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Hard EverDrivin'! Flash cartridges & ODEs

Phantoon

I cuss you bad
I was trying to give TerraOnion a fair chance after the first tweet. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it first appeared - he really dug in there, didn't he? What a grade A wanker. Anyway, I'm definitely up for some more Everdrives.
 

ShakeWell

Slam Master
(he, etc.)
While I'm certainly not a stranger to holding my nose and buying products from iffy individuals/companies, I don't feel there's enough of a quality gap (if at all) to justify choosing them over another solution.

So, I can't speak to the PC Engine SSD3, because it isn't compatible with my PC Engine (a Duo-R), but on the front of the Mega SD and the Neo SD, when I looked at the other options (Mega ED Pro and Darksoft MVS Multi, respectively), I found them both to be the preferable option. Obviously, YMMV, and I guess if you REALLY want to play Neo-Geo CD games on your Neo-Geo Not CD, then that's an argument, but by-and-large, I prefer the non-TO solutions. Not sure about the MODE, though. Can't speak to that, either, but I do like my Satiator and my bootleg-as-fuck GDEmu just fine.
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
Speaking of which, I'm greatly considering dropping the cash for the Darksoft MVS cart... but I still don't have my supergun setup in so I don't even really know if these two Neo Geo boards I have are going to work. (I know one has an issue, the other supposedly just needs a BIOS replacement which I've already gotten.)

@ShakeWell: I, uh, did the thing. Darksoft cart is ordered. I really truly am joining the Neo Geo club, and I'm super tempted to build my own arcade cabinet now.
 
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Tegan

𝑬𝑿▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱
(She/Her)
Hey guys.

I bought a Gamecube.

And a GC Loader.

And an SD2SP2.

And I got a Game Boy Player for Christmas (thanks @Ixo ♥)

IMG-20220320-143352107.jpg

IMG-20220413-093155627.jpg

IMG-20220323-103441240-MP.jpg


Install is dead-simple; it's almost entirely just unscrewing (loads and loads of) screws and taking stuff out until you can access the disc drive, then replacing it with the loader and putting it back together. And the SD2SP2 obviously just plugs in. The software side of things is similarly easy, just drop stuff onto the root of a couple of FAT32 microSD cards. It's all region-free, there's a million tiny settings you can adjust, and as of a few updates ago Swiss can even emulate memory cards if you have an SD2SP2 connected (hey did you guys know that the largest OEM memory card size for Gamecube is only like 8MB? So the smallest microSD I happened to have onhand is still something like 32,000 blocks). Loading is instantaneous, which is hilarious given how games of this generation are where we first started seeing the really obvious attempts to disguise load times. It's extremely satisfying to see those sticky doors in Metroid Prime open instantly upon triggering them. Unfortunately I got everything else long before I got the SD2SP2 so I have a clear save on Wind Waker and fifteen hours of Twilight Princess that I can't easily transfer to the SD2SP2 virtual memory card without pulling shenanigans so I guess I'm still using a memory card for those for the time being. I've also messed around the tiniest bit with Game Boy Interface and yeah, it's a huge improvement over the standard GB Player software. Still looks like ass with my crappy little CRT's wonky geometry but still, it's GB on TV. It even looks good if you commit video crimes and expand the image beyond the visible area. Maybe I'll eventually get some kind of HDMI hookup going for this thing, or maybe I'll just continue to keep an eye out for a PVM in my price range.

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Anyway, fun stuff. Definitely worth being able to play every Gamecube game for the price of... *checks Pricecharting* ...one Gamecube game. I even took out the CR2032 and soldered in one in a holder, so I'll have no trouble playing Animal Crossing for years to come. Think I'll do a Dreamcast next. I've been wanting to give it some more love, since I just recently found out that my Dreamcast is actually a demo unit from a kiosk. Specifically, it's from the same kiosk from the Blockbuster Video where I saw the orca level from Sonic Adventure running on a demo when I was nine years old, which means that I've seen one Dreamcast in my life, and every Dreamcast I've ever seen has in fact been the same Dreamcast. Also the demo units have different stickers and a fake modem.

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This doesn't have anything to do with ODEs.
 

John

(he/him)
That’s really interesting on the demo unit differences. Wonder if there’s anything else different, like if it uses a standard retail motherboard/firmware?
 

Tegan

𝑬𝑿▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱
(She/Her)
It allegedly has better cooling since it has a unique model number and was designed to run in a small, enclosed environment; but I've opened it up and I can't tell any difference between it and a V1 system.
 

Ixo

"This is not my beautiful forum!" - David Byrne
(Hi Guy)
And I got a Game Boy Player for Christmas (thanks @Ixo ♥)

You're welcome!! It was the best place for it to go, as the evidence you have presented here clearly shows.

(hey did you guys know that the largest OEM memory card size for Gamecube is only like 8MB? So the smallest microSD I happened to have onhand is still something like 32,000 blocks).

