Introduction to Mods.

A modchip (short for modification chip) is a hardware device used to modify or disable built-in restrictions and limitations of many popular videogame consoles and other electronic devices.

Where to purchase Mod-Chips?

If you're looking to purchase mod-chips in order to modify your own Xbox, or other gaming console check out these sites!
- Http://www.mod-chip.com/
- Http://www.modchipstore.com/

If you're looking to purchase PC and other gaming mods, check out the following site:
- Http://www.crazypc.com/

Tutorials

Here are a few tutorials on how to open some of the gaming console cases, since Xbox and Gamecube are some of the most moded systems, I will be adding these first. More will come soon!

- HOW TO OPEN YOUR GAMECUBE CASE

- HOW TO OPEN YOUR XBOX 360 CASE

- HOW TO INSTALL AN ENTIRE 360 CASE

- WII DISSASEMBLY GUIDE

Mods

Modchip ~Introduction~

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

- 360 Mod Chip

Dreamcast

The Dreamcast had modchips produced for it, but due to the Dreamcast's ability to boot backup games from standard CD-Rs or boot discs with no modification they achieved little popularity outside of the import scene.

Discs that did not boot automatically, often burned games that lacked or used a different region code than that of the Dreamcast unit being used, could be booted using a boot disc, released by Utopia. Another method included adding the appropriate region code to the CD image prior to burning.

See also: GD-ROM and Homebrew development

PlayStation 2

The original discs for PlayStation 2 titles have a series of pits and bumps before the data region which cannot be read or written to using a conventional CD recorder. For this reason, discs which have been copied using conventional means will not have this authentication region present, therefore the disc will fail to authenticate.

PlayStation 2 modchips come in several types:

Generation 1 - "Swap" Modchips: The "swap" modchips are not as advanced as their successors. In order to boot a non-original disc, the operator must first load an original disc (or a specialized loader disc like Swap Magic), which the PS2 authenticates and region-checks. At this point the modchip disables the eject notification feature of the PS2's DVD-ROM drive, allowing the user to swap the original disc. Once this swap has been performed, the operator can instruct the PS2 to load the code from the non-original disc. Since the PS2 does not realize the disc has been changed, the authentication code is never re-checked. Unlike "no-swap" modchips, these chips do not affect the BIOS. These modchips may require 4-7 wires to be soldered to the motherboard to install, depending on the hardware revision of the PS2 in question.

Generation 2 - "No-swap" Modchips: These modchips are more technically advanced than their predecessors, and do not require an original disc for authentication purposes. Instead, they replicate the authentication signal that is normally sent by the PS2's drive hardware when an authorized game disc is present, causing the BIOS to believe that a copied disc is the original and boot it. These modchips are usually more difficult to install into the console, requiring usually 19 to 24 wires to be soldered to the mainboard by the installer. The very first modchip of this kind was the Messiah from hDL & KVaks

Generation 3 - Flashable Modchips: These newer modchips contain more features in software and usually include menus and many configurable options, such as booting software bypassing the original BIOS GUI (named OSDSYS after the internal filename on the PS2 BIOS). They can be upgraded by several methods, usually from a CD-R containing the upgrade, and sometimes from other media such as USB pendrives. They can offer booting from several media such as Memory Cards, USB pendrives, an add-on internal PS2 HDD, files hosted in the network, etc. Some modchips of this category are the Ghost2, the O2mod, the DMS4, and the Matrix Infinity.

Alternatives to Modchips: Mod chips are not entirely necessary if you wish to try a different approach, such as, the 'swap tool', HD Loader, HD Advance and/or PS2 Independence Exploit for Playstation 2. The swap tool was used to take advantage of a hardware flaw to allow for a Swap Magic Disc to be used without 'modding' your Playstation 2. The other techniques allow the user to install a hard drive, and copy the contents of original game DVD discs to this hard drive. At this point you no longer require the original DVD or even a modchip to play the games from the hard drive installed into the PS2. By using M.R. Browns PS2 Independence Exploit, one can store the HD Loader executable (or any other homebrew code) on the memory card, trigger the exploit and load the copied games without using a burned disc. For more information on what games work with HD Loader, HD Advance, USB Advance and ToxicOS check out the PS2HD Compatibility lists.

