OmniDrive: firmware that turns your Blu-ray player into a dump tool for GameCube, Wii and Xbox 360
The retrogaming preservation community has just taken an important step. OmniDrive is an alternative firmware intended for certain Blu-ray players that allows them to read and rip the proprietary disc formats of GameCube consoles, Wii, Xbox and Xbox 360directly to PC.
Until now, dumping your own disks for these consoles required either modified hardware, or complex and expensive solutions. OmniDrive is a game changer by exploiting the hardware capabilities of optical drives equipped with the MediaTek MT1959 chipset (manufactured not amment by Hitachi-LG Data Storage).
What OmniDrive allows:
- Create decrypted dumps of GameCube and disks Wii
- Rip Xbox and Xbox 360 games to ISO
- Compatibility with Media Preservation Frontend, the o open-source reference util
Compatible drives: Some Asus, LG, Buffalo and Verbatim models equipped with the MT1959 chipset. It is imperative to check the compatibility list on the official site before purchasing.
Installation consists of flashing the firmware on the drive. Once done, this is recognized as a standard player by Windows and Linux, and Media Preservation Frontend can use it to extract the data. All starting from its own original disks, which makes it a legal solution to build a personal backup library.
Excellent news for Anyone who wishes to preserve their physical collection of games without having to take out their console or invest in specialized dump equipment at 200 euros.
Source: Tom's Hardware - HotHardware