How to Burn Dreamcast Games

@Dreamcast

Published in 

Dreamcast

 · 19 Dec 2020

If you have an old Dreamcast, you may be able to play burned backup discs on it. This will help keep your original discs in pristine shape, and you can even load homemade games by burning them. In order to burn games, you’ll need a few pieces of software and the right Dreamcast model.

Part 1: Preparing to Burn

1. Ensure your Dreamcast can play burned games. In order to play games that have been burned to CD, your Dreamcast must have been made before October 2000. Newer Dreamcasts have changes made to the way discs are read which prevents backed up games from playing.
   • On the bottom of the Dreamcast, look for a number in a circle near the word PAL or NTSC. If the number is 0 or 1 you can play burned games.
   • If the number is 2 or higher, you cannot play burned games.

2. Obtain the game backup file. You can find Dreamcast backup files in various locations around the internet. It is illegal to download a backup file for a game that you do not own. To find a game, perform a Google search for “game name dreamcast download”.
3. Download a program that can open RAR files (if necessary). Many Dreamcast games come in RAR archives. You’ll need a program like WinRAR or the free 7-Zip to open these files and extract the actual game files.
   • You can download WinRAR from rarlab.com/download.htm. The trial version will work fine for opening RAR files. You can download 7-Zip from 7-zip.org.

4. Download and install ImgBurn. ImgBurn is a freeware programs, but you’ll need to ensure that you decline the extra software it tries to install. With the right add-on drivers (see the next step), ImgBurn is by far the easiest and most reliable way to burn Dreamcast games.
   • You can download ImgBurn from imgburn.com.

5. Install the ImgBurn Dreamcast Drivers. These extra drivers will give ImgBurn the support to burn Dreamcast .CDI and .NRG files. You can download the drivers here.
   • When you extract the file, you’ll see a setup file for ImgBurn and another compressed file called “cdi files for imgburn”. You can ignore the setup file since you installed the newest version of ImgBurn already.
   • Extract the “cdi files for imgburn”. This will create a new folder with three files: pfctoc.dll, pfctoc.h, and pfctoc.lib.
   • Copy the three files to C:\Program Files\ImgBurn or C:\Program Files (x86)\ImgBurn.

6. Extract the files. Use your newly-installed WinRAR or 7-Zip program to extract the game files from the RAR file. Extracting the files may give you a set of even more RAR files. If this is the case, start with the .part1 file to automatically join and extract the multiple parts.

Part 2: Burning with ImgBurn

1. Insert a blank CD-R. Dreamcast games are burnt onto CD-R format discs. You cannot use DVDs or CD-RW discs. To ensure the best chances for your burnt games, use a high-quality disc like Memorex or Verbatim.
2. Launch ImgBurn and select “Write image file to disc”. Alternatively, you can right-click on your file and select “Open With ImgBurn”.
3. Click the Browse button in the “Source” section and find your file. If you have a BIN/CUE file, select the CUE file.
4. Click the “Write Speed” drop-down menu and select 8X or lower. This will give you the least chance of encountering an error during the burn.
5. Uncheck the “Verify” box. This will verify the disc after burning to ensure that it was successful, but this will add extra time to the process and there’s nothing you can do to fix a corrupted disc anyway.
6. Click the “Write” button. This is the large button in the lower-left corner. Your disc will begin burning.

Part 3: Playing the Burned Game

1. Power off your Dreamcast. Some users have reported more success if they start with the power to the system turned off before inserting the game.
2. Insert your game and start the Dreamcast. If the game had two or more sessions, it is likely a self-booting game, and should start up just like a real game would. If the game shows up as an audio CD on the Dreamcast, you may need to use the Utopia Boot Disc.
3. Download the Utopia Boot Disc image. You can download the image file for this disc from most Dreamcast emulation and modding sites. Chances are that the site that you downloaded your game backup file from also has the Utopia Boot Disc.
4. Burn the image to a CD-R. Follow the game burning instructions above to burn the Utopia Boot Disc image to your blank CD-R.
   
5. Insert the burned Utopia Boot Disc into your Dreamcast and power it on. After the Dreamcast and Sega logos appear, you’ll see the Utopia Boot Disc screen.
6. Open the lid to the Dreamcast while the Utopia screen is on. Remove the Utopia disc from the Dreamcast once it stops spinning.
7. Insert your burned game and close the lid. After a moment the Utopia screen will change and your game will be booted. This may take longer than normal.

Recording and sharing gameplay has become a very popular pastime for many players. The increase in popularity of video sites such as YouTube and Twitch have opened up a whole new audience for video game footage. With the newest consoles, you can easily record without any additional software or hardware. If you play on a computer, there are free programs you can use to record your gameplay. If you’re using an older console and don’t have access to a capture card, you can use a video camera or smartphone to record your gameplay.

Method 1: PlayStation 4

1. Start playing your game. The PlayStation 4 is constantly recording, and will always save up to the last 15 minutes of gameplay for you. The PlayStation 4 will not record any system menus or videos.
2. Press the Share button when you want to save what just happened. Did something amazing just happen in your game? Did you just beat a tough level or boss? Press the Share button to open the Share menu so that you can save the recording of what you just played.
3. Press Square to save your clip. The footage that was recorded, up to the last fifteen minutes, will be saved to your PS4’s hard drive.
   
