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[doncale]

Are there any places still around where you can send them your Sega Saturn and they'll mod it for you? need urls, please! i've looked on google but most of that stuff is years old. still looking though. I have about 55 or so import Saturn games and MUST back them up, and obviously need a Saturn modded to run these backups.

thanks in advance


p.s. I wish the industry would move towards better disc protection. I take care of my game discs but they are still vulnerable regardless.

 

[BenT]

Assuming you mean a region switch mod and not an asshole piracy mod, drop a line to the folks at National Console Support. They should still offer this service for $35 or so, though I can't find the specific page about it anymore.

 

[emerge]

Buy a chip and install it yourself?

 

[cvxfreak]

I would like to know the answer to this question as well.

 

[NotMSRP]

Piracy concerns for dead consoles is moot.

 

[djtiesto]

NCSX did a mod, for like $30, to be able to toggle from Japanese to American... I don't know if it could play backups (never tried)

 

[Alex Anderson]

I don't think a simple modchip will allow you to play backups of Saturn games.

 

[emerge]

No, you cannot play CD-R with an import mod. The import mod is just a solder job that exchanges the regional jumpers for one to a couple of switches and maybe provides a switch for 50/60Hz too, at least if you mod a PAL Saturn. That mod is quite easy to do with a soldering iron, some wire and some SPDT or DPDT switches.

The thing with Saturn CDs is, that they have some kind of copy protection information on the outer ring of the disk. Normal CD-Drives can not read that information afaik, so in order to play CD-R on the Saturn you need to install a little modboard between the CD-Drive unit and the mainboard which does whatever i don't know. Of course, these modboards are not exactly in high demand now and thus apparently not so easy to get anymore. Doing a google search for "saturn modchip" turned up at least two places in the US though that still sell these little boards: http://www.jandaman.com/games.mvc?p=satmod&Category_code=SAT and http://www.consoleaccessories.com/cls013.asp Also available from HK at http://www.lan-kwei.com/saturnE/ and from China at http://www.xinga.com/catalog.php?list=SS (can't beat $4US at qts. > 50 ^^).

 

[BeOnEdge]

you can swap discs without a chip to play saturn backups. its a pain though. you have to have a saturn with the "access" light. you also have to make it so your saturn can open up without detecting the open door. i forgot how to do it though. anyway, you boot a normal game, access light blinks like 3 or 4 times and you swap discs. the 3 blink access is reading what the above poster just talked about. theres some kind of encoding on the outer disk. you swap after it reads this code. i havent done it in years.

 

[3rdman]

http://www.phantasy-star-universe.com/

Everything you'd ever want to about your Saturn and them some...tell 'em I said Hi!

 

[Miburou]

Wouldn't be easier (and cheaper) to be a Japanese Saturn?

 

[RevenantKioku]

you can swap discs without a chip to play saturn backups. its a pain though. you have to have a saturn with the "access" light. you also have to make it so your saturn can open up without detecting the open door. i forgot how to do it though. anyway, you boot a normal game, access light blinks like 3 or 4 times and you swap discs. the 3 blink access is reading what the above poster just talked about. theres some kind of encoding on the outer disk. you swap after it reads this code. i havent done it in years.

^^
This method works well, haha. Just duct tape the connector that lets the Saturn know the door is closed. Also, if you rip the japanese games, you can change the region with a patch, and then play it on the US Saturn.
I just eventually bought a JPN Saturn.

 

[FortNinety]

I could be totally wrong, but I used to have a first gen Saturn that was modded to play import games. Then that system was stolen when my apartment was robbed, so I got another unit, the second generation model, without the access lighs. I went back to the modder and he told me that those systems are almost impossible to mod correctly without some great deal of pain or degree of risk. He suggested that I simply get a mod cart, so I got the popular one that also serves as a RAM back up, plus 4 Meg cart. Just throwing this out there...

