GameCube Modding Primer
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Contents |
Introduction
So you want to mod your Gamecube?
The first hacks for GameCube were based on exploits. Basically there were a few games that used the Broad Band adapter, once the exploit was run you could stream games from your PC, the process was confusing and very painful, games ran like crap and the in game audio as well as video cut scenes were choppy, also games would randomly just lock up.
IMO using an exploit on your GameCube shouldn't even be considered an option, yes it's considerably cheaper but in this case you get what you pay for.
Things to Consider
If you want to mod your GameCube there are a few things you need to take into consideration, As with modding anything there can be hidden costs involved. Here are some of the things you should consider before deciding to modify your GameCube:
HDTV
-Will you want to use your GameCube on an HDTV? If so you'll want a DOL-001 as opposed to a DOL-101. The later DOL-101 models had the "Digital A/V" port removed. If you plan on ever connecting your GameCube to an HDTV you'll want the older DOL-001 console (you can read these numbers on the bottom of the console). Nintendo used to offer to exchange your DOL-101 GameCube with a DOL-001 free of charge, the page has since been taken down from Nintendo's website but it might still be worth giving them a call. Definitely something to consider before you crack it open to mod, because once you do that you will DEFINITLY forfeit the free Nintendo exchange (call 1-800-255-3700 Speak to an operator and tell them you want a console with the Digital A/V port). FYI the component Video cable that attaches to the Digital A/V port is no longer carried on Nintendo's website so your best bet is to find it on eBay usually at a cost of about $30, you wont ever find them in stores... There were never any 3rd party Component video cables offered and building your own is out of the question because the cable included additional video processing circuitry.
Special Tools
-You will need to open up the console but the 4 screws on the outside of the GameCube are specialized "Gamebits". I didn't have to worry about this because I happened to have the appropriate bits already (my toolbox is pretty extensive). There is a VERY good chance that you don't have these bits, they're not common and most hardware stores don't carry them. Your best bet is to find them online and they typically go for about $4 to $9 a piece (there are 2 sizes but you only need 1 for the GC) plus you'll need a driver to hold the bit that will fit in the screw holes. If you're lucky you'll find them as part of a bit set with lots of other obscure bits (this is how I got mine) those bit sets can range from $15 to $30 and IMO if you can get some other bits for a few extra dollars it can save you some money down the road. There is an alternative that is making your own gamebit out of a cheap plastic pen (link) though I can't imaging it would last very long. IMO your best option would be to find a good bit set with the game bits included. If you were really hard up for cash you could probably hock the other bits in the set individually and turn a profit.
BBA
-You'll probably want a Broadband Adapter (BBA). You don't NEED one per-say but for the most part it's an integral part of GameCube modding. the BBA with a modded console can be used for everything from Flashing the Bios on your Modchip, to running homebrew apps to ripping game discs. IMO it's not worth modding a GC without a BBA. If you don't already have one the most reliable place to purchase a BBA is eBay for a price of $35. They are no longer carried on Nintendo's own website. If you're lucky you can find a used one at EB-Games or GameStop. They typically sell for well under $10 used in these stores but it's pretty rare that you'd find them. I've been told that if you find any GameStop in your state with a product in stock they'll ship it to your local branch free of charge. So it might save you a few bucks if you call around for one.
Media or a New Lid
-Decide between A new Lid or Mini Media... For your backup discs you pretty much have 4 options: use full sized media and play your GC without the top half of the case (ugly), use full sized media with the top half of the case cut out to fit full sized media (also ugly), use a 3rd party case or case lid designed to fit full-sized media, or simply buy mini DVD media. playing without a lid is ugly and bad for the console as everything is exposed and can get covered with dust. Cutting the case is ugly and if you screw it up you've got a broken case. Buying a replacement case is a good option, though it's the most expensive. Cases can range from $20 to $40 and you get what you pay for in terms of quality. Using mini media is the best option in my opinion. the Ritek G04 Mini DVD-R Media has some of the best burn compatibility and is the exact size of the GameCube Discs. It's been shown however that the GC is capable of reading more than just the 1.4GB of data that the mini discs hold. Infact when using full sized media the GC can read as much as 2.2GBs This is beneficial only for creating multi game discs (which is a rare use because most games take up more than 1 disc as it is) or for homebrew apps (which is also a rare use because there aren't many homebrew apps for the GC available). Mini DVDs are a bit more expensive than standard DVDRs though. When ordering online expect to pay about $0.50 a disc after shipping. Though some of CompUSA's self branded media is really Ritek G04 media in disguise and can be had for a bit cheaper. The Absolute best solution would be to use mini G04 media and upgrade your case lid to fit full sized media if an when you want to. Personally I'm sticking with the mini G04 media and my stock case because I like the way it looks. If you do decide to go with a full sized media solution you should know that after ripping a game you'll have to pad the disc image to fill past 3GB for better compatibility, Also you'll still want to to use high quality media (though it's much easier to find in a full size format) as crappy media not only produces higher error counts but it also is more susceptible to the "propeller effect" where the disc being unbalanced can cause further read errors.
