> > > So while trying the latest Kega, which is awesome btw, I found a "disable
> > SRAM"
> > > function, and it made the copy-protection code fail. Hooray ! But still
> there
> > > are many unanswered questions here...
> >
> > My guess: the games tries to write to SRAM. Impossible on an original cart
> with
> > no SRAM (=> original game, go ahead), possible with copiers that simulated
> SRAM
> > in some way to allow SRAM games to save (=> lock the game). And easy, free
> > protection mechanism, as long as copiers cannot turn off SRAM saving.
>
> I think I recall hearing about something similar being done back in the day with
> StarFox for the SNES, or something like that, maybe Mario Kart.
>
> It's easy enough to check for the possibility that the game is being run under a
> "cart copier" or something similar (emulator), in many cases. Looks like what is
> happening here.
>
> Wonder how many console cart games have anti-anti-piracy cracks. :P
>

You couldn't copy Starfox or Mario Kart because of (respectively) the SFX and DSP chips that were inside the cartridges and not the console. At least, that's what I remember ... perhaps some of the later copiers had one or both of the chips.