There are many models of modchip that need to be soldered onto the ps2 mainboard. Some of the notable ones include DMS4, Matrix Infinity, and Crystal Chip.

Xbox

Xbox modchips now allow a user to completely circumvent the BIOS on-board the video game console's mainboard. This allows a console to run code, such as user-created applications or games, not licensed or published by Microsoft. One of the main uses in the modding community of this ability is to provide a non-Microsoft BIOS that does not contain any copyrighted code that will run the Linux operating system from a DVD or the Xbox hard drive.

There are three possible techniques for modding an Xbox:

Softmodding: is accomplished by loading a specially-crafted save game file into the Microsoft game title MechAssault. When loaded, the save game file induces a buffer overflow and forces the execution of a program which replaces portions of the Xbox system software to allow the loading of unsigned executables from the internal hard disk, DVD drive or a USB storage device. Similar exploits exist for the Splinter Cell and Agent Under Fire titles.

Mod-Chip (Modification Chip) Installation: requires opening of the Xbox case and soldering certain points on the motherboard. This is surprisingly easy to accomplish on most Xbox hardware versions (v1.0 to 1.5), as the Xbox motherboard includes a 16-pin LPC debugging port which the console can load an alternative BIOS from (this method is used in Xbox development kits). A pin header can be easily soldered into this port and plugged into a modchip (alternatively, if the solder holes are already filled, as in very early Xbox models, they can be briefly melted to directly attach wires). A single solder point outside of the LPC header, known as D0, must also be attached to the modchip. When the D0 point is shorted to ground, the onboard BIOS is bypassed due to the least significant bit of the data bus being forced to 0 and the Xbox chipset will attempt to load the BIOS from the LPC port instead. The very first Mod-chip created for the Xbox was the Xtender (May 2002) and was a 'replacement BIOS' type mod. A second chip, the Enigmah (June 2002) followed a month later and was the first 'patch' type mod (doesn't contain any copyrighted code). Two months after these the first LPC 'BIOS replacement' type mods appeared (August 2002). LPC mods reduced the installation time from hours down to minutes and are still the type of mod-chips in use today.

In order to make the installation of modchips less attractive, Microsoft have changed the PCB layout for V1.6 and 1.6b Xboxes. They have effectively eliminated the traces that make the LPC header functional. However, the functions haven't been removed and it remains relatively easy to re-enable the functionality through a process called an 'LPC rebuild' The principle is to make a connection between the LPC and the contact points on PCB, replacing the removed traces and is accomplished by either using cable or, as provided by some mod chip manufacturers, a PCB template, which is placed on the PCB and soldered on. Both methods have the same effect, but the PCB route (if the template works) could bring install time down to below ten minutes. It is worth noting, however, that the cable method is easier to troubleshoot and do over should a mistake occur.

Solderless adaptors do exist, the Xapt3r being a good example. The principle behind it is the same as the soldered method, but the reconnections are made using thin wire which can be inserted into the points from the component side of the PCB.

TSOP Flash: is often considered to be middle ground between the modchip and softmod methods. This method requires two small solder points, which make the Xbox BIOS chip itself writable. Once this chip (the TSOP) is writable, one can use any of the games available for the softmod to run an exploit which will allow this chip to be overwritten with an alternative BIOS. The Xbox will then load the alternative BIOS instead of the default Xbox BIOS whenever it is turned on. Different versions of the Xbox include different size TSOP chips. Versions 1.0 and 1.1 Xboxes have a 1mb chip, which can be divided into two 512kb banks, four 256kb banks, or remain as a single 1mb bank. On these versions, a switch or two may be installed, allowing the user to activate any certain bank on the TSOP chip, making it possible to disable the mod by using the default Xbox BIOS on one bank. Versions 1.2 through 1.5 Xboxes have a single 256kb bank which cannot be divided, and therefore not disabled. To date, version 1.6 Xboxes cannot be modded via a TSOP flash. The BIOS on version 1.6 Xboxes is stored on the Xcalibur video encoder chip.

