Modding Pal Gamecube

[Cheesus]

Can i mod my PAL GameCube with those US/JAP instructions, I like to play only US-games not japanese games. Is it possible? And where i can find tips to do it?

[Sumez]

No you can't. There might be away to mod a European GameCube to use imports, but I don't think it's been found.

[maz4ruth]

Can i mod my PAL GameCube with those US/JAP instructions, I like to play only US-games not japanese games. Is it possible? And where i can find tips to do it?

Just get hold of Freeloader pal!

It's a disc that will let you boot import titles, no mod needed!

[phreak97]

freeloader creates bugs in some games.. get an action replay which has freeloader built in.. it wont stop the bugs directly, but at least then theres a chance of finding a code to fix the bug. (eg. f-zero gx japanese has graphical faults untill you use a code..)

[SignOfZeta]

On a related note: does anyone know a mod for a US GC to play EU games? I have a JP switch installed now, but I want to eventually get V Rally 3, and Doshin the Giant, which for some stupid reason(s) have no US release.

All the Freeloader problems I know about are related to the differences bewteen the US, and JP character sets (no text in Mr Driller, etc) or save problems resulting from them, so I suppose I could just get a PAR, or something, but I really hate swap discs.

[dj898]

to my knowledge it's not possible to to mod US/JP GC into EU mode... and vice versa...
you need either FreeLoader or PAL GC...

[Schweino]

to my knowledge it's not possible to to mod US/JP GC into EU mode... and vice versa...
you need either FreeLoader or PAL GC...

Or a viper chip....

[dj898]

sure if you have your PC sitting at the family room next your TV/Hi-Fi setup...

[Schweino]

sure if you have your PC sitting at the family room next your TV/Hi-Fi setup...

Errr, I don't know what you mean by that.

A viper chip allows you to directly boot any region gamecube game on any region gamecube hardware.

[dj898]

sorry if I misunderstood.
thought you need to link with PC to download the codes unless yo have the top shell off to run DVD-R with swapping... ?

till they come up with something similar to Xbox mod chip I won't be botherong with it anyway...

[phreak97]

sounds as if the viper chip is just for playing imports rather than pirate software..
can anyone give me more info on this? a universal gamecube would be very cool

[Endymion]

Every Viper chip that I've seen has a port on it and advertises the ability to use said port in conjunction with your PC to play "backups."

[davidleeroth]

I did this a while ago. Here's some (entirely random) pics:

http://www.spaceballsthewebsite.com/davidleeroth/

The port is optional, you can flash the chip from a DVD disc but I wanted to include it so that I wouldn't have to burn a new disc if I wanted a new BIOS or something.
It reads mini-DVD-Rs fine, I've yet to have trouble with any make.

You have to boot with a GameCube disc if you want to use DVD-Rs but imports boot directly. You can also browse the content of GameCube discs and stuff like that.
I couldn't be less interested about "backups" but I can't see why you would need the port for that if you burn the game on a DVD-R. The homebrew scene doesn't have anything startling yet but I did get to play some Doom.

[phreak97]

anyone know where i might buy one?

[Schweino]

anyone know where i might buy one?

http://forums.maxconsole.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3195

As stated above: The only time you need to connect the viper to a pc is when you want to upgrade the bios. But you can also do that from dvd.

it boots mini-dvd and full sized dvd (keep the lid off), recommended media is any ritek G04/G05 dye media. Minis with this dye are hard to find, brands that use em are Traxdata, Ridisc, Office Depot home brand. If you live in Europe, they can be found for about 1.50 euro a piece in online shops and in the US they can be found for $1 a piece (meritline or newegg for instance, see http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc....132-372&depa=0)

Imports from *any* region boot instantly with the viper, for booting backups you need to boot an original game first, then swap.

[phreak97]

i heard from someone who has one, that it direct boots mini dvd-r discs fine, he said nothing of swapping. though i dont want to go into piracy here.

[The Outrider]

Never had any problems with my Freeloader; yes, there are known issues, but as far as I know, those only occur with Japanese games - so unless you want to play those, you should be home free. The main advantage of the Freeloader is that it doesn't require physical modification, hence no warranty voiding and risk of fucking stuff up etc involved.

Q: Some of the text and graphics appear to be missing when I play the Japanese version of some games on my US or PAL GameCube?
A: The majority of game titles load fine using FreeLoader, but because of the way some Japanese games are programmed some graphics and text can be missing when Japanese versions are played on a US or PAL GameCube using FreeLoader. (linky)