GameCube Cracked

[Flack]

I had read on a couple of websites recently that the Gamecube had finally be "cracked" - by that, I mean that copied games could be run on it. A sub-$100 price and copyable games sounded like it might be the final nail in the coffin for the GC. Well, after messing around with the tools and documentation that's out there, I can tell you that Nintendo doesn't have too much to fear -- yet.

Without getting into too many details, to play copied games you have to have the following: Phantasy Star Online, a broadband adapter, a memory card, and half a dozen different files that disappear from websites and quickly as they appear.

I'm a senior network engineer for the government, and it took me around two hours to get the thing working. It's certainly not as simple as people are led to believe.

There's another utility that lets you dump your GC games to your PC's hardrive. So, I dumped my Megaman disc to my PC. While it was dumping, I went and got some dinner, came back, and it was still going. The exploit dumps the broadband adapter into 10mb mode, so loading times are very slow.

Once done dumping the game, I loaded all the files (two different DOS windows have to be going on your PC) and waited (and waited). It took me at least an hour to "guess" the right settings. It turns out hackers are pretty lousy at documentation and support.

Once it DID connect and I had all the settings correct, it took over two minutes to load the game (normally takes about 15 seconds maybe). The menus were fine, but the FMV was horrible. It jumped, jittered and sputtered so much I had to mute my TV. The game was slightly better, but when the machine was loading while music was playing or on-screen action was happening, it was unplayable.

I also dumped my Bust-A-Move disc. It played better, but still when things like the end of a round popped up, sound became very poppy.

The so called "GameCube Hack" is, in my opinion, nothing more than a novelty right now. Yes, it works, but it's not even close to being a substitute to the real games. These things always develop and maybe it will get "better" (I hate to use that word) in the future, but these guys out there making claims that it's "perfect" are pretty far off in their description.

(Any e-mails asking about hows or wheres will be deleted. If you really wanna know, head to Google.)

[MarioAllStar2600]

I know for a fact all that all my friends would rather just buy the discs if it's that hard. Im not into playing "stolen" games. I would rather keep Nintendo out there.

[hezeuschrist]

I'm sure it's nowhere near as easy to do as it is to dump massive amounts of games onto a modded xbox. If I ever did buy an xbox, it would most certainly be modded with a bigass hard drive so I could download games all day long. Not that I'm that big of a dick, but there probably aren't as many games i'd like to own on that system as I can count on one hand.

[kai123]

Playing backups on the cube is the biggest pain in the ass ever. I played mario kart before it was released over here and it was very choppy and would pause here and there. IT SUCKED. I won't try it again it is easier to just buy the damn thing.

[kai123]

Double post over a cable connection. :roll:

[badinsults]

This news is almost a year old. :p

It certainly hasn't spelled doom for the Gamecube. People have even used this hole to play N64 games on the Gamecube (using the emulator in Ocarina of Time).

[jonjandran]

I'll chime in and agree it sucks.
It was fun to do and say I did it, but the games are to unplayable.
Reminds me of trying to play an emulator for a new system when it's in beta form. :o
Maybe if they overcome the 10 mbit BBA limit in PSO though. :D

[hu6800]

I know for a fact all that all my friends would rather just buy the discs if it's that hard. Im not into playing "stolen" games. I would rather keep Nintendo out there.

AMEN...

like whats a used GC game like anyways?
$15?

[Jorpho]

Did Nintendo not recall the broadband adapter and PSO, replacing them with versions that are more secure?

[kai123]

I don't think the bba adaptor was pulled. I think they held back production for their new BBA enabled games. PSO might have been from what I heard it was. I don't see how they could make a BBA adaptor more secure. Since they can't block certain IP adresses and such.

[jonjandran]

Did Nintendo not recall the broadband adapter and PSO, replacing them with versions that are more secure?

Nope it was just a rumor.
The newer BBA's and PSO's work just like the old ones.

[leonk]

As with any other thing that is hacked, it takes time for it to become mainstream.

Heck, look at the PS2. The original mod chips had ~50 wires you had to wire, you had to do disc swaps, and 1/2 the games needed to be patched to work.

The latest chips are less than 10 wires, no swap, and all games work without patching.

Editorial note: I do not own a PS2.. I just like to read about stuff like this. :D

[Sylentwulf]

Please show me the old mod chips with 50 wires that required disc swapping, and there are currently MORE than enough solder-free modchips available now.

[Ze_ro]

Playing backups on the cube is the biggest pain in the ass ever. I played mario kart before it was released over here and it was very choppy and would pause here and there. IT SUCKED

Yeah, the quality of freely available tools to perform illegal tasks is sure going down the toilet these days :roll:

I remember my brother was complaining to me once that people kept posting Skies of Arcadia to Dreamcast binary newsgroups. I pointed out to him that he could easily just filter things by topic to find what he wanted, but he didn't seem to calm down at all... He didn't see anything wrong with complaining about something that was not only free, but also illegal.

