FF VIII mod-chip scheme confirmed

[02.11.99] » Reports from Japan indicate Final Fantasy VIII does not function on PlayStations equipped with a mod-chip.

   According to Gaming Age, the news is confirmed: Square's just-released Final Fantasy VIII does indeed contain the new encryption scheme which inhibits the game from functioning on mod-chip equipped PlayStations. Mod-chips, for those not familiar with the term, are small microchips installed into a PlayStation designed to fool the system into thinking any imported or illegally pirated CDs are genuine.

   Additionally, though not yet confirmed, another report from Hong Kong states that the new breed of "Phantom" or "Stealth" mod chips are also rendered ineffective by Final Fantasy VIII, due to hardware checks performed periodically throughout gameplay.

   Other possible options may still remain for importers dedicated to playing Square's latest. Multiple GameShark codes have already been discovered that allow the play of IQ Final and Poporogue on mod-chipped systems. However, since Final Fantasy VIII is using a new encryption scheme (the two games mentioned above functioned perfectly on Stealth-equipped systems), a GameShark code may not be possible.