AussieAtari Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 (edited) I want to start experimenting with the emulators available for the Dreamcast and would like to know if I need to have my console modded in any way for it to read CD-R's. Edited May 18, 2006 by AussieAtari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ze_ro Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 No, you do not need to modify your console. However, discs have to be burned in a very specific manner for the Dreamcast to boot off of them, so you might want to read a few guides before you try anything. --Zero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari-Jess Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 Some dreamcasts have problems reading discs, the older consoles from 99 or whenever are the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okto Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 Flip your Dreamcast over. Look for a number by the serial/model numbers in a circle (it's right by where it says whether it's an NTSC or PAL console). If the number in the circle is missing, 0, or 1, it will read burnt discs. If it's 2, you're going to need a modchip. As for burning, the best thing you can do is get Padus DiskJuggler or Alcohol 120% and download .cdi images instead of binaries or .sbi's, because then all you have to do is open the .cdi and burn it. Good guides on burning Dreamcast discs can be found at dcemu.co.uk, dchomebrew.org, and dreamcast-scene.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ze_ro Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Flip your Dreamcast over. Look for a number by the serial/model numbers in a circle (it's right by where it says whether it's an NTSC or PAL console). If the number in the circle is missing, 0, or 1, it will read burnt discs. If it's 2, you're going to need a modchip. It's worth pointing out that such systems are very rare, and may not have even been released in North America. Also, if I'm not mistaken, there ARE ways to convince those systems to play burned discs, although it's more complicated, and I've never tried it myself. Finally, do modchips for those consoles even exist? The only Dreamcast modchips I'm aware of are for playing import games (In fact, I have one of these in my system). --Zero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariJr Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 i can play burnt games on my DC and its not modded... i dont know what version of the dreamcast i have but i doubt its rare. I ordered burnt games off the net and they all play fine, like a real game... all you need is that code in the beginning and the DC thinks its a real game.. its relaly not hard, just get a Burn Station and go at it... you know the things that look like a big computer tower but are just a bunch of disk drives... they are very expensive, but people easily pay it off when they go to blockbuster of the library and copy all thier dvd's and games to make perfect copies for relatively free... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalton4life Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 (edited) I believe November 2000 is the cut off manufactoring date for Dreamcasts that can play CD-R games. All black sports edition ones were made before then. So I knew the black DC I bought was able to play CD-R without even checking. Just check the label on the bottom of the console. I don't know the situation in Austrailia, but in the US it's probably less trouble to find a pre Nov. 2000 DC than it is to mess with installing a mod chip. Edited May 22, 2006 by dalton4life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n8littlefield Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Yeah - I did the same thing, got the black sports one just so I'd know for certain it would pay homebrew/emu stuff. I never actually tried copied games though, so I can't really answer to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalton4life Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 (edited) Yeah, my advice for anyone wants to do homebrew or play burned games and is looking to get a DC off ebay for example would be to get a black sports one. That way you know for sure it will play stuff burned to CD-R. They don't really sell for that much more than a regular one. Edited May 22, 2006 by dalton4life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ze_ro Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 It's not even worthwhile to worry about not being compatible. Feel free to buy any random white Dreamcast and assume that it'll work fine. Really, the chances of getting a non-CDR Dreamcast are exceedingly slim... and even if you do get one of them, you can take solace in the fact that they're probably more rare and valuable than a "normal" Dreamcast. Also, you might want to check out this link, and the 10th question in the Feet of Fury FAQ (seeing as all of the Goat Store's releases use the same method to boot their games). --Zero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AussieAtari Posted May 22, 2006 Author Share Posted May 22, 2006 Thanks for all of the responses, especially Zero for the great links. My DC is PAL with a "1" in the circle and I can now confirm it does play CD-R's as I have been given a copy of a NES emulator which works just fine. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariJr Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 (edited) Thanks for all of the responses, especially Zero for the great links. My DC is PAL with a "1" in the circle and I can now confirm it does play CD-R's as I have been given a copy of a NES emulator which works just fine. Cheers. have fun with your nes emulator, if its the one i have its a joy to play esp with that built in game genie you can access with the two trigger bottons and the b button i believe.... Contra with codes, and being able to play Dragon Warrior and FF with save functions is very nice Btw.. if anyone would be so kind to know of a snes disk that is as extensive as the nes disk i have (every if not pretty damn close to all the games), it would be much appreciated. THANKS! Did they make ones for other systems too? Edited May 23, 2006 by AtariJr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christianscott27 Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 heres a great forum for all things CD-r in a DC http://dcforums.co.uk/index.php its a neat little community, sign up and try out a few games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregory DG Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Just go here. Multiple emulators on one disc plus it creates the image for you. There's barely any work involved at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariJr Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 heres a great forum for all things CD-r in a DC http://dcforums.co.uk/index.php its a neat little community, sign up and try out a few games. Thank you, i just registered there as "Mr. VMU"... now i can get some of my questions answered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 I used that site before Gregory DG, found it confusing. About the only luck I've had has been using a NES one that I put the roms into a folder, and then click on something which makes a Discjuggler image that can then be clicked on and burned. Only other things I've been able to figure out where things already done as a Discjuggler image. Game Boy/Game Boy Color and NES emulation seems very good though from what I've experienced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariJr Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 I used that site before Gregory DG, found it confusing. About the only luck I've had has been using a NES one that I put the roms into a folder, and then click on something which makes a Discjuggler image that can then be clicked on and burned. Only other things I've been able to figure out where things already done as a Discjuggler image. Game Boy/Game Boy Color and NES emulation seems very good though from what I've experienced. Yea no one responds on this site... and i have a feeling most of this will be over my head... I would really like to have some other emulations other than nes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 If I remember right, after looking through that site, I had trouble with the .sbi files. The program you have to download to have Windows recognize them and the Selfboot Inducer didn't seem to work correctly for me. I imagine I missed something simple, it might be a easy process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariJr Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 If I remember right, after looking through that site, I had trouble with the .sbi files. The program you have to download to have Windows recognize them and the Selfboot Inducer didn't seem to work correctly for me. I imagine I missed something simple, it might be a easy process. ah screw it, i own macintoshes lol... guess ill have to have a freind do it, or buy the disks on ebay or something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atariboy Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 You give up too easily. Read through some of the stuff there, you might be able to figure it out. I'm not very computer literate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ze_ro Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 Worst case scenario, you can create a disc the old-fashioned way... that is, using the Unix commands mkisofs and cdrecord. I'm fairly certain these commands are available for just about every operating system. Back when I was into Dreamcast emulation, I had to make all my discs this way, since that was all there was. It's relatively complicated, but as long as you follow the instructions precisely, it works. After making a few discs (And maybe a few coasters) you'll get the hang of it. Of course, if you can find pre-made images, then by all means go for it. SBI's also seem much, much more convenient, although I've never used them myself. --Zero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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