Mods¶
Common hardware modifications on consoles and cabinets, at technician level: electronic principle, per-revision compatibility, installation procedure (soldering level), before/after comparison, and where to buy (manufacturers + reference hubs).
Buying & neutrality
The "Where to buy" links point to official manufacturers and reference hubs (RetroRGB, Video Game Perfection…). No affiliate links. Always check availability (many kits are made in small runs).
How to read a mod sheet¶
| Field | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Level | 🟢 plug-and-play · 🟡 simple soldering (a few wires) · 🟠 fine soldering (QFP/flex, precision iron) · 🔴 expert (rework, chip removal) |
| Reversible | can you return to stock with no trace |
| Compatibility | affected models/revisions (often critical) |
| Before/after | what the mod concretely changes (measurable) |
Video — analog outputs (RGB)¶
| Mod | Systems | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| RGB & SCART (principle + amps) | all | analog RGB output | — |
| NESRGB | NES / Famicom | RGB/YPbPr via FPGA on the PPU | 🟠 |
| N64 RGB | Nintendo 64 | analog RGB (DAC) | 🟡🟠 |
| Triple Bypass / Mega Amp | Mega Drive 1 | clean RGB + audio | 🟡 |
| SNES RGB bypass/amp | Super Nintendo | clean RGB (2-chip / SNS-101) | 🟡🟠 |
Video — digital outputs (HDMI)¶
| Mod | Systems | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| N64 digital (UltraHDMI / PixelFX) | Nintendo 64 | HDMI via digital tap | 🟠🔴 |
| GameCube digital (GCVideo & co.) | GameCube | HDMI via digital port | 🟢🟠 |
| HDMI adapters & scalers | multi | analog→HDMI conversion | 🟢 |
ODE & flashcarts (replacing the drive / the cartridge)¶
| Mod | Systems | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| ODE — principle | anything with an optical drive | drive emulator | — |
| GDEMU / MODE | Dreamcast (+ Naomi) | SD ODE | 🟢 |
| Saturn ODE (Fenrir/Satiator…) | Sega Saturn | SD ODE | 🟢🟡 |
| PSIO / xStation | PlayStation | SD/USB ODE | 🟡 |
| MX4SIO / OPL | PlayStation 2 | SD / HDD / network ODE | 🟢 |
| Mega SD | Mega Drive / Mega-CD | flashcart + ODE | 🟢 |
| Super SD System 3 | PC Engine / CD | flashcart + ODE | 🟢 |
| GC Loader | GameCube | SD ODE | 🟡 |
| Flashcarts (EverDrive & co.) | multi | SD flash cartridge | 🟢 |
Screens (handhelds)¶
| Mod | Systems | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backlit IPS (FunnyPlaying…) | Game Boy / GBC / GBA | IPS panel | 🟡🟠 |
| McWill LCD | Game Gear / Lynx / Nomad | LCD panel + VGA | 🟠 |
| Handheld frontlight | NGPC / WonderSwan… | frontlight / IPS on a reflective screen | 🟡🟠 |
Miscellaneous¶
| Mod | Systems | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region-free & lockout | multi | bypass the region lock | 🟡 |
| PC Engine ↔ TurboGrafx region | PC Engine / TG-16 | HuCard JP↔US adapter (no lockout) | 🟢🟡 |
| Audio: prosound & FM mod | multi / Master System | clean audio / FM sound | 🟡 |
| Replacing the PSU (PicoPSU/DreamPSU…) | Dreamcast, arcade… | modern PSU | 🟡 |
| Softmods (Wii, PS2, Swiss…) | Wii / PS2 / GameCube | software, no iron | 🟢 |
Each console/PCB page links here for the technical detail of the mod. "In-house" before/after photos will be added as they're taken (see Photos to take).
Review & corrections
How this space is used
Spotted a wrong value, an outdated procedure, a chip reference that does not match your board? Say so here, with what you observed (model, board revision, serial number, measurement). Every report is cross-checked against a source before anything changes — an unverifiable correction is published as “reported by …, not cross-checked” rather than silently applied.
Reading is open to everyone; posting requires signing in with Discord. Reports from the wiki's declared reviewers are handled first; anyone else's are read too, but go through a human before anything is changed.