Viper GC Extreme Hardware Review [Archive]

View Full Version : Viper GC Extreme Hardware Review

Zeus

01-07-2006, 04:27 PM

I've had the new Viper Extreme (Glen C) for a little while now. Here are my initial thoughts.

Buy Viper GC Extreme: <A href="http://www.divineo.cn/php/affstart.php?affcode=66623&prod=gc-vge" target="_blank">Asia</a> <a href="http://www.divineo.com/php/affstart.php?affcode=66623&prod=dd-gc-vipextr">N. America</a> <a href="http://www.divineo.fr/php/affstart.php?affcode=66623&prod=gcviperextrem">France/EU</a> <a href="http://www.divineo.es/php/affstart.php?affcode=66623&prod=gc-vge">Spain</a> <a href="http://www.divineo.se/php/affstart.php?affcode=66623&prod=gc-chip-viperex">Sweden</a> <a href="http://www.divineo.de/php/affstart.php?affcode=66623&prod=gc-viperex">Germany</a>

<center><a href="http://www.maxconsole.net/content_img/vip_extreme_MCM.jpg"><img src="http://www.maxconsole.net/content_img/vip_extreme_MCM.jpg" height="200" width="144"></center></a>
<center><i>Pictured above is what you get in the Viper GC Extreme package.</i></center></a>

History of the Viper GC Chip

The original Viper GameCube mod was released a little over a year ago (December 2004) to huge acclaim, it being the first GameCube mod on the market, and as such proved very popular. It was very simple to install, requiring only 4 wires to solder. The GameCube is very simple to dissasemble, once you have the correct tool for opening the case (Gamebit driver). Inside the case, the dvd drive is held in by 16 or so standard cross headed screws. With the DVD drive removed, all the HUGE solder points are very accessable and even a novice solderer should have no problems fitting the mod.

One of the big advantages the viper has over the other mods on the market, is that you can access all of the 4 soldering points without having to remove the large chipset heatsink. I've heard of many people attempting to remove the heatsink and also removing several surface mounted components in the process (the heatsink is bonded to the components to aid in heat transfer), rendering the GameCube damaged beyond repair. Not so with the viper, the heatsink can stay in place.

The evolution of the Viper GC

One year later, to mark the anniversary of the original Vipers release, comes the Viper Extreme. Boasting a complete USB solution, the USB adapter offers advanatges over the original parallel programmer in that it has faster programming speed, universal compatibility and avoids having to set the parallel modes and speed etc.

<center><img src="http://www.maxconsole.net/content_img/VGCEUSB.jpg"></center></a>

The USB programmer plugs into the network slot on the underside of the GameCube. It is supplied with a couple of rubber grommits that act as feet and to keep the programmer steady. Personally I dont like this setup, if you slide the gamecube around, this could put undue stress on the usb programmer PCB. I decided to do a little modding on the empty plastic shell of the Broadband Adaptor, knife in hand I cut a couple of slots into the plastic. This allows the USB programmer to sit inside the GameCube, fully enclosed, with no chance of any damage occuring. This may not be an issue if you only plug the programmer in when you require it.

<center><img src="http://www.maxconsole.net/content_img/MChousedusb.jpg"></center></a>

As well as the USB streaming ability, the new Extreme has 16 times the memory capacity of the orginal, this allows for much larger and more complex programs to be installed permanently onto the mod.

Viper GC Extremely easy install

I'm glad to report that the Viper Extreme uses exactly the same wiring as the original Viper. If you are wanting to upgrade from the original Viper, it's simply a matter of unplugging the old and plugging in the new. If your installing the Extreme into a virgin Cube, then it's very simple, as detailed above....and no removing that pesky heatsink ;)

<center><img src="http://www.maxconsole.net/content_img/MCinstalled.jpg"></center></a>

The install is a breeze, taking only 20 minutes, with the majority of this time taken disassembling and reassembling the Cube. Once your Cube is back together and powered on, you are greeted with Viper programming screen. It is a very simple process to flash the chip using the Extreme programming software. I tried flashing via USB on a number of different PC's with no issues at all.

<center><img src="http://www.maxconsole.net/content_img/VGCEWIRING.jpg"></center></a>

The Exreme and the Viper have very tall pcb's. My only niggle I have about the original Viper was the reset switch issue. The Viper can sometimes catch on the reset switch and stop it from fully depressing. The Extreme is no different, have the same dimension of pcb's. This is solved by careful placement of the pcb within the GameCube case. My fix is to not use the reset switch and use the power switch instead ;)

The Future of the Viper GC Extreme

As with the original Viper, the third party BIOS from Mental Cube was released a few weeks after the hardware. Mental Cube are being pretty quiet about the features of the new bios, we know you will be able to rip your own games using the USB programmer to transfer files to your PC, but is there more? The mention of bidirectional streaming mentioned on the Viper-Chip website opens a whole bunch of possibilities. Some people have speculated that you would be able to connect a USB harddrive direct to the GameCube. Whilst this is very interesting, I must reiterate, this is pure speculation. We will do a follow up review when the new BIOS is released, of which I am looking very much forward to in order to take advantage of this great piece of hardware.

