NR reader region swapping (PAL)

Now, it has been said quite a number of times, the only difference between an NR reader and a retail cube is the laser unit. And you can swap the unit out from an NR reader into a retail cube, and it then becomes an NR reader.

Has anyone actually confirmed that this is the case? if I bought an NTSC NR reader and gutted the drive, slapped it in a retail PAL cube, would I end up with a PAL NR reader, or 2 broken units?

When messing around with my NR disks the other day, I figured the only reason you can't rip them with the PSO method is because the ripper software looks for a header on the disk (the barcode inner ring bit) and as the NR disks do not have this part, it does not try reading the rest of the disk.

Obviously if I can rip/load them via PSO, then I can save myself the hassle of buying/building a PAL NR reader, so spent a bit of time on this avenue.

Any help on any part of my quest to play my NR disks, greately received.

 

You can swap drives, so you will get a PAL NR reader. That's no problem.

Problem is starting the ripper. You need to have a modchip and boot a ripper directly. For example the qoob chip supports ripping originals, and NR-discs just behave like originals in a NR-drive.

You can't use PSO, unless you have PSO on an NR disc. You could burn a PSO image to a NR disc, then booting into a ripper. That's the other option.


Every normal ripper should support NR readers / NR discs as well. it shouldn't even detect that it's a NR-reader.

You won't, however, be able to read non-NR-discs with a NR reader. That's impossible for some sad reasons :/ (DVD-R might work, but not with current software. Retail discs will never work unless i seriously missed an important point)

 

But as Tachikoma stated above, and this is also my opinion, why does a NR disc behave like an original? I mean, afaik NR discs don't have a barcode , so at the beginning of each reading process, may it be a ripper or simply of you start a game, this process must be different, because it has to skip the barcode reading and start directly with reading the data from the disc...

Thats just a thought right now...

 

...He means that an NR disc behaves like an 'original' disc when you play it in an NR-Reader

...In other words the NR firmware doesn't worry about the barcode of a retail pressed disc, BUT, it does look for lead-in data to confirm that its trying to boot an NR Writer (burnt) disc (or equivilent)

 

outch, damn i must've read over that one...sorry

ps: i hear the bells of piracy sounding if somebody rips/extracts the nr readers firmware...well, i dunno....just a thought

 

You know you can try something else if you want pal Nr games to work. Just find someone, who knows what he is doing, to burn freeloader into a nr disc. Kind of a waste of a disc but now it gives you a region free disc to load up pal games on an ntsc unit.

I have tested this and even tho I dont have a PAL NR disc to try I booted the unit on USA mode with it then swaped out for a jpn disc. Kind of worthless on my part since I can just flip the switch for jpn mode but I was experimenting to try finding a way to boot comercial disc on a nr unit.

 

thats cool information, keep the experiments coming :smt023

 

Keep brainstorming guy's, if I have enough spare cash at the end of the month I will get an NTSC NR reader and try it. If it doesn't work, well, I can just stick it on my desk to look pretty!

 

Well like I said. I you really want to run pal NR disc on a NTSC Unit. Just get someone to burn you freeloader onto a Nr.

 

I suspect it will be easier buying an NTSC NR reader and swapping the laser with a PAL GCN

 

Not really plus you will break the seal on the side so the value of your nr reader will be a bit less.

 

Not really bothered about the resale value dropping, I would imagine me playing Dr Frankenstein with it would decrease thevalue more.

If someone has an NR writer and can burn a copy for me, I am more than willing to try, but I suspect it will not work.

 

I finally got round to hunting through some old NR-Disc's today, I found a review disc of PSO 1&2 and test disc of Freeloader

...I can confirm that an NR ver of PSO will initialise ANY ripper, in fact I'm ripping a whole load of Alpha's and Beta's as we speak

...Also the NR ver of Freeloader allows region free just like subbie stated, so although I already have both PAL and NTSC NR-Reader's I can put one back in the box now

Hope this helps.

 

Oldengineer, you are a marvel! 2 good sources confirming it is enough for me now.

Right then, who can burn me a copy of PSO? I will supply the NR blank.

 

What ripper are you using? http://www.ngcdev.com/modules.php?n...loaddetails&lid=58&ttitle=ngcdev_ripper_v0.2a This one is the best at the moment.

 

...I've used ALL of them, the one you mention is the 'fastest' as long as you have a NIC that's compatible

 

Great work oldengineer!! Sounds fantastic, now I just have to gert my hands on an NR Reader, maybe you want to sell your PAL one?

 

hunting around eBay I found this NR Reader. Is it Pal or NTSC, how can you tell.

MOD: Please stop with the ebay links outside the ebay thread

 

Turns out you did not hunt around ebay seeing as its your auction!

 

...Huh?