GoldenEye 007 Nintendo 64 Community, GoldenEye X, Nintendo 64 Games Discussion

[NapalmNero]

Is it possible for GameSharks to bypass the Nintendo 64's region coding?

I can't seem to find anything definitive about it online anywhere
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[radorn]

if what you are trying to say is using a GS to load carts from a region different than your console, then the answer is no.
The AR can't boot the N64 by itself, it needs the CIC chip in the cart on top to authenticate itself with the N64, and that CIC must match the console (and AR/GS keycode) for the N64 to boot.

So, since a correct region cart is needed to boot the console so it loads the GS's ROM, sorry, but you can't use a GS as a region adapter.

[SubDrag]

You can, but not well. I believe it's something along the lines of boot up your gameshark with same region coded game, hold reset (forever), replace the game, and start. I believe it works (have been told it does), but you have to hold reset button forever and I've never tried it myself.

[radorn]

Ah, yes, that trick. I knew about it, but somehow forgot about it

You have to hold reset at the GS logo screen, before the menu kicks in, and never release it. the best way for that is to stick some folded paper in the space between the reset button and the rest of the case so that the button doesn't spring back.
This seems to cause an interrupt that makes the AR's code prevent the N64 from crashing when you remove the cart (which contains the CIC), as it would usually do.

It works with my AR, but since the code list is corrupted, I need to remove it before the menu loads to prevent it from crashing. The result is a menu with no codes nor keycodes (which wouldn't save to the now absent AR anyway).

You can remove the AR/GS as soon as you have the reset button held down, or wait until it enters the menu, or not remove it at all (your choice) and you can then replace the game with your import one.
But keep in mind that the CIC type has to match:

NTSC PAL
6101 - 7102 \_ NOT A TYPO
6102 - 7101 /
6103 - 7103
6105 - 7105
6106 - 7106

of course, for the GS to load, you'll have to select the correct keycode.

Additionally, I must warn you that many games have region protection schemes that go beyond CIC types, like detection of console type by reading the N64's lib OsTvType variable, which is read from the PIF ROM's data.
Basically, even if you provide a valid CIC, many games can read what kind of console you have and many either refuse to run at all (black screen) or they display an annoying message telling you that "this game is not compatible with your TV set" and variations of that.
And now that I mention that, you are going to need a TV compatible with both 60 and 50 hertz refresh rates for import games (although some games change video mode according to OsTvType).

[zoinkity]

Schitzing out the nonmaskable interrupts. Brilliant, ageless trick trick.

Now, the interesting thing about the last bit you mentioned is that you can subvert that stuff easily with GS codes. A good instance of this is the 40 Winks beta by Eurocom. Eurocom uses a value set by the console sometime between the bootstrap and cutting into the normal executable code. You can set this value or hack the code that reads it to avoid the whole "incompatible region" nonsense.

It's a static value, sort of like the memory size line.
8002E221 0000

The irony is that the video regs are written by the cart, so really any scheme based on this can be subverted as well. The biggest limitation is when a game is programmed for a particular A/V setup and you have to recode the whole blasted thing. I mean, sure, you can...
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