The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Arcade Collecting => Merit/JVL Touchscreen => Topic started by: M.Lanza on January 06, 2009, 12:21:32 pm
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I just found this on youtube.
I'm really not quite sure what to think about it yet.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hktQBTkBmRc[/youtube]
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I wonder how they got around the encryption.
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Could be running an original Merit board to an ELO touchscreen computer monitor.
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Yeah, the video itself doesn't prove a darn thing..... not sure how to decifer the KEY and ID stuff. Would be interesting to see more info on it.
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I just recently bought a "Titanium Upgrade" hard drive off ebay for my Megatouch XL5000. The seller claimed it will run with any XL key, so I figured what the heck. I had a problem with sector errors when trying it in my machine, which was solved by swapping my motherboard with a spare I had. The spare motherboard I had used an original XL key, from the first software release.
Working with the seller (really nice guy) to figure out why it wasn't working, he told me to test the drive by putting it in a PC. He said that if it boots to the Titanium logo, the drive should be fine and the problem is on my motherboard. Wasn't I suprised when I let the thing continue to boot, and it booted all the way up! It shows the game selection menu, and played through the demo mode just fine. My Megatouch monitors are broke right now, but I've ordered a 15" touchscreen off ebay to plug into the PC and see if it works. I haven't tested the sound either, as the demo mode is silent. I also don't know if the touchscreen calibration will work right.
I noticed that when the game boots it shows that it's MAXX software, not XL. I'm guessing he figured out how to bypass the MAXX security, and that MAXX software will run on any PC. The XL is pretty much a 486 PC with a special I/O board that holds the key and probably interfaces the coin input and setup buttons like an IPac, so that would make sense.
A little messing around and I now have Titanium running on my Megatouch off a compactflash card. >:D
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I'd be awfully careful here. Merit plays hardball with hacked/counterfeit boards & software. Their spies are everywhere.
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It would be nice to find more information on how this is done. (if it "is" possible)
Even if the security check has been cracked, I kind of doubt that it would be possible to
play the megatouch software on an "off the shelf" pc without having some kind of program
running in the background that handles the sound and touchscreen controller drivers as well
as the coin mech / DBV interface.
Could it be possible to interface the I/O card with a certian "off the shelf" pc motherboard?
This would solve the problems listed above, but how would the motherboard's BIOS
boot the DOS / linux program stored on the flash memory of the I/O card?
I haven't found any info on the internet that shows anything like that would be possible.
If it is, then either the megatouch "scene" must be very small, or that Merit Industries must
be doing a very good job of supressing this type of information.
I'd be awfully careful here. Merit plays hardball with hacked/counterfeit boards & software. Their spies are everywhere.
Perhaps it would be best to just wait a few more years for the hardware to become inexpensive enough
so that someone like me can upgrade without having to resort to counterfeit software.
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A little messing around and I now have Titanium running on my Megatouch off a compactflash card.
So does the CF just hold an upgrade or is it a complete drive?
(I'm curious due to harddrive size)
Paladin - Is the PC you tested your drive on Linux or Windows based ?
Even if the security check has been cracked, I kind of doubt that it would be possible to
play the megatouch software on an "off the shelf" pc without having some kind of program running in the background that handles the sound and touchscreen controller drivers as well as the coin mech / DBV interface.
Could it be possible to interface the I/O card with a certian "off the shelf" pc motherboard?
Pretty sure alot of that is generic.... so if you have a sound card, your good.....if you have the right drivers for your particular touchscreen controller loaded, your good. Really it's just a matter of the software itself running properly.
DBV's are typically some form of serial interface, so once again the software may cover that as well.
I haven't really played with the idea much, but from the hardware I've seen.....there's not much special going on there. Not really certain of what the security chip is actually being checked against, so can't say much on that either. But I see people selling replacement harddrives and such for these all the time, so they are either cracked in some fashion or there is nothing on there to bounce a security check against anything to begin with.
Makes me wonder now though, I have an Touchmaster Infinity to play with....hmmmm.
