This is a long awaited IPL replacement modchip for Nintendo GameCube. It's open source, cheap and easy to install.
- it's open source
- uses $4 Raspberry Pi Pico board
- very easy installation, only 5 wires to solder
- programmable via USB cable, without any drivers and programs
- automatically boots any DOL app of your choice
- uses "IPL injection" approach superior to mods like XenoGC
- Raspberry Pi Pico
- SD Gecko or SD2SP2
- FAT32 formatted SD card
Links above are affiliate and I get small comission π΅ if you buy these products. Thanks to everyone who used links above π
Go to the latest release page and download picoboot.uf2
file. Now connect Raspberry Pi Pico board to your computer while holding BOOTSEL
button pressed. If it's been done correctly you'll see RPI-RP2
mass storage device show up. Drag and drop picoboot.uf2
file to that device. It'll automatically eject and green LED will light up if it was programmed correctly. Unplug USB cable from Pico and proceed with hardware installation.
Format your SD card to FAT32. Download the latest Swiss release from here and grab swiss_rXXXX.dol
file, rename it to ipl.dol
and copy to the root of your SD card.
XenoGC is a drive modchip, it can only patch disc data on the fly. This means you have to use a boot disk to run Swiss and play games from an SD card. PicoBoot uses completely different approach - injects custom payload during console boot sequence. This means it can load any application instead of a built in GameCube menu. It will work even if your disc drive is not working.
Sorry. I do not take reponsibility for any damage done by installing this modchip. Do it at your own risk!
Yes, go for it. Just respect the license agreements and don't expect me to provide any support for your board. PicoBoot only supports official Raspberry Pi Pico module at the moment.
Yes, you can use it with XenoGC intalled.
This project is free and available for everyone. If you want to support it anyway, consider using β€οΈ Sponsor button.
Make sure your Raspberry Pi Pico environment is set up on your machine.
Build Makefile and all required build scripts:
# cmake .
Then grab any DOL file you'd like to boot and run processing script:
# ./process_ipl.py iplboot.dol ipl.h
Do not change ipl.h
output file name.
Once it's ready and ipl.h
file has been created you can build the firmware:
# make
If everything worked you should see new file picoboot.uf2
created in the main project directory. Now hold BOOTSEL
button on Raspberry Pi Pico and connect USB cable. New mass storage device will appear. Copy picoboot.uf2
file to RPI-RP2
device. Once it's done it'll automatically eject itself. Disconnect the cable and you're all done.
I'd like to thank people who helped making PicoBoot possible:
- #gc-forever crew: Extrems, novenary, emu_kidid and others
- tmbinc - he started it all π
- happy_bunny - I started my research with his great writeup on Shuriken Attack
- beta testers: seewood, MethodOrMadness, renanbianchi
- content creators: MachoNachoProductions, RockerGaming
- people who sponsored this project
- every PicoBoot enjoyer - it's all about you after all π
- Some parts of this project use GPL-2.0 licensed code from: