Viper GC ultimate setup?

[Cornholio]

Hi all,

I've acquired a Gamecube with a ViperGC modchip installed (the regular one, not the Extreme version), and am looking for the ultimate setup for it.

What I try to accomplish:
- Retain all the Viper GC functionalities (regionfree for original gamediscs, able to use burned discs,...)
- Autoplay disc's when there is one in the drive*
- When there is no disc in the drive I want it to autoboot into Swiss (located on the SD2SP2)
- Directly boot gbi (located on the SD2SP2) when holding down a specific button during boot
*unless a specific button is pressed during boot that will boot either Swiss or gbi

Main question: Is what I want to accomplish doable?

What I have done so far:
- Updated Cobra on the ViperGC to the latest (?) 2.1 release using the parallel programmer
- Read about the iplboot BIOS for the ViperGC > unclear if I loose the standard ViperGC functionality using this option?
- Read about the SDload plugin for Cobra > if I understand correctly this can't address the SD2SP2 so I would need to use a SDgecko solution instead and I won't be able to control which application gets booted by holding down a specific button during boot?

I know this is old technology and most likely not being developed for anymore, but I'm trying to get the best of both worlds: a modded Gamecube like it's 2004 with the addition of more modern solutions like Swiss and the SD2SP2

Any help and/or info is highly appreciated!

[emu_kidid]

If you want it to be like 2004, keep cobra and just put whatever you can find as a plugin (iplboot). Iplboot as a plugin for viper is pretty limited I believe, if it exists at all.

My personal suggestion would just be to use a DVD-R of Swiss to keep the mod as stock as possible if that's your goal.

[Cornholio]

If you want it to be like 2004, keep cobra and just put whatever you can find as a plugin (iplboot). Iplboot as a plugin for viper is pretty limited I believe, if it exists at all.

My personal suggestion would just be to use a DVD-R of Swiss to keep the mod as stock as possible if that's your goal.

Thank you for your reply.

I'm infact using a burned disc with Swiss for now. But those mini dvd's are hard to come by these days and I do want to update to the latest release of Swiss once in a while.
So to futureproof this vintage piece of hardware i'd be nice to have a more sustainable option

As far as I'm aware of, there unfortunately isn't an iplboot plugin for Cobra in existence.
There is however an iplboot BIOS available that replaces the Cobra BIOS entirely. I've just flashed this to my ViperGC and can confirm that it's working (directly booting Swiss from SD2SP2 when powering on the Gamecube), but you loose the Cobra functionality in the process... so in the right direction, but not exactly what I'm looking for.

The other option, the SDload plugin for Cobra, I still have to test out. Just ordered a SD gecko for it, as soon as it arrives I'll give it a go

[emu_kidid]

Swiss will boot a newer version of itself from most devices if placed as boot.dol on there so you should only need to burn one disc really.

[Cornholio]

Swiss will boot a newer version of itself from most devices if placed as boot.dol on there so you should only need to burn one disc really.

Thank you, that is useful information!

Since you're the topic starter of the SDload plugin I've referred to in my initial post, I'm sure you know your stuff

Still I'd like to learn more about the ViperGC and it's possibilities/limitations
Is the SDload plugin the answer to all my wishes? Can it address the SP2 port? If not, is there a way to make it use the B memory card slot by default (so without the need to hold the B-button during boot)?

On a side note, I'm wondering what the use is of the different Cobra bios versions which include the drivecode.
There's one with without a drivecode injected, if that one works, then what's the upside of using one with the drivecode (matching your actual drive) injected?
I'm actually very curious about this

[emu_kidid]

The SDLoad plugin is pretty annoying/limited. It only supports up to 2GB SD cards, it doesn't support SDHC/SDXC, and it only supports the 2 front Slot A / Slot B ports, so you'd need something in there to boot swiss, and then another device to actually house some ISOs.

The .vgc Cobra BIOSes with specific drivecode are using the drivecode that's found in homebrew/libOGC rather than their own. If you want an authentic experience, use the plain Cobra BIOS without a specific drivecode as that's what they'd probably tested the most.

[Cornholio]

The SDLoad plugin is pretty annoying/limited. It only supports up to 2GB SD cards, it doesn't support SDHC/SDXC, and it only supports the 2 front Slot A / Slot B ports, so you'd need something in there to boot swiss, and then another device to actually house some ISOs.

The .vgc Cobra BIOSes with specific drivecode are using the drivecode that's found in homebrew/libOGC rather than their own. If you want an authentic experience, use the plain Cobra BIOS without a specific drivecode as that's what they'd probably tested the most.

Thank you once again for your reply!

When someone wants to preserve the Cobra functionalities to “mod like it’s 2004” but at the same time make use of Swiss WITHOUT needing a disc it seems that the SDload plugin together with a SD-gecko and a 2GB SD-cart is the way to go.

SDload > SD-Gecko > Swiss (or gbi) > SD2SP2 for content

So that’s how I will setup mine

Regarding your answer about the injected drivecodes, it’s still not clear what purpose they serve… if you could elaborate further I would appreciate that

[emu_kidid]

Regarding your answer about the injected drivecodes, it’s still not clear what purpose they serve… if you could elaborate further I would appreciate that

Here's what the cobra21_manual.pdf from the official 2.1 Cobra BIOS release has on it, hopefully it helps you better understand it:

The drivecode is the firmware code responsible for handling DVD media. Cobra
contains its own drivecode which has improved a lot since its first release and is the
best available in our opinion. Still, if you encounter some media issues such as DRE
even after tweaking your pot, you might want to try another drivecode as it might
handle disc slightly differently and help in some cases. This other drivecode can be
injected into Cobra’s BIOS file (VGC) and is then called External drivecode. In the
configuration menu you could switch between this external drivecode and the built-in
cobra drivecode.
In order to inject an external drivecode, you must use the InjectDrivecode command
line tool.
Drivecodes from GCOS 1.X are provided as an example.

[Cornholio]

Regarding your answer about the injected drivecodes, it’s still not clear what purpose they serve… if you could elaborate further I would appreciate that

Here's what the cobra21_manual.pdf from the official 2.1 Cobra BIOS release has on it, hopefully it helps you better understand it:

The drivecode is the firmware code responsible for handling DVD media. Cobra
contains its own drivecode which has improved a lot since its first release and is the
best available in our opinion. Still, if you encounter some media issues such as DRE
even after tweaking your pot, you might want to try another drivecode as it might
handle disc slightly differently and help in some cases. This other drivecode can be
injected into Cobra’s BIOS file (VGC) and is then called External drivecode. In the
configuration menu you could switch between this external drivecode and the built-in
cobra drivecode.
In order to inject an external drivecode, you must use the InjectDrivecode command
line tool.
Drivecodes from GCOS 1.X are provided as an example.

Thank you