Sega-Naomi

I am sure this has been asked before but if Naomi and the Dreamcast are so similar why isn't it possible to load backup/cdr gd-rom games on a Naomi?. Is it just the security IC?.



For example can you use a cdr copy if you have the IC say if your original disc is badly scratched?. I think I read some where that gdrom discs have been copied before using a dreamcast. So if some how the security IC was duplicated/bypassed I cannot see why it wouldn't work. I guess the bios would have to be hacked too for cdrs though. But all original discs working without the worry of loosing/swapping IC's would be nice. :smt005



Is it just a case of not enough talented people interested in breaking the gd-rom security or is there more to it than that?.



Ace`.

It's true, GD-ROMs can be copied within a certain degree of accuracy. The biggest hurdle would be the security IC. I have fiddled with the whole IC issue in the past (I plan to continue) and even bought some empty IC's to play with. These IC's have a 'security feature' that when written to, can be 'protected' from straight forward reading by ROM devices. Although hard to crack, it's not necessary to defeat the security feature, just find out how the Naomi reads/uses the chip to authenticate each game. Unlike most ROMs, the security IC is not just a storage device. It is a programmable circuit that can perform functions (like a BASIC Stamp or hobby electronics). There are devices made to 'test' these types of ICs and I hope to eventually find out exactly what they do.



Until then, there's not alot that can be done with copying. If you are lucky, you can backup an original game and use the copy instead. :smt024

I think the security chip is a boot loader for the actual GD-ROM/DVD-ROM software.



Or it could be used to compare values held at certain sectors/track.



You could duplicate the GD-ROM, but those GD-ROM drives will not read CDs.



So you need a proper GD-ROM duplicator, I think it might be possible to mirror the GD-ROM onto a SCSI-2 harddrive, and have it boot from HDD instead, depending if Sega are using the SCSI protocol, or there own variation.