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If I were to import a game like Shenmue from the UK to the US would I have to have a mod chip for my Dreamcast or could I just play it without it? And if I need a mod chip for it where could I get one at?
Yes, get your hands on a boot disc. They are quick and easy to use. No problem. I'm still trying to buy a US copy of the Dreamcast game "D2". Can't find one anywhere.
Nope, it's just like when you change discs during a two disc game, the console is programmed to wait for the next disc to be inserted.
FM, the thing is with a boot disc, wouldn't it cause an error when you open the lid of the DC to put the game in?
This may be a silly question, but I don't know much about boot discs etc.
This may be a silly question, but I don't know much about boot discs etc.
There's two ways of playing games from other regions on your Dreamcast.
Firstly you can have a 'mod chip' fitted. These invalidate any warranty on your Dreamcast, run the risk of overheating and forcing resets just when you're not expecting them. Most companies just post you the chip and instructions on how to fit it yourself. (You'll need to know how to use a soldering iron.) The cost varies from £20 for a DIY kit to £70 for a fitted service.
In March 2001 Australia passed legislation making these types of modification in any videogame system illegal, an unusual step, but one which other countries my follow.
The second easier way is to use a 'boot' disc. This was originally developed as a pirating tool. Because the Dreamcast uses GD-Rom discs, the boot disc is inserted into the Dreamcast first and provides instructions to the console to treat whatever format of disc is inserted next as GD-Rom format. The boot disc is then removed, a standard CD-Rom with a copied game from any region is inserted, and the Dreamcast plays it as a normal game.
The problem with this method is that the boot disc won't always work depending on who coded it, but they only cost £5.00 or so. The boot disc paved the way for mass scale pirating of videogames on the Dreamcast.
Unfortunately for the videogame industry, both mod chips and boot discs are widely available from the web. The game industry should really release games without regional coding, which was pioneered by the Hollywood movie industry to enable fair distribution of marketing funds for individual movie releases. This would rule out the need for mod chips and boot discs, and the only reason left to chip or use a boot disc then would be to use pirated games.
Firstly you can have a 'mod chip' fitted. These invalidate any warranty on your Dreamcast, run the risk of overheating and forcing resets just when you're not expecting them. Most companies just post you the chip and instructions on how to fit it yourself. (You'll need to know how to use a soldering iron.) The cost varies from £20 for a DIY kit to £70 for a fitted service.
In March 2001 Australia passed legislation making these types of modification in any videogame system illegal, an unusual step, but one which other countries my follow.
The second easier way is to use a 'boot' disc. This was originally developed as a pirating tool. Because the Dreamcast uses GD-Rom discs, the boot disc is inserted into the Dreamcast first and provides instructions to the console to treat whatever format of disc is inserted next as GD-Rom format. The boot disc is then removed, a standard CD-Rom with a copied game from any region is inserted, and the Dreamcast plays it as a normal game.
The problem with this method is that the boot disc won't always work depending on who coded it, but they only cost £5.00 or so. The boot disc paved the way for mass scale pirating of videogames on the Dreamcast.
Unfortunately for the videogame industry, both mod chips and boot discs are widely available from the web. The game industry should really release games without regional coding, which was pioneered by the Hollywood movie industry to enable fair distribution of marketing funds for individual movie releases. This would rule out the need for mod chips and boot discs, and the only reason left to chip or use a boot disc then would be to use pirated games.