Important Capcom CPS2 Announcement

Xian Xi

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I don't speak chinese but if you remove the battery backed ram with FRAM, could you run it without the battery? I assume so but is there FRAM that can work with it?
 

bustedstr8

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I don't speak chinese but if you remove the battery backed ram with FRAM, could you run it without the battery? I assume so but is there FRAM that can work with it?

I always thought the encryption ram was contained in one of the CPS2 custom chips. Is it a standard 28 pin ram?
 

Tyranix95

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WoW. You guys are on a Roll. :buttrock:

---

Can this CPS2 Arduino UNO build setup also revive CPS1 & 1.5 boards too? And,

is the CPS3 up next? :)
 

Artemio

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Can this CPS2 Arduino UNO build setup also revive CPS1 & 1.5 boards too? And,

is the CPS3 up next? :)

It is the same setup, you'd only need to load each version of the software individually. I have an "all in one" version that works for all three, but not sure if there is need for it since it implies navigating more menus.

Regarding CPS3, I'd love to but who knows
 

Razoola

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Its great news to finally have this solution for people that want it.
 

F4U57

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My suicided Captain Commando has a chance again!
 

Tyranix95

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Awesome!

Gonna have to make/get one of these.

It is the same setup, you'd only need to load each version of the software individually. I have an "all in one" version that works for all three, but not sure if there is need for it since it implies navigating more menus.

Regarding CPS3, I'd love to but who knows

Destiny is calling you, Artemio! :D
 

kuze

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Just a heads up to owners of the Darksoft CPS2 multi, he has implemented key rewriting so you can now play original encrypted ROM sets with the existing hardware.
 

Razoola

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Its about time, this is how it should have been from the start (using the original ROMs). Now if they can just get shot of that crappy LCD screen so everything is done using a UI running on the CPS2 hardware itsself it might be half ok.
 
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kuze

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Its about time, this is how it should have been from the start (using the origional ROMs). Now if they can just get shot of that crappy LCD screen so everything is done using a UI running on the CPS2 hardware itsself it might be half ok.

That's sort of like saying CPS2SHOCK should never have made phoenix sets and just should have done the work that "Arcade Hacker" did in resurrecting these games.

The information on writing keys back was not available until after the CPS2 multi was released.

While I understand some prefer a on-screen menu, I personally like having the LCD in my cab CP and selecting games that way. There's not a huge library like there is with the Neo Geo.
 

Razoola

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That's sort of like saying CPS2SHOCK should never have made phoenix sets and just should have done the work that "Arcade Hacker" did in resurrecting these games.

The information on writing keys back was not available until after the CPS2 multi was released.

I'm not talking about the arcade hacker stuff. I'm talking about the multikit using the original ROMs from the day it was released which was fully possible. It did not have to use fully decrypted sets (and be limited to the decrypted revisions), it could have had 100% CPS2 library support from the day it was released. It was pure shortsightedness (or lack of knowledge) on his part that it was not that way, even when it was explained to him how it could be done.
 

kuze

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I'm not talking about the arcade hacker stuff. I'm talking about the multikit using the original ROMs from the day it was released which was fully possible. It did not have to use fully decrypted sets (and be limited to the decrypted revisions), it could have had 100% CPS2 library support from the day it was released. It was pure shortsightedness (or lack of knowledge) on his part that it was not that way, even when it was explained to him how it could be done.

How would that have been done without the appropriate key loaded to the B board?
 

Razoola

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How would that have been done without the appropriate key loaded to the B board?

You do not need a key to play fully encrypted games on a suicided CPS2 if the multikit was designed right in the first place. All you needed was the origional ROM and a fully decrypted ROM counterpart which is easy to make (not a phoenix set which is more complex to create). This was all explained in this forum years ago.
 
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kuze

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You do not need a key to play fully encrypted games on a suicided CPS2 if the multikit was designed right in the first place. All you needed was the origional ROM and a fully decrypted ROM counterpart which is easy to make (not a phoenix set which is more complex to create). This was all explained in this forum years ago.

Ah ok. Well it definitely seems like rewriting the key and playing a fully original ROM as has been implemented is a better solution and less complex than constantly hot-swapping between encrypted/decrypted ROMs.

Also cool that revised hardware isn't required here. There are many happy users of the CPS2 multi on this forum, so I just wanted to share the news.
 

Razoola

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Ah ok. Well it definitely seems like rewriting the key and playing a fully original ROM as has been implemented is a better solution and less complex than constantly hot-swapping between encrypted/decrypted ROMs.

Also cool that revised hardware isn't required here. There are many happy users of the CPS2 multi on this forum, so I just wanted to share the news.

You would not have needed to hotswap encrypted/decrypted ROMs, they would simply both be loaded at the same time into seperate regions when you change a game. So the only draw back the end user would have seen is maybe a second or so extra in loading times and the multikit having a few extra flash on it and an extra wire.

I agree that rewriting the key is the best way. I was just pointing out in my first post about this development is that the playing the original encrypted CPS2 ROMs was possible for a multikit from day one, and should have been done, espicially given darksoft was told how to do it. This was in the year before his multikit for CPS2 was released.
 
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opt2not

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Its about time, this is how it should have been from the start (using the original ROMs). Now if they can just get shot of that crappy LCD screen so everything is done using a UI running on the CPS2 hardware itsself it might be half ok.
I agree, the LCD interfacing is just so clunky. I feel the same way about the OSSC. I'd much rather a UI for any of these types of hobby devices. Even the most basic list based UI would be fine for me. I think every major flashcart out there now has at bare minimum a list-based UI. Even the GD-ROM replacement boards like the USB GDROM, or the Rhea/Phoebe has them implemented.
The CPS2-Multi has been around for long enough now, surely someone out there can build a small UI for it so we don't have to go into our cabinets, or have the ugly LCD screen sitting outside the cabinet, to switch games.
 

RAZO

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I really want to be excited but I never noticed any issues playing the Non-Original Roms.
 

gusmoney

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I really want to be excited but I never noticed any issues playing the Non-Original Roms.

Same. Not sure of the benefit. I don't have a device to update my firmware so I am not sure I can even take advantage if I was so inclined.
 

RAZO

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Same. Not sure of the benefit. I don't have a device to update my firmware so I am not sure I can even take advantage if I was so inclined.

I think as long as you don't have the first release you should be able to do it through the SD card but you would still need to do some extra soldering and run some jumpers. If it was just a SD card update I would be down. It's a expensive piece of kit and somewhat fragile, I hate messing with it.
 

Syn

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That's the only reason I sold mine, I had to mess with it a lot.

Plus, I honestly thought there'd be more 18-1s for sale. People seem to be sitting on them.
 

gusmoney

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I think as long as you don't have the first release you should be able to do it through the SD card but you would still need to do some extra soldering and run some jumpers. If it was just a SD card update I would be down. It's a expensive piece of kit and somewhat fragile, I hate messing with it.

I just watched the video for it and read more of the thread on there about it. You are correct, as one can update the firmware via the SD card but depending on which revision of the A board one has, the more or less work that needs to be done. A later revision A board and one can just crimp a connector.

Still not sure how encrypted roms are any better than decrypted if one already has a working unit with a full library of games.
 

kuze

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Vampire Hunter 2 is the only game afaik that doesn't have a decrypted release, so that one would be playable. Also there are some various revisions for already available games in MAME that would be playable.

But yeah, otherwise the decrypted ROMs play fine.
 
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