Qoob chip
Encyclopedia
Qoob Chip is a modchip
for the Nintendo GameCube
, which allows the user to run unlicensed software such as BIOS replacements like GCOS, emulator
s, backup tools, and even operating systems such as Linux
. The chip comes in two versions: SX and Pro.
joke, since it was said it supported direct booting of media instead of having to swap with an original disc, which none of the other modchips available at the time could. Qoob Chip however was released with all its said features on April 12, 2005 twenty two days after the first announcement of the product.
connector for easy updating.
List of features:
List of features:
FPGA, a flash memory (size depends on version) and a cable connector for the cables which are to be soldered onto the Gamecube mainboard. The Pro version also includes a flex cable connector, a highspeed USB controller, a USB connector board and an integrated status LED.
Since there is a connector for the cables integrated to the chip there is no need to solder the cables onto the chip, eliminating accidental burning of the chip. There are six wires which are to be soldered onto the Gamecube mainboard, making the Qoob chip installation difficult for some users.
Modchip
A modchip is a small electronic device used to modify or disable built-in restrictions and limitations of computers, specifically videogame consoles...
for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, which allows the user to run unlicensed software such as BIOS replacements like GCOS, emulator
Emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software or both that duplicates the functions of a first computer system in a different second computer system, so that the behavior of the second system closely resembles the behavior of the first system...
s, backup tools, and even operating systems such as Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
. The chip comes in two versions: SX and Pro.
History
The chip was first considered a rumor or April Fools' DayApril Fools' Day
April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
joke, since it was said it supported direct booting of media instead of having to swap with an original disc, which none of the other modchips available at the time could. Qoob Chip however was released with all its said features on April 12, 2005 twenty two days after the first announcement of the product.
Versions
There are two versions of the chip: Qoob Pro (which was the first to be released) and Qoob SX. Both versions share the same core, the pro version however have features which the SX does not: bigger flash memory and a USBUniversal Serial Bus
USB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
connector for easy updating.
Pro version
The pro version of the Qoob chip is intended for developers and/or advanced users. The biggest differences from the sx version is the USB upgrade feature and 16Mbit flash memory.List of features:
- Direct booting of all media.
- Support for all regions (PAL, USA and Japan).
- Upgrades via USB, DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
or network (network upgrade requires a Nintendo GameCube Broadband AdapterNintendo GameCube Broadband AdapterThe Nintendo GameCube Broadband Adapter and Modem Adapter are a network adapter and 56k dial-up modem, respectively, for the Nintendo GameCube. They were produced by Conexant and made in the Philippines...
). - 16Mbit on-board flash memory for application storage.
- BIOS selection/control.
- Support for all retail hardware, including Panasonic QPanasonic QThe Q is a hybrid version of the Nintendo GameCube with a DVD player manufactured by Panasonic in cooperation with Nintendo. The system was only officially released in Japan. Since the GameCube lacked DVD playback functionality, a feature its competitors had, the system was licensed by Nintendo...
. - Fastboot of original GameCube discs.
- Integrated media compatibility check.
- IPL replacement compatibility via SD card or network.
- Streaming Audio Fix.
- MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
player software included. (removed in later BIOS revisions) - Status LEDLight-emitting diodeA light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
- Support for DVD-RDVD-RDVD-R is a DVD recordable format. A DVD-R typically has a storage capacity of 4.71 GB. Pioneer has also developed an 8.5 GB dual layer version, DVD-R DL, which appeared on the market in 2005....
, DVD+RDVD+RDVD+R is part of optical disc recording technologies. It is a format for optical disc data storage that utilizes digital recording. It is similar to, but incompatible with, the older DVD-R standard...
and MiniDVDMiniDVDMiniDVD is a DVD disc having 8 cm in diameter.The 8 cm optical disc format was originally used for music CD singles, hence the commonly used names CD single and miniCD... - Support for multiple games per disc
- Support for multi-disc games.
- Support for Datel Action ReplayAction ReplayAction Replay is the brand name of a series of video game cheating devices created by Datel. As of 2010, Action Replays are currently available for some of the current major gaming platforms which include the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, PlayStation 2, and the PlayStation Portable, and many older...
.
SX version
Released after the pro version, the sx version is a stripped down version of the Qoob Pro chip, missing the usb upgrade feature and containing only 1Mbit of flash memory. The sx is equipped with a backup read-only BIOS preventing users or malicious code from "breaking" the chip.List of features:
- Direct booting of all media.
- Support for all regions (PAL, USA and Japan).
- Upgrades via DVD and network (requires a broadband adapter).
- BIOS selection/control.
- Support for all retail hardware, including Panasonic Q.
- Fastboot of original GameCube discs.
- IPL replacement compatibility via SD card or network.
- Streaming Audio Fix.
- Integrated media compatibility check.
- Support for DVD-R, DVD+R, and MiniDVD
- Support for multiple games per disc
- Support for multi-disc games.
Hardware and installation
Both versions use the ActelActel
Actel Corporation is a manufacturer of nonvolatile, low-power FPGAs, mixed-signal FPGAs, and programmable logic solutions...
FPGA, a flash memory (size depends on version) and a cable connector for the cables which are to be soldered onto the Gamecube mainboard. The Pro version also includes a flex cable connector, a highspeed USB controller, a USB connector board and an integrated status LED.
Since there is a connector for the cables integrated to the chip there is no need to solder the cables onto the chip, eliminating accidental burning of the chip. There are six wires which are to be soldered onto the Gamecube mainboard, making the Qoob chip installation difficult for some users.
BIOS
The Qoob chip contain a BIOS which is upgradeable through different methods depending on the chip version. The official BIOS (Version 1.0 Release Candidate 4) is available through Qoob's official website, this version does not support unofficial versions of licensed products. The two chip versions have different BIOS versions, they however follow the same version number. After the release of Qoob BIOS 1.3c on 31 August 2005, the Qoob developers have since not released a new BIOS.Versions
- Qoob BIOS 1.0 RC 4.
- This is the only BIOS officially available from the Qoob website, it doesn't support booting of backups.
- Qoob BIOS 1.1
- disc swap feature for games.
- network support.
- audio fix can be disabled.
- Qoob BIOS 1.2
- Panasonic Q support
- Multigame support
- minor bugfixes (workaround to some homebrew lib, iso9660 fix)
- Qoob BIOS 1.3
- Cheats (ActionReplay required once).
- Cheats: Current Game fuzzy autodetection.
- Configuration can be done in Menu.
- Settings can be stored in flash.
- DRE fix / swap support can be disabled.
- Time fixed.
- Background can be changed, texts can be disabled.
- In Game Reset (IGR).
- Video mode force (for games).
- Video mode configurable (for menu).
- Progressive support (even for PAL).
- Flash tool doesn't store full path anymore.
- Qoob BIOS 1.3a
- Bug fix.
- Qoob BIOS 1.3b3
- Transparent text backgrounds.
- Ability to flash several backgrounds at once.
- New warning has been implemented which shows when the readability due to laser or medium drops beneath a certain limit.
- Qoob BIOS 1.3c Final
- Background pictures can have non-black background.
- Selection of background picture.
- Some experiments in order to improve media stability.
Game backups
The Qoob chip with the official BIOS doesn't support booting unofficial versions of licensed software; however, there are modified versions of the BIOS available which do allow direct booting of such copies. The designers have made no attempt to stop this from happening, although they are officially against the pirating of software.External links
- Qoob Chip Official website (domain has been cybersquattedCybersquattingCybersquatting , according to the United States federal law known as the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else...
) - Gamefreax.de
- Official English Qoob Forums
- Dextrose