Can DC-X boot imports in a PAL DC with 60 Hz on ALL games?

A

Amano Jacu

Charles Barkley
Joined
Sep 11, 2001
Posts
8,594
I have an European PAL Dreamcast as I live in Spain. So far I've been able to boot all the Japanese and USA games I've got using the Utopia boot disc or similars. However, when doing so most games run at 50 Hz, that means slow and big black borders. The perfect example is MotW, that has bloody bars both horizontal AND vertical.
However some other games do run at 60 Hz in full screen and speed, like Capcom vs SNK 2.
In fact I've been told some recent Jap games like the latest Sakura Taisen work with the screen discentered in a PAL console so they are unplayable.
You know most PAL games allow you to select between 50 and 60 Hz, but the imports run at the frequency they want without letting you select it.

I was told the DC-X allows you to boot imports in a PAL console selecting the frequency you want. That is, for example with it I should be able to play MotW in 60 Hz full screen in my PAL console.

Can anybody here confirm this is true? I need somebody that has a PAL DC, a DC-X and some import game that boots in 50 Hz regularly in a PAL DC, like, for example, MotW; and actually has been able to play with it in 60 Hz by using this DC-X.

I also know DC-X is supposed to let you use the VGA box in any game, but I'm not particularly interested in it.

Thanks a lot for your <img src="graemlins/help.gif" border="0" alt="[Help]" />
 
Takumaji

Takumaji

Krautmin
Staff member
Joined
Jul 24, 2001
Posts
20,462
Amano, I can confirm this. My DC is PAL, unaltered in any way, and runs all my Japanese imports, such as MotW, Zero Gunner 2, CvS2, LB2, KoF99Evo, TSS or Voot with 60Hz fullscreen, with the DC-X bootdisc.
 
A

Amano Jacu

Charles Barkley
Joined
Sep 11, 2001
Posts
8,594
OK, thanks, that's what I wanted to hear.
ZG 2 and CvsS 2 also run in my DC 60 Hz full screen, but MotW and KoF 99 don't. Since in yours these 2 games work in 60 Hz by using DC-X, then the DC-X works in the way I want it to do!

<img src="graemlins/mrt2.gif" border="0" alt="[Mr T]" />
 
1

10 in 2010

Guest
my first post on this message board was 'all you dreamcasters playing imports in 50hz look' and it dosen't look like it'l be the last

here's another thing to baffle you lot.

when i first had mark of the wolves, i ran it through utopia : 50HZ output.

However, i took the game downstairs and tried it on my spare DC. i loaded up MOTW with the utopia.....but this time it was in 60HZ.

Why??? the DC downstairs was using a PELICAN scart lead which originates from the US.
so utopia + pelican scart lead = 60hz output on mark of the wolves.

but when i tried to play a PAL 50hz game through this scart lead (no boot discs involved)
i would just get a black screen.

obviously the pelican scart lead can only produce a 60HZ signal.

totally bizarre, but true.

if it hadn't have been for me acquiring a JP giant gram, which wouldnt load through utopia,i'd have never bought the DC-X disc !!!

it wasn't until i played mark of the wolves through the DC-X on my telly upstairsthati realized it forced a 60HZ signal.

personally i bloody hate boot discs. i hate region lock. haven't the console producers realized yet that a third party ALWAYS find's away around them anyways??? i hate having to switch discs everytime i play.
 
td741

td741

, NOTE: Please add 16 points to his feedback., --
Joined
Jun 7, 2002
Posts
1,735
Yeah, but it comes down with who has the distribution rights to these games, laws in certain places regulating packaging, content, who pays to translate everything.

And there's more.

Although I still think that region lock outs suck especially when you can't get a "local" version of a certain piece of software.
 
