Game Console Hacking: Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo, Atari, & Gamepark 32
Book Review
Game Console Hacking:
Xbox, Playstation, Nintendo, Atari, & Gamepark 32
Book Review
 By
Dale Farris, Vice PresidentGolden Triangle PC Club December 2004 General Overview This book has something for everyone, from the beginner hobbyist with no electronics or coding experience to the self-proclaimed "gadget geek." Whether you like to get your hands dirty with hacking hardware or whether you're an aspiring game developer, you will enjoy this unique book. The book will show you how to take an ordinary piece of equipment and turn it into a personal work of art, or build an existing idea to create something better. The way we customize our things says a lot about who we are. Who are you? The book has been written by true hackers, and it speaks mostly to the class of hacks that address the need to adapt and improve on existing consumer solutions. In November of 1977, Atari shipped its first 400,000 Video Computer Systems. Since that time, over 1.2 billion consoles have been sold worldwide, and a large percentage of those are still hanging around as "classic systems." An avid (some would say rabid) community of video game hackers and hardware geeks has developed around a common passion to push their consoles, and the games themselves, beyond the functionality originally intended by the manufacturers. This book is the first on the market to cover the entire range of consoles produced over the last 25 years (most game hacks and geeks own multiple platforms). It provides detailed instructions on how to customize and reconfigure consoles to a wide variety of ends - -from the cosmetic case modifications to the ambitious porting of Linux to the Nintendo GameCube. Platforms covered in this book include Atari, Nintendo, Playstation, Xbox, and Gamepark 32. Readers are cautioned to remember there is no guarantee of any kind, expressed or implied, regarding this book or its contents. In no event will the authors or the publisher be liable to readers for damages, including any loss of profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential damages arising out from the book or its contents. Also, readers are reminded that because some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, these limitations may not apply. You should always use reasonable care, including backup and other appropriate precautions, when working with computers, networks, data, and files. Hardware hacking today has hit the mainstream market, and computer and game console stores now sell accessories to customize your desktop PC and your console. Web sites are popping up like unemployed stock brokers to show off the latest hacks. This book has organized numerous nifty hacks classified into 4 categories, including personalization and customization, adding functionality, capacity or performance increase, and defeating protection and security mechanisms. For the hacks discussed, all the information you will need is in the book, and if a topic is not covered in intimate detail, the book includes references to other materials that do. If you just want to do the hack without worrying about the underlying theory behind it, you can do that, and the step-by-step sections include pictures and "how to" instruction. The details are in separate sections that you can skip right over and get to the fun part -- voiding your warranty! Readers are warned that these hacks will indeed void your warranty with whatever device is covered in the hack. If you are not willing to void the warranty on the device, then do not proceed to follow these instructions. You are reminded that once you void your warranty, you cannot send your hacked device to the factory for official repairs, because once you void the warranty, you own the device forever, whether the hack works or not. Hacks Discussed in the Book Revive your retro console! - Turn your old Atari 2600 into a fully featured PC It's Independence Day! - Hack your PlayStation 2 to boot code from the memory card. GP32?! Experiment with the Gamepark 32, the unfamiliar yet extremely hackable handheld system. Have you played Atari today? - Create an arcade-style Atari 5200 paddle controller or transform the Atari 2600 joystick into one that can be used by left-handed players. You can do that? - Run Linux on your Microsoft Xbox. Let there be light! - Add an Afterburner LCD front light to your GBA. Avoid the flashing blue screen! - Fix the infamous cartridge slot on the Nintendo NES Many more hacks and modifications! Table of Contents The ten (10) chapters are organized in four parts, and include the following titles. Part 1: Introduction to Hardware Hacking Ch 1: Tools of the Warranty Voiding Trade Ch 2: Case Modifications: Building and Atari 2600PC Part 2: Modern Game Consoles Ch 3: The Xbox Ch 4: PlayStation 2 Part 3: Handheld Game Platforms Ch 5: Nintendo Game Boy Advance Ch 6: Gamepark 32 (GP32) Part 4: Retro and Classic Systems Ch 7: Nintendo NES Ch 8: Atari 2600 Ch 9: Atari 5200 Ch 10: Atari 7800 Appendix A - Electrical Engineering Basics Appendix B - Coding 101, and Appendix C - Operating Systems Overview, are available via the companion website at www.syngress.com/solutions Target Readers This is a fascinating, over-sized book that is filled with major hacks for various of today's video game consoles, including the Xbox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo NES, along with the Atari and Gamepark 32. The material assumes some degree of comfort with electronics and electrical engineering, although you do not of course have to be an electrical engineer to perform the hacks. You will need to be comfortable with working with integrated circuits, electrical assembly, soldering wires, and dis-assembling electronic devices. Of course, you will also need to be comfortable with possibly ruining beyond repair the discussed device, if you fail to successfully complete the described hacks. This is a highly specialized book that specifically targets a unique audience, namely those confident in their skills and abilities to follow the excellent hacking instructions and step-by-step "how to hack" photographs that are replete throughout this important book. Book Contents 588 pages; paperbound; acknowledgements; foreword by Ralph H. Baer, "The Father of Video Games;" tons of close-up b/w photographs; tables; warning tips; need to know tips; figures; appendices; index Author and Technical Editor Joe Grand Special Foreword by Ralph Baer, "The Father of Video Games" Contributing Authors Marcus R. Brown Christopher Dolberg Jonathan S. Harbour Frank Thornton Albert Yarusso About the Author and Technical Editor Joe Grand is the author of "Hardware Hacking: Have Fun While Voiding Your Warrant," co-author (with Ryan Russell) of "Stealing the Network," and the president and CEO of Grand Idea Studio, a product design and development firm that brings unique inventions to market through intellectual property licensing. Many of his creations, including consumer electronics, medical products, video games, and toys are sold worldwide. A recognized name in computer security and electrical engineering, Joe's pioneering research on product design and analysis, mobile devices, and digital forensics is published in various industry journals. Joe has testified before the U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on the state of government and homeland security, and is a former member of the legendary hacker think-tank., L0pht Heavy Industries. He has presented his work at numerous academic, industry, and private forums, including the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School Center for INFOSEC Studies and Research, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations, the USENIX Security Symposium, and the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center. Joe holds a BSCD from Boston University. Joe is the author of chapter 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, and the appendices of the book ISBN July 2004 - First Edition 1-931836-31-0 List Price $39.95 $55.95 CAN About Syngress Publishing Syngress Publishing (www.syngress.com), headquartered in Rockland, Massachusetts, is an independent publisher of print and electronic reference materials for Information Technology professionals seeking skill enhancement and career advancement. Distributed throughout Europe, Asia, the U.S., and Canada, Syngress titles have been translated into twenty languages. The Company's pioneering customer support program, solutions@syngress.com, extends the value of every Syngress title with regular information updates and customer-driven author forums. Syngress books are distributed in the United States by O'Reilly & Associates. 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