Crazy new GC hacking idea

[DreamlanD]

I don't know if anyone has tried this before, but it sounds like it *might* work. If anybody has ever played the game Phantasy Star Online, you know how it can download quests from Sega's servers. Well, some of them look like they were too complicated to have been programmed into the game when it was released, so maybe Sega added the capacity for the game to download new code from its servers. If this is true, it would obviously mean the possibility of running custom code on the cube and doing pretty much anything. Of course, this all depends on how much security Sega put into the game's protocol, but looking at some of the fan sites it looks like they left a lot of loopholes open for hacks. I first got this idea from the dextrose boards, and there's no guarantee that it'll work but I don't see any better ideas right now

[ABCMan]

i think the missed point here is that ANYTHING downloaded into the cube (inc using the loopholes and bugs in pso) still come in to a machine that has passed NINTENDOS media and software verification checks (ie the pso disc) and thats where it hits the hurdle, you would still need a pressed boot disc along with the code to download something from a server (pc?), it is possible i would guess to use an exploit in an online title to allow you to download and execute small pieces of code in that way (possibly even a small ftp program combined with a "lid switch" to fool the cube rinto thinking the media had not being changed could allow xbox style ftping of original discs to your pc, however reading them back is a whole world away from getting the data off

[Fett]

I was speaking to these guys in irc (They are well respected in DC and GBA devving) These guys are working on ideas at the moment.

http://216.167.73.47/~dovoto/Gamecube/main.htm

[novaman]

question for ABCMan, once the freeloader is released, u think that it will help speed up the release of fully working modchip & isos?

also, the modchip/s u have mentioned in other threads, does this/these only bypass some & not all of the cube's protections?

thanx

[jnglst1]

http://sourceforge.net/projects/psoproxy/

This software allows you too download PSO images (snapshots)from Gamecube to PC via BB adapter. I thinks thats about the most you will get out of PSO and a broadband adapter.

[DreamlanD]

Originally posted by ABCMan
i think the missed point here is that ANYTHING downloaded into the cube (inc using the loopholes and bugs in pso) still come in to a machine that has passed NINTENDOS media and software verification checks (ie the pso disc) and thats where it hits the hurdle, you would still need a pressed boot disc along with the code to download something from a server (pc?), it is possible i would guess to use an exploit in an online title to allow you to download and execute small pieces of code in that way (possibly even a small ftp program combined with a "lid switch" to fool the cube rinto thinking the media had not being changed could allow xbox style ftping of original discs to your pc, however reading them back is a whole world away from getting the data off

Hmmm, so you're saying that all of the executables are signed like on the X-Box? Still, I think downloading the files on the DVD would be better than nothing. And perhaps you could find some loophole in the GC OS that allowed for game data to be streamed from a PC instead of loaded off a DVD, perhaps by writing a custom ELF loader that changed the OS functions that read off the DVD. Then again, maybe Nintendo put some stuff in the OS that would make it impossible to load a new game while one is already running, I don't know

I was speaking to these guys in irc (They are well respected in DC and GBA devving) These guys are working on ideas at the moment.

http://216.167.73.47/~dovoto/Gamecube/main.htm

Link doesn't work =(
Sounds interesting though, I'd be willing to help. What channel was it?

[El_Dadou]

reading games is no longer the problem , at least one group successfully did , and ISO are available to " competent" people for a long time .
the problem is how to successfully boot em on a GC , as the auth used on the GC is not applicable on a miniDVDR media ...
i don't wanna stop your enthusiasm , but don't kill yourself thinking how to do such things , as competents people already did , or are
just a matter of time m8 , be patient !

[DreamlanD]

Originally posted by El_Dadou
reading games is no longer the problem , at least one group successfully did , and ISO are available to " competent" people for a long time .
the problem is how to successfully boot em on a GC , as the auth used on the GC is not applicable on a miniDVDR media ...
i don't wanna stop your enthusiasm , but don't kill yourself thinking how to do such things , as competents people already did , or are
just a matter of time m8 , be patient !

I've heard that too but I'm interested in seeing what is on the ISO's also and I definitely don't want to wait another few months for updates on mod chips that may or may not exist when I can do something right now....

[novaman]

Originally posted by El_Dadou
reading games is no longer the problem , at least one group successfully did , and ISO are available to " competent" people for a long time .
the problem is how to successfully boot em on a GC , as the auth used on the GC is not applicable on a miniDVDR media ...
i don't wanna stop your enthusiasm , but don't kill yourself thinking how to do such things , as competents people already did , or are
just a matter of time m8 , be patient !

thanx for the info El_Dadou

u mention that the problem is the auth used on GC is not applicable on miniDVDR, do u know if this is the only remaining problem for team/s working on the crack? or are there more problems too? have all other protections been bypassed?

[ABCMan]

Originally posted by novaman
thanx for the info El_Dadou

u mention that the problem is the auth used on GC is not applicable on miniDVDR, do u know if this is the only remaining problem for team/s working on the crack? or are there more problems too? have all other protections been bypassed?

ONLY problem? the patented hardware media verification check is whats held up the freeloader for the last 8 months, this check is performed by the actual drive before it allows data to be passed to the cube, it goes beyond good, you need to be a true genius (with lots of cash) to get anywhere close to cracking it, thats why so few people have.

[novaman]

Originally posted by ABCMan
ONLY problem? the patented hardware media verification check is whats held up the freeloader for the last 8 months, this check is performed by the actual drive before it allows data to be passed to the cube, it goes beyond good, you need to be a true genius (with lots of cash) to get anywhere close to cracking it, thats why so few people have.

thanx for clarifying that ABCMan. i never realised the extreme level of complexities involved in cracking this. it makes u think that M$ & sony almost invited their systems to be cracked, as they too, could've included complex protections similar to those in the gamecube.

[flinty]

Lets hope the freeloader can open different avenues.



Flinty

[DreamlanD]

I don't get how exactly the freeloader would help? It can load games from different regions, but I think that would be pretty different from loading backups. Anyway, I still would think that a software-based solution is easier than trying to hack the DVD-drive, especially since as you said the protection is in the firmware.

[flinty]

well the region x was only a region free dvd player for ps2 but it had very nice side effects didnt it

Flinty

[X-He]

Why don't they remove the dvd drive of an gcn and replace it with an PC or ps2 drive???
Then they only need to make an modchip for fooling the os so it things that the correct drive is in

Well this would cost much money but it's an start i thing.

greetz,
He@!