G

garou_d

Aero Fighter,
Joined
Mar 19, 2001
Posts
2,220
great ! where can I get a DC-X boot disc (I'm in France). Ikaruga is coming out and I'm broken to buy a jap DC with power suplly.

haven't the console producers realized yet that a third party ALWAYS find's away around them anyways??? i hate having to switch discs everytime i play.[/QB]<hr></blockquote>

I hate region lock also. maybe they working together, who knows... there's also a boot disc for the GC coming in august, but you probably all know that. I'll probably get cause my most wanted GC game is RE, and I prefer to play it in it's US version, as far as I know that the euro version will probably be in french here. french language sucks in video game.
Click to expand...
 
A

Amano Jacu

Charles Barkley
Joined
Sep 11, 2001
Posts
8,594
10in2010, your story is quite amazing. Are you sure the DC you have downstairs is PAL and it hasn't been modified?

I use a scart lead with separate audio cables made in Hong Kong that works perfect so far, but some games work in 50 Hz.

Anyway if anybody is interested in getting a DC-X try this thread:

<a href="http://www.neo-geo.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=004147" target="_blank">http://www.neo-geo.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=2&t=004147</a>

Or just do a search in google for DC-X dreamcast and you'll find some stores with it, personally I'll be getting it from:

<a href="http://www.gamegizmo.com/products.php?sysID=4&pID=39" target="_blank">http://www.gamegizmo.com/products.php?sysID=4&pID=39</a>

Thanks for all the replies.
 
Takumaji

Takumaji

Krautmin
Staff member
Joined
Jul 24, 2001
Posts
20,462
Originally posted by 10in2010:
<strong> [...] when i first had mark of the wolves, i ran it through utopia : 50HZ output.

However, i took the game downstairs and tried it on my spare DC. i loaded up MOTW with the utopia.....but this time it was in 60HZ.

Why??? the DC downstairs was using a PELICAN scart lead which originates from the US.
so utopia + pelican scart lead = 60hz output on mark of the wolves.

but when i tried to play a PAL 50hz game through this scart lead (no boot discs involved)
i would just get a black screen. [...] </strong><hr></blockquote>

Well, did you use another TV, maybe a strictly-NTSC one?

Another guess would be the pin-out of the pelican cable. Certain games "detect" the way the DC is connected to the tv, obviously by some signals coming back from the contacts in the cable. Compare the plugs of your two cables: Do you see all the twenty RGB pins (in two rows of 10 each) in both cables, or does one cable lack a pin or two?

With the DC-X, the "cable-mode" (antenna, RGB, s-video) can be fixed in the menu, the Utopia always uses the game's defaults.
Click to expand...
 
A

Amano Jacu

Charles Barkley
Joined
Sep 11, 2001
Posts
8,594
Yeah, Takumaji, could you please explain a bit how are the menus and options in the DC-X disc?

Thanks in advance! :D
 
Takumaji

Takumaji

Krautmin
Staff member
Joined
Jul 24, 2001
Posts
20,462
In normal mode, the DC-X boots and shows a sign to put in a game GD-ROM, it then boots it with RGB output and a forced 60Hz mode.

If you press any button before inserting the game disc, a menu appears which lets you enforce one of the three cable types, and PAL or NTSC.

The cable type selection has nothing to do with the type of cable you actually use, it only switches the DC to the selected mode. Apparently, some of the (older?) imports are designed for composite/antenna only. I haven't seen one of them yet, but it's nice to have this option anyway.
 
A

Amano Jacu

Charles Barkley
Joined
Sep 11, 2001
Posts
8,594
Well, in fact I had Gunbird 2 Jap and it didn't work if you tried to use it with a RGB scart lead, it only worked with RF antenna. I guess using DC-X I could play it with RGB.

What I wanted to know is if the DC-X had some option that specifically says 50/60 Hz. I don't think PAL/NTSC option is the same, as I have a CDX with that option but games boot at 50 Hz even choosing NTSC, and in fact with the screen discentered.
 
Takumaji

Takumaji

Krautmin
Staff member
Joined
Jul 24, 2001
Posts
20,462
Hm, I didn't know that about Gunbird 2. Never touched it so far.

