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Just read a video game console thread that gave me some highschool PlayStation memories.
PlayStation was the goto system because it utilized CD-Roms instead of circuit board based cartridges. PlayStation's ROI per sold game was huge doing this instead of the cartridge.
PlayStation was the goto system because it utilized CD-Roms instead of circuit board based cartridges. PlayStation's ROI per sold game was huge doing this instead of the cartridge.
Fuck their ROI said the young hackers mind back in 1995. I forget the year, but someone somewhere figured how to by-pass the CD's boot sector, which was Pirate Proof by using a small programmable PIC. Online purchasing and the Internet for that matter was still in its infancy.
I was part of a BBS that would "share" information about anything electronics. In there I found the schematic for soldering these PIC's to the PS motherboard and where to buy these PIC's
I scrounged up all my lawn cutting money, gave it to my dad and told him to order 50 of these pre-programmed PIC's(Online, with a Credit Card-Taboo in the 90's). He asked no questions, being an electrical engineer, he loved that I fucked with electronics.
The start of my first highschool business. I was proficient in soldering and decided to "mod" students PlayStation's for $50 a pop. This was cheaper than a game at the time and parents jumped all over it knowing they could save huge on purchasing games.
After I made my first $500 I started buying the black CDz available at Future Shop, rarely in stock because I wasn't the only local pirate. The young sales guy finally asked why I want blackones, so I told him. "SICK" was his response.
We made a deal. I mod his PlayStation and provide him with free games. He buys all the black CDs before they even hit the shelf. I was rollin. Doing 3 PlayStation's a week.
Blockbuster game rentals. At Blockbuster you could rent a game for 3 days for $5.99. I re-invested more money and bought 6 hard drives, two more CD Burners, and massive tower case.
So I rented 3 games at a time and made 3 ISO files of the games over the next 3 days. Saving the game as an ISO saved time over the burning process since it was using the HD instead a CD-ROM drive to read the data.
Selling Games out of my locker. I wasn't being a cheap fuck when it came to selling the games. $5-$10 per copied game. CHEAP. People in the adult world were charging $20+
Return customers are more valuable than high prices.
Return customers are more valuable than high prices.
Anyways, this is how I bought my first car at 17. I closed up shop 6 months before my 18th birthday and have never stopped finding ways to bend the system.
I never aspired to become an engineer or comp. sci guy. My certain skill set in "always finding a way" benefits me greatly as a Maintenance Electrician. If the down time is Electrical or Electronics related I always get the machine running if replacement parts are not available.
I would like to thank Blockbuster, PlayStation, Capacitor/Resistance filtered PPV cable, and the brown Bell payphone for my desire to bend the rules. (I might share the Brown Bell Payphone story one day)
Before I get a snowflake response.
Bill Gates "stole" from Gary Kildall
Steve Jobs "stole" from Dennis Ritchie
Two of the OG software pirates.
Bill Gates "stole" from Gary Kildall
Steve Jobs "stole" from Dennis Ritchie
Two of the OG software pirates.