<center><img src="http://www.maxconsole.net/content_img/MCVGESOFT.jpg"></center></a>
<center><i>The Viper-Chip software is very easy to use and easily allows you to flash any BIOS you wish onto the chip.</i></center></a>

Viper-Chip have also released an SDK to allow programmers to create their own applications for the Extreme. This exciting development could mean plenty of 3rd party applications being developed for the mod.

Positives

+Simplest GameCube install
+Very high build quality
+Lots of memory for additional features
+USB programming is a breeze
+Endless application possibilites with opensource SDK

Negatives

-Rubber feet on programmer could potentially stress pcb if moved.
-Reset switch can catch pcb.

A great mod, bring on the new BIOS Mental Cube!

This is an excellent mod, that can only improve once the third party bios is released from Mental Cube. I think it's a safe bet to say you won't be disappointed :-).

Official Website: <a href="http://www.viper-chip.com" target="_blank">Viper-Chip.com</a>

Buy Viper GC Extreme: <A href="http://www.divineo.cn/php/affstart.php?affcode=66623&prod=gc-vge" target="_blank">Asia</a> <a href="http://www.divineo.com/php/affstart.php?affcode=66623&prod=dd-gc-vipextr">N. America</a> <a href="http://www.divineo.fr/php/affstart.php?affcode=66623&prod=gcviperextrem">France/EU</a> <a href="http://www.divineo.es/php/affstart.php?affcode=66623&prod=gc-vge">Spain</a> <a href="http://www.divineo.se/php/affstart.php?affcode=66623&prod=gc-chip-viperex">Sweden</a> <a href="http://www.divineo.de/php/affstart.php?affcode=66623&prod=gc-viperex">Germany</a>

ammerzoden

01-07-2006, 04:35 PM

bios where are you :rolleyes:

julspower

01-07-2006, 05:54 PM

and what about hdd streaming

will someone develop this with the sdk included
would be nice to run the chip as master for the hdd to browser it and stream iso :P

burbruee

01-07-2006, 07:20 PM

"I'm glad to report that the Viper Extreme uses exactly the same wiring as the original Viper. If you are wanting to upgrade from the original Viper, it's simply a matter of unplugging the old and plugging in the new."

Does that mean that if I have the original Viper, I won't need to solder anything new? Just unplug the cable from the modchip and attach the Extreme? :eek:

julspower

01-07-2006, 07:44 PM

yeah this is what it mean
the same little plug for the small wire
+ the new flat wire for the usb programmer

letsmod

01-08-2006, 02:27 AM

WHY IS IT NO ONE IS SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT HOW FAST OR SLOW IT TRANSFERS GAMES FROM GC TO PC ??????

We want to know for the SUPER high price of this mod it better be fast, my Qoob via BBA does it in about an hour.

ice-master

01-08-2006, 04:52 AM

We have to wait for Cobra 2.0 to check time of ripping (and also streaming).

oncemore

01-08-2006, 05:18 AM

and maybe internet connection :cool:

plan-9

01-08-2006, 11:37 AM

what are you talking about super high price? it costs $54.99.
a qoob pro costs $54.

01-08-2006, 10:46 PM

Looks like it only has a FTDI usb chip on there. Those things arent full speed so I dont see how you can get decent speed out of it. From what I read only about 1MB/s or so. Looks to be just a replacement for the bba with no difference except using usb instead of rj45.

And I dont see a possibility of using it as a master USB device either to have you hook up an external USB drive. There not capable of that. And for streaming games it will behave the same as with all the BBA loaders out there.

Will be interesting to see what the gcloader guys are gonna come up with. I think viper just tried get people to buy this thing in hopes of some "ultimate solution" like gcloader claims.

julspower

01-09-2006, 12:24 AM

im not sure of anything only time will tell us

avalon

01-09-2006, 03:41 AM

Viper USB Adapter specs mention that it's using full speed USB.

From wikipedia.org USB entry:
- Low Speed : 1.5 Mbit/s (183 KB/s)
- Full Speed : 12 Mbit/s (1.4 MB/s).
- Hi-Speed : 480 Mbit/s (57 MB/s)

So full speed means 12Mbit/s (1.4MB/s). That is probably a theoritical limit, so the final speed is likely to be more around 1MB/s as tweet said...