And like Ken mentioned.... Merit and other like them don't play around. It might as well be casino equipment..... it's that tight.
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Well maybe I should just shut up, I'm starting to get spooked......
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I found the Flickr site of the guy with the Force game.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22398235@N02/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22398235@N02/)
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I looked all over the place for stuff from him and never saw that. :P
I think it's funny that he added his name to the Development Team list.
(I'm sure Merit wouldn't think it's funny)
But anywhere you see the name Tristan Schaap.... then he's played with it.
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Yes, this is the Megatouch Force 2007.5 running on a normal, touchscreen enabled PC. The PC is a 1GHz, 512MB RAM unit, with an i810 chipset. It has a 3M MicroTouch capacitive touchscreen.
The software has been modified to accept input from the parallel port instead of the USB board, which is why you see me pressing arcade buttons to input tokens, and access the operator setup.
And that's about as much as I'm going to say about it. I've already sent a report of my findings to Merit. I will await their response before answering any questions.
Merit and other like them don't play around. It might as well be casino equipment..... it's that tight.
I just had to reply to this, as it has a lot of irony in it. The unit you see that's running the software? That's a topbox from an IGT ReelTouch unit. Hacked to run normal software.
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Merit and other like them don't play around. It might as well be casino equipment..... it's that tight.
I just had to reply to this, as it has a lot of irony in it. The unit you see that's running the software? That's a topbox from an IGT ReelTouch unit. Hacked to run normal software.
I thought that looked familiar. ;)
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For the life of me I can't understand why they don't release a retail windows version of these games, they would sell millions of copies at $50 and wouldn't hurt their bar sells one bit.
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Ah.... but then they couldn't sell their little units for rediculous amounts of money.
Megatouch still updates and upgrades and all. (expensively)
Midway went into a slump on their machines so they sellout and offer some of their software for things like the Nintendo DS and such.
http://touchmastergame.com/
Has most of the same games on my Inifinity which came out a few years back and has no updates or upgrades since.
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Very, very few are going to pay $3-5K for one to use in their home, and you couldn't legally use the pc software in bars. It's 2 different markets, one that sells thousands and another that sells hundreds of thousands. Selling hundreds of thousands of things that you make $30 or so and you don't have to warranty, seems a better market to me than selling several thousand of something that you make $2500 off of, and but have to warranty for at least a year of abuse in bars scattered around the world.
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Well, I'm sure their warranties are very "limited".....which means you just get screwed into forking over money to repair anything anyways. (I don't really know their current policies)
I think the problem with the PC software side of it would be piracy. It's just too easy now.
Heck you can find just about anything on the net nowadays if you really want it.
So would they really profit from it....maybe just for a short bit then it's over.
Their corner on the coin-op side is pretty well established and they have a good hold on it.
Hell, I'm just rambling without an ounce of evidence.
Truth is..... they do what they want to with it.
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Merit actually does have one of the better warranty programs for their equipment. They give you a 2 year pretty much "bumper to bumper" warranty. However their equipment is far from failure proof.
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Hell, I'm just rambling without an ounce of evidence.
Truth is..... they do what they want to with it.
That's the sad truth, if Steve Jobs hadn't had this deluded fantasy that he was a hardware engineer, microsoft would be bankrupt and apple would being sued by governments around the world for having a monopoly.
Piracy be damn, most that pirate can't afford to buy, so cost them nothing anyway. They would make more selling copies to a copy to each blockbuster for wii rentals, sell 3 copies for wii and 2 copies for pc to each gamestop/walmart/bestbuy/target/sears at $10 each and they make more than they have made off their bar games for the last 10 years.
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I have a DIY-megatouch, bought from eBay a while back (as a dead screen unit) hooked up to an old CRT touchscreen.
I wish I caught the video though, it seems to be down now. Any mirrors?
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Merit probably had the video removed. They vigorously persue their rights.
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I have a DIY-megatouch, bought from eBay a while back (as a dead screen unit) hooked up to an old CRT touchscreen.
