LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Modchips
built 228 days ago
Modchips are evil and are the main reason that the game developers are making less money than they should. This is the number one argument against modchips brought forth by a phalanx of game developers, Industry lobbyists and government officials. The question remains if this holds true or if there are other motives behind using modchips on video game systems.
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Modchips are small circuit boards that are added to the Wii to enable users to copy games to standard disc formats. Nintendo has charged that they are used for piracy, although manufacturers and users point out that they have legitimate backup purposes.
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Modchips typically require some degree of technical acumen to install. Most commonly, modchips must be soldered to a console's circuitry, either by wires, or by directly soldering the modchip's PCB to the console's circuit ("quicksolder"). Some modchips allow to be installed by the precise positioning of electrical contacts ("solderless") or by being plugged into the consoles' internal wiring. In rare cases a modchip can be connected to a console's external interface. An example of this is for the PS2 a special memory card called the Memor 32 has the ability to be connected to a computer with a USB cord to store save games, However software can be downloaded off of the internet for free that will turn the memory card into an effective and simple modchip without ever opening the console. An example of this free software is Memento Firmware.
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Modchips don't change any of the PS2's software, nor do they alter the game software, they merely prevent the console from checking the validity of the disc. But even if they changed the software, you as the purchaser are legitimately entitled to do so. What you cannot do is alter the software, call it your own and start selling it. Far too many people confuse this with altering the software or hardware to suit your own personal needs, for your own personal use.
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In many other countries selling and using modchips is illegal. In the UK the EU Copyright Directive has been used by Microsoft and Sony to prevent sales of modchips. The EU Copyright Directive makes it illegal to circumvent copy protection systems. A similar law, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), makes it illegal in the USA.
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The legality of modchips in the United States is ambiguous. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) does not mention modchips in particular, but some may interpret the meaning of the law as stating that modchips are illegal because many are made specifically to circumvent the copy-protection features of their host systems. During the rise of Modchips for the original PlayStation, and prior to the DMCA, various import game dealers introduced a so-called anti-piracy or good Modchip, which was further developed to allow playback of import games, but not burned game discs.
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