 

[NotMSRP]

Wouldn't be easier (and cheaper) to be a Japanese Saturn?

Still doesn't allow you to play CDRs, and with a lot of rare imports being expensive, you'll want to use a dummy copy instead of the expensive, collectible original copy.

 

[Tsubaki]

Piracy concerns for dead consoles is moot.

Yay, so everyone wait a year or two for the next gen to start. Then it'll be ok to pirate GC, PS2, and XB games! Makes perfect sense!

 

[swoon]

you can swap discs without a chip to play saturn backups. its a pain though. you have to have a saturn with the "access" light. you also have to make it so your saturn can open up without detecting the open door. i forgot how to do it though. anyway, you boot a normal game, access light blinks like 3 or 4 times and you swap discs. the 3 blink access is reading what the above poster just talked about. theres some kind of encoding on the outer disk. you swap after it reads this code. i havent done it in years.

yea. that's what i do. you get really good at after awhile.

 

[bobbyconover]

Yay, so everyone wait a year or two for the next gen to start. Then it'll be ok to pirate GC, PS2, and XB games! Makes perfect sense!

No. It'll be OK when none of the games are available in any stores, and used copies of certain games are selling for $200 on eBay. Also, you're off by a generation. Saturn is a dead console that was followed up by another console which is ALSO now a dead console. It's not like the next generation (after Saturn) has just begun. It came, went, and is long since dead and buried. Would you really rather that people interested in playing games like PDS or Radiant Silvergun be forced to spend hundreds of dollars on them, not a dime of which the developers of the games will see? It seems like that's taking the whole anti-piracy fervor to an absurd extreme.

In fact, I don't even think most of the people who get all high and mighty about piracy on this forum practice what they preach. I can think of at least 10 or 15 people - most of them well-known and respected - who I know for a fact have pirated as few as one and as many as several thousand current and last-gen games. Yet they put on a staunch anti-piracy / anti-mp3 face as soon as the topic comes up in public. For most, it's all just a big fat attempt to look good, which I guess is understandable considering the number of "insiders" and developers who frequent this board... but when it comes to fighting for the rights of stuff like Saturn games, which are impossible to pay the developers for even if you wanted to, some of you guys seriously need to give it a rest.

 

[FortNinety]

No. It'll be OK when none of the games are available in any stores, and used copies of certain games are selling for $200 on eBay. Also, you're off by a generation. Saturn is a dead console that was followed up by another console which is ALSO now a dead console. It's not like the next generation (after Saturn) has just begun. It came, went, and is long since dead and buried. Would you really rather that people interested in playing games like PDS or Radiant Silvergun be forced to spend hundreds of dollars on them, not a dime of which the developers of the games will see? It seems like that's taking the whole anti-piracy fervor to an absurd extreme.

In fact, I don't even think most of the people who get all high and mighty about piracy on this forum practice what they preach. I can think of at least 10 or 15 people - most of them well-known and respected - who I know for a fact have pirated as few as one and as many as several thousand current and last-gen games. Yet they put on a staunch anti-piracy / anti-mp3 face as soon as the topic comes up in public. For most, it's all just a big fat attempt to look good, which I guess is understandable considering the number of "insiders" and developers who frequent this board... but when it comes to fighting for the rights of stuff like Saturn games, which are impossible to pay the developers for even if you wanted to, some of you guys seriously need to give it a rest.

Speaking as someone who used to "work in the industry", I for one do not throw a hissy fit about piracy. When I worked on a game, I was paid a fee for the job and that was it. If I was paid via residuals and royalties, perhaps I'd feel differently, but as is, the only who is getting hurt is the publisher, and considering the ratio between how much I got paid to design a game compared to how much the company made in profits is practically 1 to 100, perhaps you can see my position.