If that's really the case it sounds very good for the price! :cool:

Perkele

01-09-2006, 02:56 PM

WHY IS IT NO ONE IS SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT HOW FAST OR SLOW IT TRANSFERS GAMES FROM GC TO PC ??????
... my Qoob via BBA does it in about an hour.
Use gcom 2.30 and it'll be done in 12 minutes with your setup, I bet the Xtreme's USB thingy can't top that.

foundmy

01-09-2006, 05:52 PM

yes, speed is a concern, since this is (what I say) will be the biggest thing that the vipergc extreme can offer.

But if you can get a BBA for cheap ($25-30) atleast have your GC more than 6ft away (USB length is to be short for best results) from the PC.

I am hoping that the viper extreme test results do get posted soon. If its too slow, I think people might look at getting a Qoob Pro + BBA instead. Lets hope the results are fair.

FOUNDMY: EVERY POST YOU MAKES REFERS TO YOUR WEBSTORE OR A SPECIAL DEAL YOU ARE RUNNING. PLEASE QUIT IT.

SigmaX6

01-11-2006, 07:43 AM

Ther are always ways around this dumping and hdd thing, usb external hdd would rock, and why couldnt we just dump games to the usb hdd anywho? Dont be shooting it dead before anything cool for it comes out. But one thing is for sure ill be pissed if they take all that space and fill it with a mp3 player and cheat database, and so far gcloader is vaporware like duke nukem forever lol

jessekenyon

01-18-2006, 06:35 PM

julspower

01-18-2006, 06:38 PM

hahahhahahhaha (this is at least 10 char long message :D)

tray262

01-19-2006, 11:19 AM

I am so dissappointed. This is my first gc mod chip and I bought it knowing you can rip the games via usb. SO I go order everything (disks, modchip) and it finally arrives. I hook it all up and find out that the new bios with usb ripping is not out yet! Now I have to wait for who knows how long before I can use a single backup or order a bba and wait another week or so for that to come in the mail. Lame. Hurry up already. They shouldn't release the chip if the software isn't released with it.

They could at least give an estimate of when it will be out. I hate to buy the bba and the have the bios come out a few days after. I just want to be able to backup my games. I dont care about other new features.

ya know, if you would have done more then 1 minute of research. You would have already know that before going and buying all that stuff. That you would need anyways. Try the Search button next time. I'm not trying to be rude or anything. But it's just crazy at you're complaining about something everyone knows. The chip does work great with the BIOS that's are already out there.

manu_xl

01-19-2006, 11:25 AM

BUT his opinion is still valuable. it's like offering a car which rides on special fuel which isnt available yet ... doesn't make sense to me too

just my 2 cents

julspower

01-19-2006, 11:50 AM

it would have been more "professional" to have the new bios at the same time
but its compatible with the one at the moment

he will just be more happy when the new one come out

jessekenyon

01-19-2006, 08:07 PM

Yes I know. I am getting the bba for now since i dont know when the bios will be available and without it I cant backup any games. Sorry for my complaining. But for one when I bought it I knew almost nothing about modding the cube. Done the other systems but the cube is new to me for hacking. I just happened to see this chip and it said the only one that doesn't require extra hardware to backup games so I thought cool I will get this one and that was that. I didn't start looking up the bios until after I got it and had it installed. I didn't even realize it was a new chip at the time either.

julspower

01-20-2006, 01:53 AM

seller site like divineo should advertise that the bios is not disponible

i understand what happend
maybe you should wait the bios cost less and if it come soon it will be better than bba
no ip to set or anything :P

for my part i use my viper and bba for more than a year now

memonopo

01-20-2006, 05:31 PM

Does anybody know if the chip supports "Force 480p"?
Does it have "In Game Reset" (IGR)?

These are the two features the Qoob has that I've been holding out on to hear if the ViperGC Extreme had, but nobody's mentioned it on any site. (Which I assume means "no".)

Also, let me get this straight; It can't do disc backup or network streaming through USB yet? (It's two most advertised features.)

julspower

01-21-2006, 01:22 AM

Also, let me get this straight; It can't do disc backup or network streaming through USB yet? (It's two most advertised features.)

did you read the topic??

memonopo

01-21-2006, 06:03 PM

did you read the topic??

@julspower: of course I read the topic, how else would I have gotten here? I was looking for answers to my questions, not another question.

I haven't seen my first two questions answered anywhere, on any forum. (480p, IGR)

And my last question is for confirmation. This product's key feature and marketing tactic was USB connecting to the serial port...yet it sounds like the bios has none of that functionality yet. The only thing the USB does at this point is let you flash the chip without burning a disc (can I get a whoop-dee-doo). I just want a direct confirmation.