Yeah, you can plug just about any monitor into those..... it's the motherboard and I/O board that is questionable as far as actual homebrew version.
So when you say "DIY" .... does it have the original Megatouch hardware then?
I wish I caught the video though, it seems to be down now. Any mirrors?
Wasn't much to be seen actually. Just a guy playing a Megatouch really.
No technical insight whatsoever.
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Yeah, DIY in terms of original motherboard, I/O board, hard drive, and key.. The major guts to it. It's hooked up to a 3M Microtouch CRT. I moved the internals to a smaller PC chasis, and don't have any of the I/O ports connected as I have it set to free play.
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Merit probably had the video removed. They vigorously persue their rights.
That's kind of strong. Merit asked me kindly to remove the video, and other links. I oblidged. I've sent them my thoughts on the matter, and that seems to be it. I won't answer questions pertaining to the hacking of the software.
And yes, the video was just me playing a Megatouch, showing that some stuff just "wasn't right". Missing hardware serial numbers, incorrect keystrings and fake partnumbers and versions just to name a few.
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Merit plays hardball with their rights and trademarks. They are always getting stories in the trade publications about them cracking down on illegal/pirated/counterfeit Megatouch machines/boards/hardware/software.
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As they have every right to. I'm just saying that I was kindly asked to remove the videos. I didn't have to comply. Both the report I wrote (which was already on a private server anyway), and the video violate no copyright, trademark or law. The hacks were all done for non-profit educational purposes. (I study CS, but reverse engineering is not a part of the curriculum, so I practice, every chance I get.)
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Here's an example of Merit enforcing their rights from Replay Magazines' breaking news today:
CHINESE POLICE ARREST ALLEGED MEGATOUCH COPIER
(Posted February 11, 2009 -- 4PM)
The Panyu Branch of the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau (Police) arrested Yan Xiancheng, owner of Chengtai Electronics, on January 4, 2009, for suspected criminal offenses under the China Criminal Code of Registered Trademark Counterfeiting. The Panyu Procuratorate issued the arrest warrant that same day.
Xiancheng is charged with allegedly making and selling copies of Megatouch units and will remain in custody until his trial date. If convicted, Xiacheng could receive up to seven years imprisonment. Merit Industries (a.k.a. Merit Entertainment) originally filed a complaint with the PSB on February 19, 2008, and Chengtai Electronics was subsequently raided on March 4, 2008. At that time, a large number of copied games, including several Megatouch counterfeits, were seized.
“We applaud the actions of the Chinese government in assisting Merit Industries with the protection of its intellectual property rights in China,” said Bob Fay, Merit’s Director of Government Relations.
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Wow.... China is like the counterfeit capitol of the world I thought.
I didn't realized they actually Enforced any counterfeit laws, especially from other countries.
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Yeah, they enforce it pretty strictly. To be fair, it is pretty easy to run their software on cheap hardware, and their software is basically what they make money on, so.
I was wondering if anyone knew how common it is for units to be equipped with credit card slots, and hooked up to MegaNet? I'm wondering for a threat assessment.
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None of the operators in my area use credit card readers or the mega net function on Megatouch games.
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confused about this topic... I think a couple of you guys WORK for Merit. :-)
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For the life of me I can't understand why they don't release a retail windows version of these games, they would sell millions of copies at $50 and wouldn't hurt their bar sells one bit.
It would hurt operators.
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OK, I understood and followed everything being discussed here except one....
What's MegaNet? Wait, no not what is MegaNet... I should say, what's the purpose of MegaNet? I see it described on their website, but I don't really see any information on what function it serves.... Or I probably missed it.
