If you're interested in video games, DVDs or technology, chances are you've heard of mod chips. A mod chip is a piece of hardware that can be added to a game platform or DVD player that will bypass, modify or disable region restrictions, copy-protection technology, or security devices. The mod chip can enable you to use copied software or games, and can allow different region DVDs to play correctly on your player.

Installing a mod chip usually requires a degree of confidence with computer-based hardware, wires and soldering. Most chips need to be soldered on to the mother board of the device, and depending on the particular make or model of the hardware you are altering, may need several wire components. If the chip does not require soldering, it may be an external or magnetically-fixed device.

Mod chips are generally used for CD/DVD based systems, partially because earlier non-CD based hardware (Sega Master System, NES) did not have mod chips created, and partially because blank CD / DVD media encourages people to want greater abilities to copy software and bypass security measures.

The ease of using a mod chip depends on the system you use and what you are seeking to achieve. The fifth generation console PlayStation (one) external mod-chip, for example, needed the original software to boot the copied software, and did not necessarily play copied audio. Sega Saturn had similar problems.

Sixth generation consoles have many mod chip options, although again they may require additional hardware or software to run properly. The earliest PlayStation 2 chips usually needed an original software CD to authenticate, or a special loader-authenticator disc like Swap Magic. Later versions of the chips didn't require disc swapping, but are usually harder to install and require a larger number of wires (and thus expertise). The newest mod chips for PlayStation 2 are generally updatable and configurable and are of course the most popular. Xbox mod chips also require some quite complex soldering.

The newest (and of course most sort after) consoles, the seventh-generation, are so new that mod chips are still being developed. The Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable (PSP) and Wii have mod chips.

Needless to say, companies that make their profits from game consoles are not fond of the mod chips, and as such there are continual upgrades of hardware and with them attempts to thwart mod chip installation and compatibility. Xbox Live, for example, runs security checks and has a database of hard drive numbers that register a change if the drive has been modified.

Interestingly, the legality of mod chips varies from country to country. In Sweden, for example, mod chips are legal (with some restrictions). In Italy, recent court cases have ruled specific sorts of mod chips to be illegal. The same has been the case in the UK. With continual updates of hardware and new consoles being released frequently, it is likely that the mod chip debate will continue into the foreseeable future.

Please note: we do not sell modchips nor do we do any repairs on consoles or modify them in any way. modchips.co.uk will be our new games website selling only the best and latest console games and accessories.

If you are not sure about if modchips (mod chipping) is illegal or not please visit Game Law - Game Politics - Gamer Law