A New Burner
-You may want to consider buying a new DVD burner. "What!" You say "Certainly I don't need to upgrade my burner!". No not really but you should seriously consider it if you don't want lots and lots of coasters on your hands. Unlike other consoles, PCs, DVD Players etc. the GameCube was only ever intended to read professionally pressed mini DVDs. Because of this even a small amount of errors in the burn will cause your game to give you a Disc Read Error (DRE), Freeze, or not even load up. DRE's are the bane of the GC scene and they seem to plague most, However with the right burner, running the right firmware and recording onto the right media those problems will vanish almost completely. Something which no amount of laser pot tweaking or modchip bios updates will accomplish. I've already mentioned the proper media to use (Ritek mini G04s). The Best burners are considered the NEC 3520a, and the NEC 3540. Both of them have fantastic compatibility with ALL media. Not to mention both of those drives can be had shipped for under $45. IMO if you do any amount of burning you owe it to yourself to pick up one of those drives as you'll get much much higher quality out of everything you burn. Once you get one of those drives you'll want to flash it with the "Liggy and Dee" firmware. Those who use G04 Media, and one of the mentioned NEC drives flashed with Liggy and Dee report near 100% success rates with burns without any pot-tweaking. At that point any errors can usually be attributed to the disc image or bios compatibility.
If the above didn't scare you off then read on...
FAQ
General Questions
(Q) How do I mod a GameCube? (A) You can mod your Cube using either a SoftMod or Modchip.
(Q) Which is better? (A) The modchip
(Q) Modchip? Doesn't that require soldering? (A) Either learn how to solder or suffer the many negatives of SoftMod's
(Q) Negatives? What negatives? (A) Long loading process (swapping, etc)
(Q) How hard is the soldering compared to the PS2 or XBOX? (A) Over 1,000,000 times easier!
(Q) Which modchip is the best to get? (A) Qoob Pro
(Q) The Qoob page says you can't play backups with it? What's the deal? (A) Download a new Qoob BIOS and then you can
(Q) How do I burn backups? (A) You burn them with Nero just like a normal ISO file
(Q) What media should I use? (A) Use what is known to work 99% of the time Mini-RitekG04 Media
(Q) Can I use full sized media? (A) Yes you can leave the case off the Cube or buy a mid to high end replacement case
Modchips
What GameCube Modchip should I get? Similar to the Xbox Scene where most of A Modchip's features come from the bios you flash it with, the same holds true for the GameCube Scene. The Difference is not all bioses will run on all Modchips! So to make a well educated decision you need to look at both the features of the bios and the compatible chips as a single entity. You can see a modchip comparison here: http://modthatcube.pxn-os.com/content/biosintro.htm You can See a bios comparison here: http://modthatcube.pxn-os.com/content/bios/index.htm
-I should point out that the currently the Qoob Pro chip is hands down the best chip for homebrew on the GC. Since the GC doesn't have any built in storage like the Xbox if a homebrew app doesn't live on the modchip itself it must either be loaded from a disc or streamed over the network through the BBA. The Qoob Pro offers 32 banks while all other chips only offer 1 or 2, making the Qoob Pro the clear winner for homebrew.
Homebrew
What Kind of homebrew apps DOES the GC Scene offer? For those Qoob Pro Owners many like to store Action Replay or an MP3 player right on the Modchip. That way Cheats can be loaded right into games, and MP3s can be played from any MP3 disc without launching those programs from a disc or streaming them from a PC through the BBA. Aside from those and the requisite version of Linux built to run on the GC there are a number of emulators. They don't seem to have as good as compatibility as the Xbox or PC emulators but if you're interested: http://modthatcube.pxn-os.com/content/emulators.htm
Backsups
How do I create Backups? Creating a Backup of a Backup is as simple as using nero to make a copy. If you want to create a backup of an original however you'll need to stream the disc from the GC to a PC on your network. There are several homebrew apps that can do this however most of them are painfully slow and unreliable, the best ripper is hands down NGC DEV Ripper. Not only is it the only ripping program capable of producing perfect rips but it's also the fastest. You can see all the available ripping programs and how to use them here: http://modthatcube.pxn-os.com/main.htm
I've heard of some modchips possibly supporting ripping via USB in the future but AFAIK no such solutions exist today.
Bioses
Do I have to flash a bios to my modchip before I can use backups? Yes, AFAIK all GC modchips need to be flashed before they can run backups. From what I've gathered the pre-flashed bioses on most modchips has the ability to run blank media disabled (to sell modchips in accordance with the DCMA). To get around this you simply have to re-flash your chip with the appropriate legal bios.
Flashing
How do I flash my Modchip? Several modchips come with a port of some kind to directly flash the chip (for instance the Viper has a Parallel port and the Qoob Pro has a USB port). The flashing methods available depend entirely on the modchip and compatible methods can be seen in the modchip comparison chart. I should note that many chips that support flashing via DVD do not support the initial flash via DVD because some pre-flashed bioses do not support reading of blank media (as mentioned before to keep in accordance with the DCMA). With that said you're limited to the chip's proprietary method or streaming from a PC to the BBA (if your chip supports it).
