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Hacked Video Game Systems

PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 8:40 pm
by shengoro86
Hi everyone,

Just looking to see who else out there modifies game consoles.

I am creating this forum to see if a topic about console hacking could grow.

Currently I have a hacked:

Sega Genesis Original (overclocked processor)[hardmod]
Sega Saturn (cut hole in casing for hotswap) [hardmod]
Nintendo 64 (Flash cartridge) [hardmod]
Nintendo Gamecube (Ninja Mod and ethernet ISO loader) [softmod/hardmod]
Nintendo Wii (Flashed with CustomIOS on firmware 4.0) [softmod]
Sega Dreamcast (Tweaked GDROM for CDRW, Installed SD Card slot)[hardmod]
Sony Playstation (mini goldfinger external modchip, also have an internal modchip) [hardmod]
Sony Playstation 2 (freeMcBoot exploit, hard drive installed 120GB) [softmod/hardmod]
Microsoft Xbox (Flashed UnleashX with my own exploit, installed 120GB hdd) [softmod/hardmod]
Microsoft Xbox 360 (One JTAGed, One with DVD drive flashed to Ixtreme) [hardmod/softmod]
Sony Playstation Portable (Flashed with Neuron firmware) [softmod]
Sony Playstation Vita (Flashed PSP Emulator with Custom firmware) [softmod]
Sony Playstation 3 (Flashed with Shengoro86 custom 3.55 CFW [my own mods])
Nintendo GBA (Flash Cartridge) [hardmod]
Nintendo DS/3DS (Flash Cartidge - AceKard 2I and I-Touch DS) [hardmod]

I love modding game consoles.
I am currently working on a portable Dreamcast.
I'm following this project.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHCl6Pi-Uyg[/youtube]


Don't know if this topic will work but let me know what your modding experiences were like or if you currently are working on stuff or are interested in the topic!

-James

Re: Hacked Video Game Systems

PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 8:47 pm
by Bluecast
My Wii is softmodded. Best way is letterbomb

Re: Hacked Video Game Systems

PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 9:01 pm
by Thief
Super Nintendo (tabs broken off for imports)
Sega Saturn (mod-chip)
Playstation 2 (Free Mcboot)
Wii (soft mod)

and... I have a portable SNES that I need to finish the case for (since 2009 haha). I used to post on Ben Heck forums a while back.

Re: Hacked Video Game Systems

PostPosted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 10:43 pm
by Martin
I have:

Mega Drive:
-Region free
-50/60Hz switch
-RGB mod

Super Famicom:
-Region free
-Cut flaps in order to accommodate US SNES cartridges
-50/60Hz switch

N64:
-Plays all NTSC games (US, Jap, any of them), but not PAL.
-Made the cut inside the cart port so Jap carts fit (it's a US '64)
-RGB mod

I think that's about it for my mods. What I would love to own is a fully-modded PS2. To be able to play PSone and PS2 pirate games of any region would be fantasti. There's also the question of leaked games. For example, I have an uncensored version of Manhunt 2 on my HDD, just begging for a modded PS2.

Re: Hacked Video Game Systems

PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 12:10 am
by shengoro86
Bluecast wrote: My Wii is softmodded. Best way is letterbomb


Haha,
i know letterbomb's buffer underflow exploit wayyy to well. Cant say more than that.
:mrgreen:


I bannerbomb'd mine.
letterbomb uses the same buffer exploit but a different syscall to get to it.
Made right here in NJ and sent to the team that developed the exploit modules that allows it to load unsigned code.

Re: Hacked Video Game Systems

PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 12:52 pm
by shengoro86
Martin wrote:I have:

Mega Drive:
-Region free
-50/60Hz switch
-RGB mod

Super Famicom:
-Region free
-Cut flaps in order to accommodate US SNES cartridges
-50/60Hz switch

N64:
-Plays all NTSC games (US, Jap, any of them), but not PAL.
-Made the cut inside the cart port so Jap carts fit (it's a US '64)
-RGB mod

I think that's about it for my mods. What I would love to own is a fully-modded PS2. To be able to play PSone and PS2 pirate games of any region would be fantasti. There's also the question of leaked games. For example, I have an uncensored version of Manhunt 2 on my HDD, just begging for a modded PS2.


Martin, I can softmod your PS2 if you want. All I need is the serial on the back and an official Sony Mem Card.
The FreeMcBoot exploit runs off of the memory card and I can install it with my hacked PS2.

You can ESR patch Manhunt 2 and run it from a burnt disc.

As for pirate PSX games, you will need a hardmod unfortunately.
I know someone has been working on that though.

Re: Hacked Video Game Systems

PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 1:00 pm
by OL
Not usually one to mess with my consoles much.
I think the only modded thing I have is a Genesis with an S-video jack and a region-changing switch (NA/JP). Bought it on Ebay specifically for those features.
I'd like to make my SNES region-free at some point. Haven't even looked up how it's done, but I guess you just snap off some tabs inside of it? I'd be afraid of breaking my console, so I might see if the local game store does things like that.

Re: Hacked Video Game Systems

PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 1:51 pm
by Bluecast
OL wrote: Not usually one to mess with my consoles much.
I think the only modded thing I have is a Genesis with an S-video jack and a region-changing switch (NA/JP). Bought it on Ebay specifically for those features.
I'd like to make my SNES region-free at some point. Haven't even looked up how it's done, but I guess you just snap off some tabs inside of it? I'd be afraid of breaking my console, so I might see if the local game store does things like that.

Just grab a retron 3. It plays multi region carts even for Genesis I believe.

Re: Hacked Video Game Systems

PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 4:57 pm
by Martin
OL wrote: I'd like to make my SNES region-free at some point. Haven't even looked up how it's done, but I guess you just snap off some tabs inside of it? I'd be afraid of breaking my console, so I might see if the local game store does things like that.


You simply disconnect the region lockout chip on SNES/SFC. This will make a couple of games unplayable, such as Star Ocean and later copies of Super Mario RPG. There may be one or two others, but that's about it. Basically, right at the end of the SNES' life, Nintendo cottoned-on to this practice of disconnecting the region chip, and so a few of the last games actively looked for the absence of the chip.

You would want to do the 50/60Hz switch mod if you wanted to play PAL games. I wouldn't bother, personally. In that era, most PAL games were very slow, with few exceptions. It makes more sense for a PAL gamer, since you might want to be able to play PAL games as you can pick them up for cheap in this region. Yeah it might be slow, but 99p for Mario All-Stars is not to be sniffed at - even if it's 17% slower. For you, you'd literally be going out of your way to get hold of a PAL game. So not worth it for you.

Bluecast wrote:Just grab a retron 3. It plays multi region carts even for Genesis I believe.


That's certainly an option, but those clone consoles are much like PC emulators, except not as good. They don't run the games completely accurately, and often exhibit weird peculiarities with many games. In a lot of cases, these 'peculiarities' (weird graphics, incorrect sound) are bad enough to be called glitches. Some games are ruined.

Personally, I see those devices as a decent addition to a serious collector's range who's always playing those games. For example, I have hundreds of Mega Drive/Genesis and Super NIntendo/Super Famicom cartridges of all regions. A Retron 3 would mean that I don't need two consoles set up, only one. But still, they're not accurate and you're always better off with the genuine article. Plus it's not often that I play an old game, so the Retron would just be gathering dust like my old consoles.

If your advice is for him to get a clone console, I say he may as well just use an emulator, connect it to his TV and be done with it. It'll cost him nothing, and not take up any extra space. He wants to play his cartridges (and apparently get more), and so in my opinion he'd be better off modifying his SNES. It'll cost him nothing to disconnect the region switch.