Besides the fact that this encourages me to be even more of a couch potato, there are really no drawbacks with the cable. The DC seemed to have no problems with the longer cord, and I didn't have any button-read issues with the games either. It
does add a little more 'trip factor' in your games, though, so those of you who have kids running around the house often should be careful when using this.
It's an extension cord. For the Dreamcast. And it works. What more can I say?