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Modded Consoles?

jamesyfx

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Anyone here have any experience with modified consoles? In the good old days we used modchips to allow us to play imported games on a region locked console, but it also allowed you play unofficial titles and other fun stuff (and the other :oops: stuff)

These days modding doesn't seem as widespread, purely cos console manufacturers can ban your console from being on their online service in a pinch if they can see you're using altered hardware. Plus, some games are hardwired to not run on modified hardware. Also, emulation is far easier these days; it's possible to play consoles as recent as the PS3 or Xbox 360 relatively smoothly.

So yeah; when I was younger I had a PlayStation which had a modchip so I could play import titles. A lot of my friends used an action replay type device which bypasses the region lock by disc swapping and had to use a spring on the CD lid to keep it open. Such a pain, I'm glad I didn't have to mess around like that with mine!

These days I have a completely modified GameCube. It's like my pride and joy. It's got a modchip, it has the ability to load games and other stuff from SD card, and it comes with a boot disc which allows me to force stuff like 60Hz modes, higher resolutions, other rendering modes, amongst other fun stuff.. and has an integrated cheating device. It also connects directly to HDMI from a Digital Out port for the best picture and sound. It has a Gameboy Player attached to it too (So I can play all GameBoy games on the TV) Aaand it has a custom paint job and a different colour power LED... 🥸

I also have a completely untouched GameCube, the exact same model. Just in case I ever need it for parts... but these things are built like tanks it seems!

So yeah.. Anyone else have any experience with modding, past or present?
 
Now you're talking.. :nerd_pc: I love tinkering with my old consoles.

PlayStation - PS-IO (I can play PS1 backups via an SD card)
PS2 Slim - Free McBoot & FreeDVDBoot (I can play PS2 backups via DVD)
PSP - Custom Firmware (No idea what version I'm running.. I can play PS1 games, retro gaming emulators, and PSP backups via an SD card)
Wii - PortablizeMii (This has since been replaced by the developers with BBLoader. I can play retro gaming emulators, GameCube backups, and Wii backups via an external hard-drive)

The emulation on PSP and Wii isn't perfect, but it was making use of consoles that would otherwise sit gathering dust.. I've been tempted to mod my PS3, but as I still play it and have a decent library of games - it's too risky with potential bans. Likewise with my Vita, I play it less than the PS3 but I just don't fancy a ban!

I briefly dabbled with OPL on an original PS2 where I could play my PS2 backups via an external hard-drive, but many games had severe framerate issues.
 
One of my parents friends got our PS1 chipped back when we were kids so we were able to play pirated Harry Potter and Ape Escape. It was pretty good but those copies of the games always gave us trouble.

I've never actually modded a console myself. For the PS2 I got one of those MagicSwap things where you had to boot into a special disc and then use this plastic tool to drag the tray out so you could swap the disc with your DVD-R. I could never actually get the tool to work properly so I instead opted to leave the PS2's housing unscrewed permanently, and I'd just lift the cover to the disc tray anytime I needed to swap the disc.
As janky as that all was though, it was a brilliant thing to have as a 13 year old. No way I was gonna get ripped off from Gamestop anymore so with my 1MB DL broadband I felt like a total king with pretty much every PS2 game available to me.
 
I haven't modded since I was around 12 but I did used to have a soft-modded original Xbox that I modded myself. We used FlashFXP to transfer the files. DLC was the only thing we could mod since it was a soft mod. Some good memories. I remember using Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow to do it and also stopping the Halo 2 disc with a butter knife. I would go into multiplayer and mod and they would get so mad. I actually had some good mods like super jump, auto BR, and auto sniper, 360 auto aim and stuff like that.

Nowadays I don't do it because of how easy it is to get banned. I've taken a step back when it comes to modding anything. They ban your entire console and even new consoles you might get when you stop. Just not worth it.
 
I never had any modded consoles. My only experience with them was when I paid some guy $5 or $10 to use his modded console to create a GTA Online character with about $999 million. And then I would transfer the account from old generation to PS4 so that I could use it.
 
I had a modded ps1 with an endless amount of 'backup' games. I had mine chipped too, so that I didnt have to arse on changing the disks like my friends.

I found a guy in the local news paper to do it 😂
 
Loving the setups above from everyone. Once I got my hands on a ps5 I'll be doing some kind of paint job on it to stand out.
 
Just thought I would update, as it's been a while and things have changed!

So yeah, when I started this thread I had a modified GameCube, completely modernised and customised.

Now, I have (in addition)

- Game Boy Pocket, with custom shell, super bright backlog LCD with colour palletes and improved speaker.

- Game Boy Advance. COMPLETELY overhauled.. custom shell, IPS display, USB-C rechargeable lipo battery, enhanced speaker and an EZ-Flash cart.

- Nintendo 64. USA version but can play anything. With an RGB mod (video display. Not fancy colours! It has a fancy csync RGB SCART cable for optimal video)

- PlayStation. With a modchip and a custom paint job (by me)

- PlayStation 3 Slim. Jailbroken.

I also have an unmodified GameCube and Nintendo64 for.. reasons.

I've also got a Apple G4 Cube with its RAM maxed out and an SSD popped in (via an adapter) - not a console but I've been using it to play OG The Sims. 🤣
 
I slightly altered my PS2 slim setup to play backups from my PC via Ethernet.. It's the best way to do so, hardly any stuttering.

Otherwise my setup hasn't changed. I haven't had the time or money..
 
I picked up an Original Xbox back in September 2023, complete with a new clock capacitor and new thermal paste, because there's lots of issues with bulging capacitors on them and it saved me finding someone to do it..

It's purportedly one of the better console to modify for emulation and can be achieved with softmods, so that's exactly what I did with Rocky5. The process was relatively painless, the bigger pain was upgrading the HDD.
 
I'm thinking of offloading some of my modded handhelds. Reason being... Nintendo Switch Online! I can play the older games I like on there and have save states.

I do love my GBA, but its just sitting on a shelf.
 

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