in the rest. For any computer drive I'd have to shove the disc almost the whole way in until it grabs it.

The PS3 also seems to have this functionality. To put it simply, the Wii's (PS3's) drive was elegant compared to any computer drive.

Is there a specific reason for this? I'd love to be able to have that mechanism in my computer but surely that isn't possible.
Just a stupid question on my part, but it's bugging me. If you've got a slot loading drive and a Wii, try it out for yourself.

 

I hate slot load drives, you can't use 3" discs in them. Well you can with the original Wii until when the non-Game Cube machines, I'm sure those don't have the same loading mech in them.

=hugh

 

x

 

Yeah, but I'm not saying the Wii has a bad drive- it's drive is incredible for slot drives. I'm just trying to find out why, because I'd like to have that functionality.

 

I think its easier for the ps3 because of the size of the drive itself, laptop drives are much smaller, less room for the additional mechanisms to allow pulling in the disc as smoothly. Some older macs with slot loading drives (g3/g4 era) also pull in the disc in a similar way as the wii/ps3, but these macs have slightly larger disc drives, like the powermac cube you sent me.

 

Yes, the cube... I used that today for some CD playing. Very good for parties.
And yes, I would say it's responsive to disks. As it gets older it tends to have issues ejecting because of the vertical slot.

But the Wii uses a slim drive, why does it have a buttery smooth operation?

 

PS3's drive isn't as smooth as the Wii's, which is crazy considering the price differences.

 

The drive is identical (infact, so is the motherboard - the GC ports just werent soldered on)

 

Oh really? I didn't know that, thanks for correcting me. :smile-new:

=hugh

 

This sounds like a Sienfield Bit

 

i know what your saying, first time i ever tried putting a disk into my mac i was like WTF it dosnt work its broken, and my mate says no you just have to push it all the way in first...

 

The reason the Wii takes the disc in when it's "half way" is because it needs to cater for Gamecube (8cm) discs vs Wii (12cm).

 

That makes sense. So (I'll have to try it) but inserting GC discs would be like inserting any old standard sized discs into a standard slot loading drive- I'll have to shove them in quite far.

I guess that would be the reason for it. Maybe there's a dual 12cm/8cm slot loading drive out there?

 

Any PC slot loading drive should have to accept 8cm too.

 

I know every slot-loading drive will be able to read 8cm discs; however I heard way too many stories of these discs getting stuck inside the drive.
I even read manuals (from slot-loading devices) where it said not to use 8cm discs.

Does the Wii have an additional mechanism that prevents 8cm discs getting stuck inside?
Also, if I want to use an 8cm disc in a slot-loading drive, do I have to carefully insert it right in the center of the slot-loading "hole"?

 

Sorry for the offtopic question but still related somehow: is it possible to listen mini cd music on a Gamecube? (not modded, etc)

 

I don't think Gamecube has the laser to read cd.