It's like the music piracy debate. If you ask some small time indie musician about mp3s of his or her work floating around, 95% of them will be elated cuz it means the music is getting exposure, and hopefully, the chances of getting recognized and building a following will increase. Meanwhile, who's doing all the complaining? Big record companies who know they've been shafting the public and is finally seeing their way of business getting undermined. As for the musicians complaining, it's the big guys who are past their prime and simply want every last cent they can get, even though they really don't need (or perhaps deserve) it.

I know the comparison between the music and game industry is not exactly valid, but perhaps you can see my point. I'm not advocating pirarcy, but as Bobby suggests, I think a lot of people's public voice on it is just lip service. Afterall, when someone pirates an obscure game from a foreign country, they are looked down upon and told to track down the original. Okay, so how does one do so? There's import shops, though that can be pretty expensive. Needless to say, the shop has to cover the the price of purchasing the game in the first place, plus make a profit via a second transaction... which not only fails to benefit the game's manufacturer, but also happens to be an illegal practice if I'm not mistaken. But better that than those on eBay who ride the fine between game enthusiasts' best friends and con artists.

All I'm trying to say is that no one's hands are exactly clean when it comes to import gaming, so it should not be elevated to some noble endeavor when compared to piracy. Hell, I'll admit it... I have tons of bootleg games, almost all are completely obscure import titles which I think most import shops were not at all interested in carrying the original product at the time of their release. At least some of these games are getting some sort of exposure and I'm happy to have had the chance to play them... and as a designer, some of them have been quite beneficial in terms of being sources of ideas and inspirations.

Plus, I've noticed a vast majority of those who so publicly denounce piracy actually engages in the practice on the side.

 

[BenT]

The old "everyone does it, especially the pious anti-piracy nuts" argument pisses me off. It's a lame attempt to smear others in the same mud that the pirates are already covered in. Guess what? My collection is 100% legit, and there's some rather obscure stuff in there, with more on the way. If I want a rare import game, I track it down and buy it. This happens a lot. Given a bit of time, it's not hard to find 99% of the games you'd want to buy from Japan.

Further, people on eBay aren't "con artists." They're sellers interacting in a free market. Having previously paid for the goods they're selling, they have every right to expect the going market value when they try to sell them. In fact, eBay is very democratic in the sense that it's the buyers that typically set the price. Shall we blame the honest gamers who drive these prices up, now? Those sheep!

Games are a luxury item, not a right. Stealing is never okay in any moral code I've heard of, whether or not you perceive the original game creator as getting money from a transaction. Someone deserves that cash, even if it's someone thrice removed.

(I know, I sound like a damn Republican, god help me. )

 

[drohne]

i have hundreds of original games, and i buy way too many old games off ebay. because i like having them as well as playing them. but until videogames are catalogued and stocked more like music or movies, where succesful or well-regarded titles are kept in print more or less in perpetuity, i can't really criticize people who pirate old, rare games. hell, i've pirated snatcher and rakugaki showtime (the latter is artificially scarce because it was actually recalled shortly after its release...some copyright dispute). as well as dozens of arcade games via emulation.

i have almost all the saturn games i want, but i still think i'll get my saturn chipped at some point just to try games that are in some way interesting but don't merit their secondhand prices. damned if i'm paying ~$200 for taroumaru or crows.

 

[BenT]

I'd agree with your argument if it were true that "old, rare games" were impossible to find. They're not, though. So ... yeah. Back at stealing again. It'd be more honest if you just said "I'm not prepared to pay the prices that games I want demand, so I'll pay for a CD-R and rip them off the Internet."

I think the word "rare" (and I just used it in my post above, admittedly) is somewhat inappropriate when it comes to most modern video games. Is Radiant Silvergun rare? It's scarce, but you can also find a bunch of copies on eBay at most given times. So if you want it, it's there. Same for Rakugaki Showtime, of which I just bought a complete copy this year. I'm glad I didn't steal it.

If your problem is not scarcity but price, then we're back at the "games are a luxury" bit. Hooray for capitalism, or something.