Anyway, I normally just boot my imports with the DC-X without a specific cable mode selection, and they always come up with 60Hz. Again, all resources and references I've checked in the past say that NTSC is always 60Hz because of its number of half-pictures which couldn't be reproduced without flickering in 50Hz, but there's this color-encoding thing with both modes, so perhaps some sources really mean NTSC-color-encoding when they mention NTSC.

If I understand the DC-X manual correctly, the PAL or NTSC selection really is a 50/60Hz switch. Again, I haven't excessively used all the DC-X options, so maybe there are some more subtle issues.
 
1

10 in 2010

Guest
Originally posted by Takumaji:
<strong>

If I understand the DC-X manual correctly, the PAL or NTSC selection really is a 50/60Hz switch. Again, I haven't excessively used all the DC-X options, so maybe there are some more subtle issues.</strong><hr></blockquote>

yes takumaji that is 100% correct.

if for example you have the PAL sega rally 2. it has no 60hz option and always boots up with big boarders and runs a little slower.

however put in the DC-x, open the door and then press any button. Then put in the PAL sega rally 2 disc. you'll then get the option's menu.

you'll notice it's detected it's a pal game so the cursor highlight PAL by default. move it ovet to NTSC and press start.

your PAL sega rally 2 will now play in 60HZ with no boarders or loss of speed!! amazing eh....

other games that work with this method i have tried are Hydro Thunder, Power Stone and , indeed EVIL TWIN (last pal game for DC and the developers couldnt be arsed to put in a 60HZ option...even though the manual says otherwise!!

By the way the equipment used for testing the above was

1 PAL DC
1 DCX boot disc
1 OFFICIAL PAL SEGA SCART LEAD
1 £20 PHILLIPS TV BOUGHT FROM A CAR BOOT (dont laugh please :D )
Click to expand...
 
1

10 in 2010

Guest
Originally posted by Takumaji:
<strong>

Well, did you use another TV, maybe a strictly-NTSC one?

Another guess would be the pin-out of the pelican cable. Certain games "detect" the way the DC is connected to the tv, obviously by some signals coming back from the contacts in the cable. Compare the plugs of your two cables: Do you see all the twenty RGB pins (in two rows of 10 each) in both cables, or does one cable lack a pin or two?

With the DC-X, the "cable-mode" (antenna, RGB, s-video) can be fixed in the menu, the Utopia always uses the game's defaults.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Both TV's act the same . i tried the PELICAN SCART lead on the tv upstairs, and the same thing , MOTW in 60HZ through the utopia disc.

I'm sorry i cant check the amount of pins in the scart, i gave the pelican lead to a friend who didn't have a scart lead at all.

still intersting stuff eh??? the things us PAL gamers have to do just to get a full screen display. i hope you NTSC gamers realize how lucky you are!!!

:D
Click to expand...
 
1

10 in 2010

Guest
Originally posted by Takumaji:
<strong>Hm, I didn't know that about Gunbird 2. Never touched it so far.

Anyway, I normally just boot my imports with the DC-X without a specific cable mode selection, and they always come up with 60Hz.</strong><hr></blockquote>

likewise. ive never, ever had a import game run in 50HZ through the DC-X. so i can't imagine that ikaruga and kof 2000 would be any different.

so my advise is get a DC-X then sit back and wait for you KOF2K and IKARUGA to come and enjoy them the way they were meant to be played rather than in shitty 50hz-o-vision with the utopia.

it's a pity i don't work for DC-X with all this good publicity we keep giving them. if we worked on commition we'd be loaded!
Click to expand...
 
A

Amano Jacu

Charles Barkley
Joined
Sep 11, 2001
Posts
8,594
PLEASE HAVE A LOOK HERE <a href="http://www.neo-geo.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=18&t=004945" target="_blank">http://www.neo-geo.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=18&t=004945</a>

:mad:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top