ToToTEK.COM

[Yuan]

Hi. First of all, I own some the Tototek’s flashcards and they are a real treat for the game enthusiast; my congratulations and gratitude. (I still eagerly wait for Wonderswan, Neo-Geo Pocket, Nintendo64, and a GOOD GameBoy/GameBoy Color one)!

This might be a stupid or improbable idea, but I don't lose anything suggesting it.

I'm not exactly sure how it works, but the lens in a CD-ROM based console sends requested data to the console's RAM (after reading the initial copy protection, region...), right?

My question/suggestion is: is it possible to make a component that attaches to the CD-ROM's BUS in a console such as the PlayStation or Saturn that can read a CD image from another storage device (such as an SD-Card)? Some mechanism that replaces the original lens that will interpret the addresses requested, look for them in other media, and send the information back to the console?

If that were possible, one wouldn't need compatible CDs to make backups (at compatible speeds), just copy them into some media device. It would also make the console live a much longer time, since the mechanical components wear very much; possibly even REVIVE some equipment which has nothing but the lens/CD-ROM mechanism damaged. Also, loading times would maybe be shorter, and the media would be much more reliable.

In addition, the Dreamcast, which to my knowledge has no way to play perfect backups of games since GD-ROMs are not easy to produce, might have a chance to play complete games.

I had the crazy idea that it could be possible with media like SD-Cards, because the loading time on such consoles is "much more forgiving" than on cartridge based ones, like the Super Famicom.

I am a video game collector, and I never liked the idea of having a (much faster) perishable mechanical component on a console. The only ones that ever died on me out of my 50-something collection all just have faulty CD mechanisms. Replacements are expensive, and I personally find it ridiculous that you end up with some perfectly expensive hardware that just went blind and can’t read your games, but works fine other than that.

Well, I would definitely buy such a thing, if it could be constructed.

Keep up the good work!

[rbudrick]

The idea of attaching to the optical drive's bus is a nice one, but every drive is so different. In order to make it universal, it would have to read through the lens. I've thought of such an imaginary device before, but no one has invented any kind of optical device that can change its consistency to match the flash and send to the laser on the fly. The closest thing is a CD-R (or DVD-R, or whatever). It'd be cool, but the production of what I explain would probably cost millions to develop.

Unfortunately, reading through the bus is going to be problematic. Maybe not impossible on a system to system basis, but it would be incredibly more complex than designing a flash card.

-Rob

[Yuan]

Millions to develop...

But one thing: it is still theoretically possible, isn't it?

In the meantime how about N64, Wonderswan, or NeoGeo Pocket?

Thanks for the reply.

[rbudrick]

[Trenton_net]

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't that the same thing people are doing with the PS2? Ok, perhaps not exactly the same since they may simply be reprogramming the bios to access a HD instead, rather than going through the CD-ROM Subsystem, but I guess the net-effect is the same.

[madman]

There are flashcarts for the NGPC and Wonderswan, but talking about emulating a ROM chip via a flash chip (essentially the same thing) and talking about emulating a CD-ROM via a flash chip are completely different things. The closest thing to a flashcart for the N64 today is the V64jr. I heard Neo Flash is supposed to be coming out w/an N64 flash cart.