 

[FortNinety]

The old "everyone does it, especially the pious anti-piracy nuts" argument pisses me off. It's a lame attempt to smear others in the same mud that the pirates are already covered in.

Don't be annoyed at someone for pointing out hypocrisy amongst a group if you're not one of them. If you are indeed noble, then you shouldn't be upset. I'm just saying many of those who are so high and mighty about morals and ethics, at least when it comes to "petty things" like songs and games, generally are not always honest.

And again, I'm speaking as someone whom many of those said people like to speak on my behalf. I'm just giving an opinion which actually goes against their assumptions. I don't dare speak for every game designer or developer of course, I'm just giving my two cents.

Guess what? My collection is 100% legit, and there's some rather obscure stuff in there, with more on the way. If I want a rare import game, I track it down and buy it. This happens a lot. Given a bit of time, it's not hard to find 99% of the games you'd want to buy from Japan.

Well if you can track down actual copies of Love Love 2 or Gacta-Sun for the PSone, then let me know. I'll gladly buy it from you.

As I stated beforehand, almost virtually every copied game I have are totally obscure titles, meaning I didn't even know they existed until I played them. And to this day, the populous at large still do not know of their existence. Some are actual games that came out at one point or another, others are simply creations done my enthusiasts and shared among similar minds. And speaking as someone who's "created" stuff, I don't mind if people do not pay for my endeavors, at least if it's not at the cost of my livelihood or something equally at stake. The economics of using one's creation as a tool for profit is still not something every creative type exactly gels with. I'm sure some of folks who made those games which they assumed no one would ever play are just happy that such is not the case. Lord knows I've made games for no profit (or at a personal cost), but the knowledge that it's at least being enjoyed just makes me happy. If I sound like I'm spewing total bullshit, so be it... it's hard to explain, so I don't expect everyone to do so.

But still, stealing is stealing as you said, right? Well I honestly feel the games I have come across has benefited me in a variety of shape and form, so I can't feel too guilty about it. Plus I do try to give them the credit that they are due... via exposure, by writing about them and the such (or at least will be very soon).

Further, people on eBay aren't "con artists." They're sellers interacting in a free market. Having previously paid for the goods they're selling, they have every right to expect the going market value when they try to sell them. In fact, eBay is very democratic in the sense that it's the buyers that typically set the price. Shall we blame the honest gamers who drive these prices up, now? Those sheep!

Well obviously we've had totally different eBay experiences, I'll just leave it at that.

 

[DDayton]

Still doesn't allow you to play CDRs, and with a lot of rare imports being expensive, you'll want to use a dummy copy instead of the expensive, collectible original copy.

Yah, you don't want that there laser hitting the precious collectible. It might reflect it or something.

(Cough)

 

[drohne]

of course a game's scarcity doesn't change the morality or immorality of pirating it. it's just a question of whether a game merits its price. i'm quite glad i pirated rakugaki showtime, because i'm a treasure fan and i'm curious about their work, but it isn't nearly worth its market price. not to me, anyway. i'm also glad i pirated snatcher, because it's utter crap.

i don't really want to get into it, but it's not very compelling to simply assert that software piracy is theft, and that theft is wrong because no one believes it's right. you'll have to explain exactly what you find morally objectionable in copying a game that isn't in print and never will be in print again.

if i stole your copy of rakugaki showtime, you wouldn't have it anymore. i would find that immoral. if i pirated rakugaki showtime while it was still in print, i'd be circumventing the creator's attempt to receive compensation for their work. i'd find that immoral too. i honestly don't see the moral breach in copying the game once it's out of print, though. it's clearly illegal. but i don't find it immoral. i do believe and participate in the sale of intellectual property, but after a certain point i don't think that information should be entirely subjugated to the needs of commerce.

edit: though it's irrelevant, i should note that i collect lots of old, "rare" games. i just paid nearly $100 for gleylancer, though i've had the rom for years. but i don't buy old games out of moral obligation; i buy them because i want them.