as i stated, i'm more versed in another system whose name i won't mention here, but i started paying attention to the gamecube once i heard they made a modchip for it, but i was hurt to find out that you couldn't back up the games to a disc, and you had to hook the gamecube up to your pc or something like that (which wouldn't work out for me because my pc is in another room). but today i just happened to accidently click the gamecube discussion forum button, and i read something about backing up to mini dvd-r, i think. it didn't really have alot of info but i got the idea of what he was talking about. but i just want to know if i understood that correctly. i know that you frequent visitors of this forum are reading this and thinking "damn he just figured all of that out" but hey, search for my user name and you'll find where most of my posts and comments are.
A while ago, the only method of playing GameCube backups was by using a Broadband Adapter and Phantasy Star Online, and loading them with a PC as you said. This has changed a lot. Now there are a few more methods, but the biggest and most convenient is a very recent development.
Late last year, the Viper GC chip was released - the first modchip for the GameCube that allowed you to play burned backups of commercial games. Installation was easy - a simple soldering of four wires, plus snapping together an easy lid passthru. A great feature of the chip was that it was flashable, and thus updatable with new software. The original Cobra BIOS, developed by Mental Cube for the Viper GC, allowed you to play backups by simply inserting an original disc, then swapping when prompted to the backup and playing as any normal game.
Since then, things have progressed magnificently. Now there are many competitors for Viper GC, although really, it's down to two chips: the original Viper GC and the new Qoob. The Qoob is better in hardware, but in terms of actual features and software it's a back-and-forth as each one matches and outdoes the other with the next release of Cobra and Qoob BIOS. Now there's no need to swap a disc - the point has been reached where a backup can be burned onto a disc, inserted, and the modded GameCube powered on, and it will play just like that, with the only consequence being that it takes a mere few seconds longer to start up.
Many other features have been added to the BIOSes - most chips feature an option to force the video mode of a game, so people with NTSC TVs can play PAL games that only output in 50Hz. Many chips also feature a cheat code system that uses converted Action Replay codes. Replacement cases have also been released so full-sized DVDs can be used. The GameCube's laser can not read past a mini-DVD size (so only the first 1.35GBs of a DVD are usable), but the advantage of these cases is that DVDs are on the whole a hell of a lot cheaper to purchase than mini-DVDs.
So, to summarize: Yes, it is possible to play burned games on your GameCube.
wow, thanks for the info. it's strange how technology advances in such a short amount of time. i think that what might convice me to go buy a gamecube and getting it modded is having those same capabilities as my "other system".
Quote:A while ago, the only method of playing GameCube backups was by using a Broadband Adapter and Phantasy Star Online, and loading them with a PC as you said. This has changed a lot. Now there are a few more methods, but the biggest and most convenient is a very recent development.
I have a broadband adapter but no game for it.. Can I play GameCube backups with that or what are you talking about??
Is there any way I can play GameCube backups for free or very cheap?