4. Double-tap the Share button to start a new recording. If you’re playing a game and want to start a fresh recording, you can do so by double-tapping the Share button. Be aware that this will delete anything that was already recording but not yet saved. Tap Share again when you want to finish recording. Recording will stop automatically after 15 minutes.
5. Open the Capture Gallery to find your saved videos. All of your saved videos and screenshots can be found in the Capture Gallery app. You’ll find this app on your main PS4 menu, or in the Library if you haven’t used it recently.
6. Find the video you want. The Capture Gallery will organize your videos according to game title. Navigate to the game that you recorded the video in and then select “Videos” to find your saved videos.
7. Play or edit the video. You can watch the video in the Capture Gallery or open it in ShareFactory to make edits. Select the video to start playing it.
8. Upload the video (optional). You can upload the video to Facebook or YouTube from the Share menu. You’ll be prompted to log in with your Facebook or YouTube account. Before uploading, you can trim the video clips with a basic editor. Make sure to give it a catchy title and a good description.
   
9. Insert a USB flash drive to copy videos. If you want to move your video clips to your computer, you’ll need a USB flash drive. Plug the thumb drive into the USB port on the front of the PS4.
10. Press Options in the Capture Gallery to copy videos. To copy videos to the USB drive, press the Options button on the controller and select “Copy to USB Storage”. Select each of the videos that you want to copy to the USB drive. Select “Copy” after you have finished selecting videos and they will be copied to the USB drive that you plugged in.
• The transfer process may take a few minutes to complete. The videos will be in MP4 format in a folder called “PS4” on the USB drive.

Method 2: Xbox One

1. Start playing the game you want to record. The Xbox One is always recording the last five minutes of your gameplay. You can quickly save thirty second clips, or save the entire five minute video.
2. Double-tap the Xbox button and press X to save the last 30 seconds. This is great for a quick moment that you want to share with friends or save for later viewing.
   • If you use the Kinect, you can say “Xbox, record that” to perform the same function.

3. Open the Game DVR to record longer clips. The Xbox is constantly recording the last five minutes of your gameplay, which you can access through the Game DVR app. Double-tap the Xbox button, select “Snap an app”, and then choose “Game DVR”.
   • If you use the Kinect, you can say “Xbox, snap Game DVR” to quickly open the Game DVR app.

4. Select “End clip now” to save your captured footage. You can choose to select a range of times from the last 30 seconds to the last 5 minutes.
5. Select “Start clip now” to begin a new recording. Your previous recording will be ended and your new recording will begin. You can stop recording whenever you’d like or the clip will end automatically after five minutes.
6. Permanently save your clips. When you finish recording a clip, it is not actually permanently saved. If you keep recording clips, it will eventually be deleted unless you manually save it.
   
   • Open the Game DVR and select “Show my clips”.
   • Highlight the video clip that you want to permanently save.
   • Press the Menu button and select “Save”. This will save the video to your Xbox’s hard drive.

7. Upload your videos. Your Xbox One allows you to upload your videos to Xbox Live or share them with your Xbox friends. You can also upload to your OneDrive storage, which will allow you to share it with anyone or download it to your computer. You can use the Upload Studio app to manage your video uploads.

Method 3: PC Games

1. Install a screen capture program. There are a variety of different screen capture solutions available, and different ones will suit different needs. Research all of the available options to see which one will give you the best performance. Some of the most popular options include:
   • FRAPS – This is one of the oldest video capture programs designed specifically for gaming. It has a low impact on your system performance and gives you several options for customizing your recording.
   • Nvidia ShadowPlay – This is a screen capture feature for Nvidia graphics cards. If you have a supported card, you can use the Nvidia Experience program to launch it. Because ShadowPlay is built-in to Nvidia cards, there is very little performance impact when using it.
   • ApowerRec – This is an ultimate screen recorder for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. It supports to record webcam and customize your recording.
   • Open Broadcast Software (OBS) – This is a free software program designed for broadcasting live gaming, but it can also record gameplay as well. This guide will assume you are using OBS, as it is the free option.

2. Configure your recording settings. Most screen capture programs allow you to configure your quality settings before you start recording. The higher the quality, the larger the final file will be. In OBS, click the “Settings” button.
   
   • Click the “Encoding” tab. Enter 1000 into the Max Bitrate field.
   • Check the “Use CBR” box and set the Quality Balance to 10.
   • Check the “Use Custom Buffer Size” box and set the Buffer Size field to 0.
   • Click the “Broadcast Settings” tab and select “File Output Only”. This will just record the video to your computer.

3. Set your recording hotkey. having a recording hotkey will make it easy to start and stop recording. In OBS, right-click the “Sources” box and select “Add” --> “Game capture”. Select the “Use Hotkey” option and then choose the key you want to use. Make sure it’s not a key that you will be using in-game.
4. Start playing the game. Once your recording software is configured and running, you can start playing your game. Get to the point that you want to start recording.