As a serious gamer, I love seeing games before they reach our shores here in North America. But more than that, I am always looking for the best and most exclusive games that I can get my hands on. Unfortunately, many of those games just don’t make it to our side of the ocean from Japan. In general, since the days of the original Nintendo NES, Japanese gamers have enjoyed much more unique and often much better games than their North American counterparts. I have been very fortunate to be able to play many of these Japanese games while living in Japan, but when I returned to Canada, I simply couldn’t find many of the games that I had played with such pleasure while in Japan. Japan. So I searched and researched and found exactly what I needed to be able to put those Japanese games on the game console and really start playing again. What I found was a Mod Chip, for my PlayStation console. And I have been using mod chips ever since. I recently purchased and installed my Xbox 360 Mod Chip on my system, and have games from Japan on the way.
So what is a mod chip? Let me explain. A modding chip or mod chip is a device used to play import, backup, or homebrew games. Mod Chips first came to “fame” when hard-core gamers who were tired of the meager offerings that were available to them in the US wanted to get their hands on Japanese games, often best and most exclusive. for your game console. This is nothing new, even the Nintendo NES has a device that allowed gamers to plug Japanese Famicom cartridges into their US NES system so they could play those really unique Japanese games, or the latest Mario offering that was just available (or came out much earlier) in Japan.
Mod chips are available for all major video game consoles including Xbox 360, Xbox, Sony PSP, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and GameCube. Nearly all modern console game systems have hardware-based schemes that ensure only officially licensed games can be used with the system, and implement regional locking similar to the scheme used on DVD movies. The specific technical nature of these DRM systems varies by system and may include cryptographic signature (Xbox), intentionally unreadable sectors (PlayStation, Sega Saturn), custom optical media (GameCube, Dreamcast), or some combination thereof. Modchips are also available for some DVD players, to override region code enforcement and user operation prohibitions.
Mod Chips first came to “fame” when hard-core gamers who were tired of the meager offerings that were available to them in the US wanted to get their hands on Japanese games, often best and most exclusive. for your game console. This is nothing new, even the Nintendo NES has a device that allowed gamers to plug Japanese Famicom cartridges into their US NES system so they could play those really unique Japanese games, or the latest Mario offering that was just available (or came out much earlier) in Japan.
Modchips generally require some level of technical skill to install. Modchips typically need to be soldered to a console’s motherboard, although there are solderless installation kits (instead relying on the precise positioning of electrical contacts within the case) that work with some revisions of PlayStation 2 hardware. and Xbox.
As console systems got better and better, many home developers started creating their own software for their consoles. Software like Xbox Media Center (XMBC), as well as your own little games and programs for streaming video and audio. But in order to play/run this software, users are required to be able to load homebrew/unsigned code on their system. This is where mod chips come in. Not only do they allow you to play the latest game offerings from Japan, which, as noted above, are often far better both graphically and in terms of originality than games that are for the North American market.
As with any new system, and new mod chips coming out for the first time, we always run into a ton of “compatibility” issues. Just like when the ps2 mod chip first came out, they had chips (different chips) for each “version” of the ps2 console. And Xbox 360 mod chips are no exception. The first chips that came out were for very specific “versions” of the XBox 360. First it was a mod chip for Samsung drives… Meaning if your XBox 360 had a Samsung DVD drive then you needed to buy one Xbox 360 mod chip that worked on SAMSUNG unit, to bypass current firmware.
Then the Team Underdog chip came out, this chip had 2 versions. One for Samsung units and one for LG/Hitachi units. Again, you were “stuck” having to figure out exactly which Xbox 360 you had in order to select the correct chip for your console.
Now, as with most developments in the world of mod chip making, eventually some very smart programmers and developers finally get it right. Naturally, it’s common sense to assume that customers are much more likely to buy a mod chip for their Xbox 360 if they can remove the “version” check and buy a chip that they KNOW will work in their Xbox 360 console. …For Of course, when you take it apart after you receive your chip, you WILL have to find out what model you have so you can use the correct installation instructions, but you don’t have to fret or worry that the chip you bought may NOT be compatible with your XBox 360.
As with any product, customers want the peace of mind that what they are buying will simply WORK and, in the case of modified chips, will work in their Xbox 360 console regardless of which version of Xbox 360 they purchased.
The Globe 360 Xbox 360 Mod Chip arrives. The Globe 360 is the world’s first Xbox 360 mod chip that is compatible with ALL DVD drives currently on the market! Instead of having to figure out what drive model you have like you do with other chips, the Globe360 Xbox 360 Mod Chip works on ANY drive model to date. And the home brewing software that is available is outstanding, and I expect it to get much better. My Xbox already acts as a full media center, even streaming Google videos directly from the Internet. And my PlayStation 2 has been transformed from an amazing gaming machine to a DVD player, DivX player, MP3 player and streaming content directly to the console from the internet makes it something I couldn’t do without.
To sum it up, if you own an Xbox 360, then you should really consider getting an Xbox 360 mod chip. Not only will you be able to protect your expensive investments by backing up your own original games and saving the originals to keep them safe, but you’ll also open up a whole new world of games that you just couldn’t. play differently. There are truly unique (and playable) Japanese games that we simply will never see otherwise. And if homemade or cool utilities, apps or plugins are your thing, then having a mod chip is an absolute must.