Modchip
A modchip , also known as a burning chip, is an electronic circuit that is used to bypass the copy protection of game consoles . Many Modchips consist of just a single integrated circuit (known as a chip). The term Modchip is derived from Mod (short for modification) and Chip.
If you build a modchip into the corresponding console, it can play backup copies or imported games. Most modchips are connected to the circuit board with the help of short wires. Usually between 4 and 25 points need to be soldered on the board of the console. The chips used are partly based on programmable microcontrollers. Newer chips are increasingly using programmable logic modules such as FPGAs and CPLDs .
Technical
Using found modchips especially on the PlayStation from Sony . Since the Playstation games were delivered on CD and were only equipped with a simple copy protection , such a chip was ideal for playing backup copies or imported games .
Sony has provided the games with a simple copy protection mark: the Playstation will not start any game software without this mark. The marking cannot be copied with commercially available CD burners. Most Playstation Modchips simulate the presence of this marking, so that copies can also be started without marking.
With the SEGA Dreamcast , too , a modchip was often used that enabled import games (NTSC games) and, last but not least, copied games on blank CDs to be played. However, the copy protection of the Dreamcast was bypassed to such an extent that it was possible to start backup copies without a modchip and boot CD.
Modern applications
While early modchips almost exclusively made it possible to play imported or copied games, today's modchips often have a large number of additional functions. There are also so-called homebrew applications and games. This software was developed by hobby programmers and can therefore mostly only be executed with the help of a modchip.
With the Microsoft Xbox , installing a modchip offers the advantage of being able to install a larger hard disk in addition to the advantages listed above . This makes it possible to operate hard drives with over 300 GB in the Xbox and to be able to watch films in the most varied of formats such as VCD , SVCD or DivX with an alternative operating system . It is also possible to use the Xbox as a full-fledged PC with the Linux operating system .
Since the seventh generation of consoles, modchips have been losing importance. So today attempts are being made to use exploits to modify the console's operating system to such an extent that the manufacturer's copy protection can be circumvented. This has the advantage that so-called soft mods are usually free of charge and can also be carried out by laypeople, since the manual component of soldering is completely eliminated. With the exception of the Wii U, there is currently no softmod or modchip for stationary consoles of the eighth generation (as of July 2016).
Legal
It is legal to own modchips in Germany. However, some modchips use original software from the console manufacturer, which is against copyright law. By installing a modchip, the guarantee and warranty claims for the respective device are lost, but the modification by a specialist dealer can lead to the assumption of the guarantee. The manufacturers of the game consoles actively pursue Modchip dealers, but usually have no legal action against it. Microsoft and Sony went over in the seventh generation to recognize the installation of Modchips and then to exclude the modified console from various online services.
See also
literature
- Erich F. Engelhardt: The unofficial XBox book . 2nd Edition. Franzis Verlag, Poing 2006, ISBN 3-7723-7098-5 (page 69ff., Full text available at Google Booksearch.).
- Colin Golvan: Copyright. Law and Practice . Federation Press, Annandale 2007, ISBN 978-1-86287-654-5 (full text available via Google Booksearch. Unfortunately in English, deals with legal issues from page 70 onwards).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Golem.de: Provisional injunctions against PlayStation Modchip dealers , June 21, 2007
- ↑ support.xbox.com: Console Bans Information for Xbox Live , December 24, 2013