Feeling a little disappointed

I've had the idea of PC Case mod using a Nintendo GameCube for quite a while but I had set it aside until I finished my NES PC mod. With the NES PC finished I stumbled upon my old GameCube and decided to do a little digging. The approximate dimensions inside the case were 6" x 6" x 4". With VIA's Pico boards measuring 10cm x 7.2cm I thought for the first time this might actually be doable.

I must admit I am somewhat of a purist when it comes to these types of mods. As with my Nintendo mod I don't really want to cut up the case at all, but instead use the existing port holes. The proprietary video connector is more than large enough to accommodate and HDMI cable which would take care of video and sound, the same applies to the power port.

Reading up on the GameCube I also found that many people had modded them to read bootlegged games. While I'm not interested in the bootlegging, modding the cd-rom to read standard cds would be perfect if it could be used with the motherboard. Being physically constrained to mini-discs does not bother me if the drive is operational. For my NES PC I had also picked up a few controller to usb adapters to enable the front controller ports so I planned to do the same for the GameCube.

Having everything worked out in my head as to how this would come together I ordered a special screwdriver for Nintendo cases. All seemed well until I opened the case. Of the 4 inches in available height 1" is dead space on the bottom. ( I can post some pics etc if you would like ) The cd-rom portion takes up almost another 2 inches leaving just over an inch to work with. The connector for the cd-rom is also extremely proprietary. To add to my woes it appears there are very few options for controller to usb kits for the GameCube. The few options I found were expensive ($50 a piece) and far too large.

So I guess my questions are:
1. In regard to the cd-rom do you think there is some feasible way to connect it to the motherboard, or would it be feasible to gut the laser, motor, etc from some other cd-rom to use?

2. Does anyone know of GameCube to USB controller solution?

3. Should I just give this up and forget about it?

Thanks for your thoughts