My story with the Gamecube is a very similar one. I got my first cube around 2003, I have always loved it ever since. I was one of those nutcases who praised Super Mario Sunshine online back when everyone loved to hate it. I'm the guy who has always defended Mario Kart Double Dash which is still the best Mario Kart ever made.
I don't think that many people hated Sunshine that much. Some Shine Sprites were brutal to go after I admit it's a solid well built game which was a worthy successor to Mario 64. Double Dash is awesome, Anyone hating on it is just a shitty player.
For me, the Gamecube marks Nintendo's modern high point, with the Wii and Wii U being unable to reach that apex. In fact, for a long time, I hated the Wii and what I thought were its massively watered-down first party games. It wasn't just the waggle controls, Nintendo's games just felt casual-ified. I used to call Super Smash Bros. Brawl a bad game. Not the least good SSB, but the worst.
Honestly I think the Wii was a great system and so did Nintendo since they marketed it so well that it made them a ton of money. I just couldn't get into the Wii as much as I did the Gamecube but I won't fault anyone for loving the system for the good games it does have.
In recent years though, I have given the Wii and Wii U a proper fair shake and have been pleasantly surprised. I've even warmed up to Brawl, which I can no longer say is bad, it is simply different.
Anyone saying the Wii U had shitty games is fooling themselves. There's an amazing slew of great titles for that system that make it worth owning. Even if it's a "failed" console, Nintendo did a good job supporting it to the bitter end.
They're no Gamecube, but they are certainly no slouches like I used to think. After years of trying PlayStation and Xbox games and being consistently disappointed in all the gaming wrongs being committed, the Wii and Wii U were like a breath of fresh air.
To compare the PlayStation to what Nintendo had isn't really fair in my eyes. Both systems have an amazing library of software to choose from for people who have different tastes in gaming. Shit we're in an age where there it literally something for everyone and I like that.
There absolutely are good games on the Wii and Wii U, their hackability is really just the cherry on an already amazing cake.
Like I said before I have 0 interest in hacking any of my consoles. I'm not damning anyone who does but I just don't want to do anything to my hardware just for the sake of emulation. I'll be fair in saying that I think modded systems are cool for enhancing screen quality among other things but emulation while I've done it off and on just doesn't compare to owning original hardware and software for my favorite systems.
The best part is the Wii and Wii U are directly backwards compatible with their predecessor. With Nintendont, you can unlock the Wii U's inherent Gamecube compatibility. Say it with me, a Wii U is a Wii is a Gamecube, it's a beautiful thing that has sadly died with the launch of the Nintendo Switch.
But like I said before, I like having my OG Gamecube. It doesn't need to be hacked or modded at all. All I have to do is pop in a disc and hit the power button and I'm good to go.
Believe it or not, I still have a sizeable stack of Gamecube favorites I have hung onto after all these years. I still buy the occasional Gamecube game I'm missing if I see it cheap. I still have a pair of Gamecubes with GB Players attached and a hoard of controllers, maybe one day I'll find a couple of cheap Broadband adapters. Maybe one day I'll be crazy enough to buy the component cable. I even have Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures with four GC to GBA link cables and various GBA systems that I have kept after all this time.
I have pretty much all of that stuff you listed & I actually scored a Hori Controller for almost nothing recently in the box so there's that. I had fun with Windwaker using a GBA SP for the Tinkle stuff now that I think about it.
To me, the Gamecube is the once and future modern Nintendo console and I will always love it. That said, it's nice to keep my original games safely tucked away and play backups off a hard drive. Using a Wii also gives me easy access to Wii games and emulated anything. If I could have only one console, I'd make it a Wii (or a Wii U if I only had an HDTV).
See that's where we're different. I like playing my original game software and like I said in my previous post, if you're a responsible adult then you can take care of your games and hardware easily. The Gamecube isn't made of wet paper but I'll be damned if I hadn't seen some that are literally beat to shit but still trucking. Right now I would say collecting for this system is nearing it's end point since a lot of people are going goo-goo-gaa-gaa all over it for retro-hipsters. I thankfully bought most of the games on release with me going after a few low priced titles here and there which people suggested to me.
Looking back I can say that The Gamecube is one of my all time favorite systems which carries with me memories of an easier time in terms of gaming. I've gotten into the PS4, Switch and whatnot but honestly I don't have the connection to the newer systems obviously. So in the long run, Play what you like how you like it but don't judge too hard on someone who likes to play their games on original hardware vs emulation.