Can anybody answer the questions to which I long for the answer for instead of asking rhetorical questions. please?

julspower

01-21-2006, 06:26 PM

ok
btw i didn t want to be rude :P

humm the viper extrem is annouced to do those things with usb
but the bios for it is not out yet...
the only thing it does for now its flashing it with usb
when the bios will be out only now the review will be complete

memonopo

01-21-2006, 08:37 PM

@julspower - Thanks for the response. I didn't mean to be abrasive. I didn't know if you would end up being one of those "forum people" that antagonize and cause hundreds of posts that have nothing to do with the topic.

Anybody got a 480p or IGR answer for me? If you have a ViperGC Extreme can you boot it up and look real quick.

The Qoob lets you hold L, R, and Start to reset the game at any time.(IGR)

It also lets you force 480p, even with games that don't natively support it, and you don't have to hold B on the startup of games that do support it. It makes HD gaming less cumbersome and disappointing.

warp15

01-23-2006, 09:21 PM

The ViperGC Extreme may be the next generation mod chip but so far the Qoob-Pro outperforms it. :confused:

DJmizuta

01-26-2006, 09:46 AM

Xboxmodder999

01-26-2006, 11:43 AM

Hi all, does this work with the Panasonic Q?

I can't seen to find any info if it's compatible with the Q.
Also would the installation be the same as the regular Gamecube? as I only see GC diagrams.

Cheers,Yes, it it compatible with the Panasonic Q. The install is the same as a REV A/B gamecube.

msaraiva

01-31-2006, 05:55 AM

what are you talking about super high price? it costs $54.99.
a qoob pro costs $54.

i got a qoob pro + gamebit + 5 mini-dvds for $44...

massan

01-31-2006, 04:23 PM

Once the Viper Extreme can transfer games to PC, can we play games from there? Like in Xbox and Playstation 2?

19Ripper75

02-08-2006, 04:38 PM

WOW! I really need to improve on my soldering skills. Took me little more than 2 hours to install this chip. Main problems were the yellow wire and finding a good place for the flex cable to get through the bottom. But, It's installed and working (so far). I'm in the process of backing a game for testing. Will edit my post with my media compatibilties.

EDIT: So far, out of 3 different media types, only the Ritek G04's are working 100%, which is fine as I don't want to have to adjust my pot. With mu luck, that damned yellow wire will come undone again, lol.

igounfazed

02-09-2006, 05:20 PM

Ok. I read and read and read the forums. Not just from MaxC. But others too. Here are some tips for you DIY's out there that have little problems with soldering the wires:

1. PCB's after completion are coated with different types of... well.. coatings. We use epoxy for example to help prevent inadvertent connections with other components (to prevent short circuits, arching, etc.)

2. The point that you are going to solder should be cleaned, and "scraped" a little to remove the coating on the contact point.
That Means: Scrape the top of the solder joint free of all coating. If its a circle, scrape from the outer edges into the center. We usually use dental tools to do this, and the cheap radio-hack iron kits come with a scraping tool and flux. Becarefull, all you want to remove is the coating, NOT the solder.

3. FLUX! I cannot stress the importance of this stuff. It helps transfer heat to the area you are applying the iron and solder to. If you don't want to burn your board by repeated attempts at soldering. USE FLUX! I do not believe how much this stuff saves time and money in my line of work.

4. TINNING! Contact points are tinned in order to make a good connection between the things being soldered together.
What is tinning? Example: You have a new wire, you strip 1/4" of the plastic away to reveal the actual wires. The wires are copper and need to be tinned in the following manner:
a. Put flux on the exposed wire,
b. melt some solder on the tip of the iron (this is called "loading the tip"),
c. Place the load on the wire and the flux will melt away and the solder will be evenly distributed around the copper wire end: its now tinned.

*(it is not tinned if your solder is a little bubble. If its a bubble, you didn't heat the wire or contact point enough to displace the flux with the solder)*

5. Why do all that? Because now, when you solder the two connections together, they will have a stronger bond. Your wires will be connected for a longer time, and you will also experience better data transfer.

Believe it or not; but a bad solder joint can cause data errors. How? Well have you ever had a bad earphone jack on your MP3 player? You wiggle it around and hear music only when it's in a certain position? That's what a bad solder joint does. Your gamecube will hear bits and peices of data, not the whole stream. And you need the whole stream!

6. There are numerous sites out there that give tut's on how to solder. But I have only seen a couple that mention the scraping of the contacts' protective coatings. Which is important. Hope this helps ALL of you guys out.

*(If you are wondering: I do micro-repairs for a living now, and had to go to a school just to learn how to solder. You never know its an art till you learn how to do it the right way!)*

~igounfazed!

Please, don't make this thread to long with questions about soldering. PM me and I will get back to you.