Just checked out the site and they have an Aurora GT that seems to be marketed specifically for home use. So uh... yeah. :dunno
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MEGANET®
Merit’s on-line strategy goes beyond the informative company Web site. Connecting the existing coin-op units in the field via the Internet to the TournaMAXX™ Global Player Ranking System has taken game operators’ machines to exciting new levels. Following the initial TournaMAXX™ release, Merit launched a full complement of Internet capability called MegaNET® in April 2002. MegaNET provides “Pay-Per-Play” premium channels like Hot Topics Direct Downloadable Content™and the new Entertainment Channel, featuring daily horoscopes, comics, celebrity birthdays, facts and quotes. Remote Control™ operator interface, Video Poster™ operator-controlled advertising, My Merit player data tracker, Merit Money, Promo Credits and Coin-less Coin-op features have again raised the bar on earnings. 2003/2004 saw the addition of MegaWeb, which provides players with high-speed connections to the Internet, and provides operators with advance downloads of upcoming Merit content. Through a partnership with Arcade Planet, Merit also offers Prize Zone™, a player prize system that allows winners to select prize merchandise directly from connected Megatouch®® units.
http://www.amientertainment.com/games/tournamaxx/ (http://www.amientertainment.com/games/tournamaxx/)
I don't know what all systems can actually utilize this though.
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Oh I see.
Oddly enough, it doesn't really entice me to go out and play one of these things.
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For the life of me I can't understand why they don't release a retail windows version of these games, they would sell millions of copies at $50 and wouldn't hurt their bar sells one bit.
It would hurt operators.
Thats like saying beer distributors are hurting bars. No, people go to bars to for the experience and to meet people. They will play those games regardless if they have them at home or not. They might even want to play them more just to beat others scores since they play them at home and think there good at playing.
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With merit no longer making these since last year I wonder if we will see this released for the PC in some way.
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merit is currently testing out having their megatouch games on portable devices such as tablets and smartphones as some kind of app. I'm not sure how it's going over and I'm not sure how or if a payment system is in place for the games (or even if you pay-per-play or some kind of microtransactions), as i'm not privy to that info. but it looks like megatouch LLC isn't quite dead yet.
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lol, I actually just installed "Monster Madness" on my phone. (since it was free)
it still has the same bug in it I reported to Megatouch like 3 YEARS ago.
Lazy SOB's :lol
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Lazy is an understatement as far as protection goes. The old XL and MAXX were more secure then the force and ion software. And the security they used for the ML1.... :laugh2:
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Hi, I understand that this won't post until moderated, and I don't suppose it needs to be approved. I'm mainly wondering how to DM people. I get that I don't have access, but I'd like to play ball.
I have four MegaTouch XL (On is a Titanium) bartop games with CRT touchscreens, original hardware, copy-protection keys, etc. However, I can't get the software to work. I won't go into details here, but I'd like to talk to some of the experts I've seen in the forum. If I can't, and should start a new thread, let me know. Thanks for any direction you can provide! -Derek
I just recently bought a "Titanium Upgrade" hard drive off ebay for my Megatouch XL5000. The seller claimed it will run with any XL key, so I figured what the heck. I had a problem with sector errors when trying it in my machine, which was solved by swapping my motherboard with a spare I had. The spare motherboard I had used an original XL key, from the first software release.
Working with the seller (really nice guy) to figure out why it wasn't working, he told me to test the drive by putting it in a PC. He said that if it boots to the Titanium logo, the drive should be fine and the problem is on my motherboard. Wasn't I suprised when I let the thing continue to boot, and it booted all the way up! It shows the game selection menu, and played through the demo mode just fine. My Megatouch monitors are broke right now, but I've ordered a 15" touchscreen off ebay to plug into the PC and see if it works. I haven't tested the sound either, as the demo mode is silent. I also don't know if the touchscreen calibration will work right.
I noticed that when the game boots it shows that it's MAXX software, not XL. I'm guessing he figured out how to bypass the MAXX security, and that MAXX software will run on any PC. The XL is pretty much a 486 PC with a special I/O board that holds the key and probably interfaces the coin input and setup buttons like an IPac, so that would make sense.
A little messing around and I now have Titanium running on my Megatouch off a compactflash card. >:D
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it's best to just make a thread. if all we did is stuff through DM's... people would come here and there'd be no answers..and we'd be answering the same questions over and over via DM.