Frankly, I'm glad to see that Nintendo's efforts to keep people from pirating games seem to be working for the most part.

--Zero

[kai123]

Man you mean all of this piracy stuff is free I had no idea. Yes people this thread was obviously talking about piracy. So please come in and slash people when they say it screws up on them. Thank you for you input please move along. :P :P

Besides I bought my Mario Kart DD and am glad as hell I did. I just couldn't wait to play it. So if I try a game before it is readily available for sale here does that make me a bad person?

[pango]

im too lazy to pirate next-gen systems. it was already hard enough for me to get that nes to gba flash cart dumping thing to work.

[Flack]

I've always been interested in hacking consoles -- not for the purpose of piracy, I've just always found it interesting to see what people do to with their consoles once they get them home. Reverse Engineering has always interested me.

To the 'cube's defense, I think the Gamecube took the longest of any console to crack.

[pango]

one day ill make a pirate famicom. and it will be the BEST pirate famicom that was ever conceived by the hands of man. and then i shall whore it on ebay for more money than it is worth.

[Ze_ro]

Yes people this thread was obviously talking about piracy. So please come in and slash people when they say it screws up on them. Thank you for you input please move along. :P :P

Incidentally, has anyone actually tried running homebrew stuff with this method? Fan made demos would probably work a lot better through a slow connection than commercial games. I haven't seen any mention of homebrew Gamecube stuff yet.

--Zero

[pango]

i think i remember seeing a site that had 1 PD rom

[gamegirl79]

This is all very interesting information. I have to give Nintendo props for making piracy so difficult on the Gamecube. This is one area that Nintendo definitely has the upper hand in. Microsoft and Sony should take note!

I also work with computers and like to experiment with this kind of thing (for educational purposes only of course, I don't support piracy). I have successfully copied several Playstation 2 blue-bottom discs and they play perfectly on my PS2. It's incredibly easy, and contrary to what people might say, a mod chip is *not* required. A boot disc is, however.

[jonjandran]

I have successfully copied several Playstation 2 blue-bottom discs and they play perfectly on my PS2. It's incredibly easy, and contrary to what people might say, a mod chip is *not* required. A boot disc is, however.

Or a memory card exploit. ;)

[Flack]

I just reread my original post and nowhere in it did I say "I don't condone piracy." For the record, I don't, I just should have said it somewhere in there.

We're all gamers here, and we all know that downloading games is stealing from the resource we value the most -- gaming companies! Downloading NES roms, that's one thing (at least in my book). Downloading nextgen games from struggling (?) companies is another.

[Raedon]

I love how Nintendo saved it's 3rd party from piracy.. oh wait.. they LOST ALL their 3rd party haha.

[Raedon]

Heck, look at the PS2. The original mod chips had ~50 wires you had to wire, you had to do disc swaps, and 1/2 the games needed to be patched to work.




You, sir, do not know what you are talking about.

1) the only PS2 games that needed to be patched were EA sports and that was only for those who had a "no solder" USB mod box. No one uses those anymore. IT HAD 1 WIRE.. 1 not 50. You did have to disc swap though.

2) The first no swap ps2 mod chips were 26 wires.



and for the record, it is far more difficult to get into a PS2 then it is to mod the suckers. LOL

The Xbox reminds me of the Saturn in ease of modding. If it wasn't cheaper to buy a faster used gaming computer I'd probably own an X-Box..

[Raedon]

We're all gamers here, and we all know that downloading games is stealing from the resource we value the most -- gaming companies! Downloading NES roms, that's one thing (at least in my book). Downloading nextgen games from struggling (?) companies is another.


Actually, buying used games hurts game developers more then piracy ever could..

[SoulBlazer]

How so? I mean, is it my fault if the game does'nt catch my intrest enough that I'm willing to buy it new for $50 but I'm willing to buy it used for $20? I buy plenty of games full priced, but many I also wait till they hit the bargin bin or get them used.

[jonjandran]

Simple Economics.

If the game doesn't sell a lot when it is NEW then the game company will close shop and go bankrupt. So waiting to buy the game used HURTS the Game Company.
It only makes companies like GameStop and EB money.

[Raedon]

How so? I mean, is it my fault if the game does'nt catch my intrest

It's not your fault that the game wasn't worth $50 lol, never said it was. Just saying that used games account for a large chunk of cash the developers never got. Far more then the guys with a DVD burner and a mod chip.

I think it was Nintendo that first tried to kill used Famicom game sales in Japan. Think that one was in court for a while over there.

[SoulBlazer]

Sorry, I knew that, should have phrased it better. :)

I think that's the main reason why companies will bundle games together and re-release them after a while, or include the original with a expansion, or do SOMETHING so that people will buy the 'new' game instead of the used one. But that's a lot easier to do with PC games. About all they can do for console games is release them as part of a 'Greatest Hits' line.