HANDS ON GUIDE

Hacking, modding, tinkering

In the past, modding consoles generally involved having chips soldered to the board to enable them to boot homebrew and pirate software. These days, you don't necessarily need a mod chip to get the console to execute unofficial code, because the complexity of the OSes means that loopholes can be found. As a result, it's easy to download and run pirate 360 games, but Microsoft has fought back by banning consoles from Xbox Live.

Sony has typically taken a very dim view of people who want to run unofficial code on its consoles, endlessly revising the PSP's firmware to block hackers. However, the PS2 supported Linux, and so does the PS3. Sony officially supports a distro called Yellow Dog, but there are PS3-specific versions of Ubuntu available and other distros work. Microsoft is less keen on users running Linux on its console, although it isn't impossible. You can install several distros, but you'll need to use a software hack.

Aside from installing Linux, PS3 users can also install Folding@home. It can't be run in the background as the PC client can, but it can play music and offers fancier graphics than the PC version.

Modding means more than just tinkering with the software. Consoles share so much PC technology - in particular USB and 12V DC internal power - that PC mods can be easily applied to a console. Side windows and extra cooling, from 80mm fans to water-cooling, are popular mods, particularly with the noisy 360. Crack open the case and, with a multimeter, you can quickly find the 12V wire to add lights and fans to your heart's delight. The problems occur when something goes pop. On a PC, you can find a spare from the parts drawer and hobble along with that until you can afford a replacement. If you screw up a console while modding, the most likely outcome is that you're left with a paperweight. At least if you make only cosmetic mods, Microsoft and Sony have no reason to ban the units from online play. Only Sony allows any official mod to the internals of its console; the hard disk can be replaced with any FAT32-formatted 2.5in S-ATA hard disk.

Modding is alive on the Wii, but at the moment it seems mostly confined to mod chips. There's a project to get Linux running on the console, but it's in its infancy, as there's still no way to get unsigned code running. The fact that the Wii Remote is a Bluetooth controller means it's ideal for tinkering with, though. We've covered using it for the PC before.

While Sony's decision to allow people to run Linux and Folding on the PS3 is certainly welcome, the PS3, along with the 360 and Wii, is still a very tightly controlled system compared with a PC. And of course, you can mod PC games, and overclock the PC.

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