Qoob chip

Qoob Chip
Manufacturer Qoobchip
Type Modchip
Generation 3 (Flashable Modchip)
Retail availability March 21, 2005
Media DVD-R, DVD+R and MiniDVD

Qoob Chip is a modchip for the Nintendo GameCube, which allows the user to run unlicensed software such as BIOS replacements like GCOS, emulators, backup tools, and even operating systems such as Linux. The chip comes in two versions: SX and Pro.

History

The chip was first considered a rumor or April Fools' Day 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.[1]

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 USB 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.

A Qoob Pro modchip installed inside a GameCube.

List of features:

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.

A Qoob SX modchip installed inside a GameCube.

List of features:

Hardware and installation

Both versions use the Actel 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

Game backups

The Qoob chip with the official BIOS does not support booting unofficial versions of licensed software; however, there are modified versions of the BIOS available which allow direct booting of such copies. While denouncing copyright infringement of software, the designers of Qoob did not take steps to disable this behaviour.

References

  1. ↑ "Qoob Modchip". Qoob. Retrieved 2006-07-08.

External links

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