Many Hackaday readers might remember the days of buying modchips from somewhat questionable sources. These little devices connect to a gaming system to circumvent security measures, allowing you to run homebrew games (and pirated games, but lets not focus on that). [Guillermo] built an open source hardware Gamecube modchip based on the XenoGC.
The XenoGC was a popular modchip back in the Gamecube days, and its source was released in a forum post. A Wiki page explains how to build a clone of the device based on an ATtiny2313. Most modchips were closed source, but this project lets you look at how they work. You can browse the XenoGC source on Google Code to learn more about the exploit itself. You’ll find the AVR code, which manipulates the DVD drive over a serial interface, in the XenoAT folder.
[Guillermo]’s hardware is available from OSHPark, so you can easily order boards. He’s also hosted the design files on Github. With one in hand, you can start building homebrew for the Gamecube, which can probably be picked up for around $25 nowadays.
What kind of hardware power does the gamecube have? Can it run xbmc?
Not powerful enough.. but you could probably run Linux on it. :)
There is Gamecube Linux so…
http://www.gc-linux.org/wiki/Main_Page
There you go! ;) I’ll have to give it a go!
If you’re looking for a GC-Linux Kernel, check out my GitHub:
https://github.com/Nold360/GC-Linux-Kernel-2.6.32
AFAIK it’s the newest and includes my beta SDHC driver…
Also i wrote a tutorial a while ago:
http://www.gc-forever.com/wiki/index.php?title=GC-Linux_with_rootFS_on_SD
At its heart, the CPU is basically the same core design used in the Macintosh iBook G3’s. So no, it won’t run XBMC.
Very cool.
In the Wiki they use an Atmega8, not an 2313.
The Wii also have a few open source or closed source but prebuilt binaries modchip codes readily available for you to burn it to a microcontroller. Yaosm, Chiip and alot more. I use Yaosm and it works great!
Does the chip get you anything over softmodding?
is there a xbox version ?
somebody better go do some fact checking…
the modchip is based on an ATmega8 not an ATmega2313.