There are two types of alternative BIOS in wide use on Xbox modchips. The first is the completely legal Cromwell BIOS, and its derivatives, which were developed by the Xbox Linux Project and contain 100% "cleanroom" GPL-licensed code which can be used to boot Linux from the Xbox hard drive or DVD drive. The second are possibly illegal (depending on territory) hacked BIOSes, which contain the original Microsoft BIOS (with the Windows 2000-derived kernel used in the Xbox) modified so that they will execute unsigned code. The latter type of BIOS can be used to boot back-up and homebrew games, as well as additional homebrew software developed using Microsoft's Xbox Development Kit (XDK) but not authorized for release by Microsoft (examples of this sort of software include game emulators, media players, and web browsers). Users of the second type of BIOS will typically load their hard drive with an alternative to Microsoft's original dashboard, such as XBMC, Evolution-X or Avalaunch, which provides a menu interface to all of the software installed onto the hard drive, and even an integrated FTP server for loading new software and media onto the console over a home network. Either type of BIOS will allow upgrading to a higher-capacity Hard Drive.

Additionally, Microsoft's Xbox Live gaming service contains automated security checks which ban users suspected of modchip use. At logon time, Xbox Live conducts a check of the currently running BIOS. If it differs in any way from the original BIOS, that particular Xbox (which is uniquely identified by a code in the motherboard's onboard ROM) is banned from the service. Some modchips (notably the very popular Xecuter line) include a manual switch which can be attached to the exterior of the case and used to switch the modchip on and off. When switched off, the Xbox will boot the original BIOS and dashboard, and allow the use of Xbox Live with an original game as if no modchip were present at all.

Finally, Xbox Live also maintains a database of the hard drive serial numbers associated with each particular Xbox. If the user has replaced the original Xbox hard drive with a larger one, they may become banned from the service even if their modchip is disabled. This pairing of serial numbers is created at the user's first login, so if the new hard drive is locked with the original hard drive's key using a specialized dashboard like Evolution-X, it is possible to use a non-original hard drive on Xbox Live, as long as the Xbox never logged on to Live with its original drive.

GameCube

A GameCube modchip called Viper was released in December of 2004. Like most console modchips, it attempts to avoid legal complications by including no code which circumvents copy protection or is copyrighted by Nintendo. It has some on-board flash memory which allows the user to write small programs to it (.DOLs). There is a hacked BIOS available for the Viper called Cobra. Cobra allows the user to directly boot a back-up or homebrew game on a 3-inch DVD-R inserted in the GameCube's optical drive (contrary to popular belief, the GameCube uses standard mini-DVDs with a modified filesystem for storage). Removing the GameCube's external case or installing a custom replacement allows the user to boot standard 5-inch DVD-R discs as well, but the positioning of the drive's laser renders only the first 1.4GB of capacity usable. Previously the only common way to run user code on the GameCube was to use a Broadband Adapter combined with a security hole in Phantasy Star Online. The Cobra software works, after an original disc is authenticated, by resetting the disc drive and unlocking a debug mode which allows code to be sent to the drive and executed. This code stops the disc drive for a few seconds, allowing the user to swap in a non-original disc. More recent (v1.0+) versions of Cobra no longer require an original disc for authentication purposes. TMBinc released an open source IPL replacement for NGC, which allow anyone to produce is own IPL replacement (modchip for NGC)

Alternatively, the Qoob, Duo Q and XenoGC chips are available. The Duo Q and XenoGC don't have the features of the Viper, but do allow booting of homebrew programs such as Snes9x and burnt games.