Can't digital games be bootlegged to physical hardware?

[cartman | 195]

With digital stores having a limited lifespan or even the accounts people might have not being around some day in the future.

Is there really no way to extract that code and then put it on a blu-ray or some external flash storage? That way everything will exist as physical too. 

 

[Code Monkey | 2,013]

I have the entire Wii Virtual Store downloaded and I can install any of them onto a hackd Wii. It's probably possible to put them onto a disc.

[T-Pac | 7,587]

I'm constantly deflated at the thought that so many of the silly flash-games I grew up playing will disappear into the ether since there's no physical media or offline versions as far as I'm aware (at least in a licensed capacity).

-CasualCart

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,017]

I don't think a Blu-ray is the way these games would be installed onto a console outside of a Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, or PS1. It also would be kind of redudent since you're just wiritng the data onto the disc to then install it on the console. Why not just put the game files onto an SD card and call it a day.

For modern consoles, the games are installed before being ran anyway. So the disc would only serve as an install and then a lisence key to play. It would be more cumbersome than just going the SD card route. 

[fox | 1,673]

Sure, given time and a bit of know how,  these kind of things can be archived.

[cartman | 195]

On 12/4/2022 at 6:56 PM, Code Monkey said:

I have the entire Wii Virtual Store downloaded and I can install any of them onto a hackd Wii. It's probably possible to put them onto a disc.

So 2 hacked consoles then: yours and the one where you can install your games onto? I guess that's good way altough would be better if it didn't need hacks.

 

[cartman | 195]

On 12/4/2022 at 8:10 PM, RegularGuyGamer said:

I don't think a Blu-ray is the way these games would be installed onto a console outside of a Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, or PS1. It also would be kind of redudent since you're just wiritng the data onto the disc to then install it on the console. Why not just put the game files onto an SD card and call it a day.

For modern consoles, the games are installed before being ran anyway. So the disc would only serve as an install and then a lisence key to play. It would be more cumbersome than just going the SD card route. 

A disc was what first came to my mind but any physical outlet would do the trick. The issue is not to be dependable on a digital service that does and will be didcontinued.

 

[TDIRunner | 2,771]

The original Wii allowed you to store and play your digital download games off the SD card in the system.  You had to play the game on the console it was downloaded on, but in theory, you could save each digital title to a single SD card, and store that SD card in a case on your shelf like it was a physical game.  Then you could insert which ever game you wanted to play into the SD card slot and play it.  You would not be able to sell or trade games using this method, but it's still something.  No hacks required.  

[Code Monkey | 2,013]

1 hour ago, cartman said:

So 2 hacked consoles then: yours and the one where you can install your games onto? I guess that's good way altough would be better if it didn't need hacks.

 

No, I have the games as digital files so they can be installed onto any hacked Wii.

[fox | 1,673]

I don't think anyone is burning discs in 2022.  Cheapo discs have a pretty high fail rate and degrade quickly.  A disc drive is also might cr@p out on you for older systems.

Either you are using a flash cart and a softmodded system, or you are installing your own harddrive into a disc based system, or you are using a program to cast and stream the files off of a pc.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,017]

3 hours ago, cartman said:

A disc was what first came to my mind but any physical outlet would do the trick. The issue is not to be dependable on a digital service that does wow and will be didcontinued.

 

Oh yeah, that is the standard for modding consoles these days. The h-shop has what you need. There are Google drives that are public that have entire libraries you can dig up pretty easily. I don't know about PS3 or PS4 though, just that the PS3 was notoriously hard to hack. 

[360collector | 289]

3 hours ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

Oh yeah, that is the standard for modding consoles these days. The h-shop has what you need. There are Google drives that are public that have entire libraries you can dig up pretty easily. I don't know about PS3 or PS4 though, just that the PS3 was notoriously hard to hack. 

I saw something abut ppl backing up ps3 dlc and updates years ago so im pretty sure ps3 stuff is gnna be safe i the futue. ps4 probably not, just the size of all those updates how could anyone keep all that

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,017]

12 hours ago, 360collector said:

I saw something abut ppl backing up ps3 dlc and updates years ago so im pretty sure ps3 stuff is gnna be safe i the futue. ps4 probably not, just the size of all those updates how could anyone keep all that

That's true. I didn't even think about the logistics of the recent generation of consoles. Housing 100TB would be a real investment. 

[phart010 | 1,708]

I talked to the guys at Limited Run about this once. Basically digital games and physical games are a different format. Like the Wii/Wii U shop channel games and Virtual console games can’t just be put onto a disc because they are not in the proper format for playing as a disc game. Same goes for PS2 and PS3.

PS4 is an exception because all games are downloaded onto the hard drive… including disc games. Basically the PS4 disc is just an alternative method for downloading the game, since your not playing it off the disc.

[TDIRunner | 2,771]

23 hours ago, fox said:

I don't think anyone is burning discs in 2022.  Cheapo discs have a pretty high fail rate and degrade quickly.  A disc drive is also might cr@p out on you for older systems.

Either you are using a flash cart and a softmodded system, or you are installing your own harddrive into a disc based system, or you are using a program to cast and stream the files off of a pc.

I'm still burning discs for some systems, but I still have a good supply of high quality blanks.  However, the long term plan is to get everything switched over to some type of hard drive system.  

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

19 hours ago, 360collector said:

I saw something abut ppl backing up ps3 dlc and updates years ago so im pretty sure ps3 stuff is gnna be safe i the futue. ps4 probably not, just the size of all those updates how could anyone keep all that

 

2 hours ago, phart010 said:

I talked to the guys at Limited Run about this once. Basically digital games and physical games are a different format. Like the Wii/Wii U shop channel games and Virtual console games can’t just be put onto a disc because they are not in the proper format for playing as a disc game. Same goes for PS2 and PS3.

While that breakdown seems to work as a "dumbed down" sort of explanation (no offense implied or intended), I don't believe that's technically correct.  Basically, what's missing in one version or the other, is the proper header/loader information telling the system which type of game it is, and as such where to look for the data it needs to run (as well as whether it needs to hit the disc drive to verify that the media is real and present).  Digital games are also missing the proper "boot sector" information that's written into the very first parts of a disc which can't be written by commercial disc burners, preventing you from just tweaking the header/loader, burning the data to disc, and calling it a day.  If they were truly in a different format, then it wouldn't be possible to just rip a complete image of a disc based game and play it 100% digitally. 

[phart010 | 1,708]

2 hours ago, darkchylde28 said:

 

While that breakdown seems to work as a "dumbed down" sort of explanation (no offense implied or intended), I don't believe that's technically correct.  Basically, what's missing in one version or the other, is the proper header/loader information telling the system which type of game it is, and as such where to look for the data it needs to run (as well as whether it needs to hit the disc drive to verify that the media is real and present).  Digital games are also missing the proper "boot sector" information that's written into the very first parts of a disc which can't be written by commercial disc burners, preventing you from just tweaking the header/loader, burning the data to disc, and calling it a day.  If they were truly in a different format, then it wouldn't be possible to just rip a complete image of a disc based game and play it 100% digitally.