Hack Your Console
by m0tion
You may be saying to yourself, "Hack your console? You mean, like my Nintendo64?"
If you've never heard of it, yes, you can "hack" your console. This is not your traditional "hacking" as far as getting into systems by cracking passwords, but rather, using your console as it was not meant to be used.
First off, let me start by saying that I think the idea of consoles is great, obviously not as good as computers, but great nonetheless. I also think the games are overpriced ($60 for a game it costs them $5 to make? Get real...) and many people agree. There are ways to take your Nintendo 64 and turn it into the real ultimate fun machine, especially for you programmers out there.
Back-Up Devices
You see, these super little inventions called "back-up devices" have been invented for the Nintendo 64. And they do, much as the name suggests, back-up games.
You can take a game, and copy the Read-Only Memory (ROM) image and SRAM image to a form of media (varies from each back-up device). This is so that if your cartridge is damaged or broken, or you accidentally delete a saved game, you have a ready back-up of such things and don't have to spend money on a new one.
These back-up devices are mainly made in mainland China and are imported to the U.S. or Canada for sale. You may also see them mentioned in the back of Nintendo's game manuals stating that they are illegal and you will be prosecuted if you use one. But, make no mistake, the right to back-up your own electronic information is perfectly legal. Reasons why Nintendo still tries to convince people they're illegal are unknown.
Other Uses
Here is where the real legal issues come in.
If you back-up a rented game, or a friend's Nintendo game and keep the ROM, you are committing piracy. This also applies to those of you who may download ROMs over the Internet (many FTP and HTTP sites offer this).
However, yes, it is possible (and very easy) to download or back-up ROMs from friends and play them for "free" on such back-up devices. So, basically, if you're willing to live with committing a crime (and you'll probably never get caught), you can buy a back-up device and download every game for the Nintendo 64 and play them freely.
Also, and here is the real good part, you can program for the Nintendo 64 and play the games you've programmed or upload them to sites on the Internet for others to play. There are many SDKs full of image and object libraries available on the Internet for the Nintendo 64. Such devices similar (almost identical) to the back-up devices are available from Nintendo Inc. for up to $40,000.
Types of Back-Up Devices
There are basically three mainstream (if you can call them that) back-up devices.
I will go through the names and descriptions one at a time.
Mr. Backup (Z64) - This is the back-up device I own (and probably the most favored). It loads on top of the Nintendo 64 in the cartridge slot and has a slot on the side of the device for a cartridge to be inserted. On the right side of the device there is an Iomega Zip drive for inserting Zip disks. And finally on the top of the device there is an LCD display which gives options and shows the ROM contents of the Zip disk.
This device runs off of a i386SX/40 and has a flashable BIOS chip. It runs off a 5V power supply and also has an option to connect a CD-ROM or SyQuest SparQ drive to the inside, although these have to be powered externally. The Zip drive is connected through regular IDE cables.
Doctor64 (V64) - This is a very good back-up device, although not as versatile as the Z64. It comes with a CD-ROM and loads on the bottom of the Nintendo 64 (in the EXT slot). Its BIOS displays onscreen (also flashable) and has options and also shows the ROM contents of the CD. Now, you cannot back-up directly onto the CD, obviously, so you must connect it via parallel port to a computer and the ROM image must be transferred to the hard drive. You can then burn ROMs to a CD for use. This device also supports Audio CD play and Video CD (VCD) play. Recently they started supporting MPEG-1.
CD64 - This device is very similar to the V64. It uses a CD-ROM also and has all the options of the V64 (including parallel port). However this does not support audio CD, VCD, or MPEG-1 play. Not necessarily a large disadvantage, but a disadvantage nonetheless. This also loads through the bottom of the Nintendo 64.
Where? How Much?
These back-up devices are widely available over the Internet (in fact they're not available much anywhere else).
The Z64 will run you about $350 and can be ordered at www.z64.com. The V64 is about $280 and can be ordered at www.carlind.com. The CD64 will run you about $180 and is available at www.cd64.com. There are also NES, Game Boy, and Super NES back-up devices available which are similar to those above except they take 3.5" floppy disks. They are available along with some other cool console stuff at: surf.to/vividbarrier
Additional information about all N64 systems is available at www.dextrose.com. I highly suggest you take a look at this page for more information before you order. You can also talk to many people who own such devices (and sometimes people from the companies above) on IRC. Just go to #n64roms on EFnet.
Final Notes
Some additional notes about system RAM.
The way the ROM is played it is loaded from the media onto system RAM. Currently there are three image sizes for the N64 which are 64 megabit, 96 megabit, and 128 megabit. Remember, 128 megabit is equal to 16 megabyte (megabyte is probably the term you're more familiar with, it's what your hard drive is measured in) and all systems ship with 16 megabytes of RAM which supports all games.
However, new games coming out are up to 256 megabit (32 megabyte) which would require an upgrade to 32 megabytes of RAM. All systems have this ability and if you wish to program games that range about 128 megabit, you must also upgrade your RAM.
Programming Note: You are not limited to 64 megabit, 96 megabit, or 128 megabit. Your program for the N64 can be any size as long as you have enough RAM to support it.
Ordering Notes: All the companies listed above are completely legitimate. However, I have heard of shady companies out there that try to rip you off. I would suggest checking the companies out before you order from them. I have done business with the companies above and have had no problem with service from them.
Once again I'd like to state that copying games is illegal but backing up is not. I know many people who have bought these systems for the purpose of copying games and it has worked perfectly with every game, but this doesn't make it "legal." It's basically your call whether you want to break the law or not.