*Lil Jon voice* "BLOCKS BLOCKS BLOCKS BLOCKS BLOCKS BLOCKS EVERAYBODAAAAY"
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
I intend on getting a GCLoader eventually, but my Wind Waker disc with a hacked save boots into Swiss no problem, so I'm good for now. And yeah, load times are pretty great with it. For HDMI, I use this - it's pretty basic, but the picture looks pretty good to me, and it's not $150+ like a lot of HDMI options. It's also not a permanent mod, so if something better comes out, I can ditch it and install whatever new comes along.

And yeah, moving saves around sucks, regardless what system you're using. Getting my Shining Force III save off my Saturn+Fenrir ODE onto my Steam Deck in such a way that the Deck could read it was a confusing mess, though I eventually got it working. I wish there was a much easier way to manage saves for all these systems, I'm surprised there's not, really.
 

Tegan

𝑬𝑿▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱
(She/Her)
I also wanna set up my PS2 fat model to play stuff through network adapter shenanigans soon, which seems pretty easy. I replaced the CMOS battery to get it ready a while back and it ended up being incredibly difficult. You have to literally disassemble the entire console, which involves things like flipping the whole thing upside-down while making sure that a bunch of modules attached by ribbon cables don't drop and tear the cables. It's nuts.

What's the status of PSone ODEs right now? PSOne as in the little roundy one that looks like a bar of soap that's been mostly used up. I've always liked it more than the original and I'd like to pick one up when there's a good mod available.
 

Phantoon

I cuss you bad
Sony are terrible with CMOS batteries, they seem to take pleasure in making them as hard to get to as possible
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
AFAIK, PSOne's do not have ODEs yet. The ODE I installed was on a SCPH-5501, they're also available for the 1001's as well. Those are both the original style of PSXs, as well.
 

ArugulaZ

Fearful asymmetry

This is probably what you're going to want on a slim PS2. The system has USB ports, but they're USB 1.0 ports, which means data transfer is slow and games don't run well, particularly those with full motion video clips. The memory card slot has faster data transfer, but memory cards are limited in size. However, they can be made compatible with SD cards, as the technology is fairly similar. You either pay about $20 for an MX4SIO, or cook one up yourself by bridging the connections of a micro SD card adapter to the pins of a memory card (note: it must be a Magic Gate card; third party memory cards without this technology work poorly, or not at all). I haven't tried it myself, but it's within the realm of possibility even for soldering klutzes, requiring mostly straight point to point connections with a resistor or two added.
 

Falselogic

Lapsed Threadcromancer
(they/them)

This is probably what you're going to want on a slim PS2. The system has USB ports, but they're USB 1.0 ports, which means data transfer is slow and games don't run well, particularly those with full motion video clips. The memory card slot has faster data transfer, but memory cards are limited in size. However, they can be made compatible with SD cards, as the technology is fairly similar. You either pay about $20 for an MX4SIO, or cook one up yourself by bridging the connections of a micro SD card adapter to the pins of a memory card (note: it must be a Magic Gate card; third party memory cards without this technology work poorly, or not at all). I haven't tried it myself, but it's within the realm of possibility even for soldering klutzes, requiring mostly straight point to point connections with a resistor or two added.
Do you need to softmod the console to use this or is it just plug and play?
 

ArugulaZ

Fearful asymmetry
The system itself doesn't need to be hacked. However, a second memory card requires Free McBoot. You can either buy one of those pre-made, or make it yourself from a memory card you already have. You have to find a way to sneak an exploit on the card, but I think you can just burn a DVD and pop it into the system prior to booting it.

There's a huge-ass tutorial that will guide you through the process, but I have to believe there's someone online (probably MrMario) with streamlined instructions. I personally recommend Free McBoot, but there are other options available.

 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
I just recently picked up one of those MC2SIO dealies. I had a heck of a time getting it working right (probably better to just start from scratch without copying over the preexisting config files from the package Helder put together), but once I did, it seems pretty good for a Slim system. I've been running a full fat HDD setup for a while, so this was more a curiosity for me than anything.

As far as Swiss goes, that seems great as well. I bought an SD2SP2, but got unlucky in that it wasn't machined right and basically was falling out of the slot. Not even worth trying to return, so I just decided to pony up for a WiiSD card instead. There's apparently no functional difference between running through the memory card port and the port on the bottom, so I figured I'd have a better chance getting something that worked with the MC port. And blissfully, it actually worked, and seemed to load things well. Much like the PS2, it's something I didn't necessarily need (I run a lot of GC stuff on a Wii), but it's still super neat and gives me an easier way to get homebrew on there, and makes my process of updating GBI a lot easier as well.
 

Tegan

𝑬𝑿▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱
(She/Her)
Just a PSA; krikzz is manufacturing again after escaping to Spain with his team, and Everdrives are slowly being put up for sale again. Production is slow, so don't expect to actually be able to nab one soon, but they're coming.
 

ArugulaZ

Fearful asymmetry
Whatever's cheapest and most readily available, I guess. I don't know if there are distinctions beyond that. All I know for sure is that when you get a clone, you must never attempt to upgrade the firmware; you'll ruin it by trying.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Yeah, I picked up a Mega Everdrive Pro. Figures the Black Friday sale I finally bite on one of these is only 10% off lol, but at least the money is going to Ukrainians.
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
I'd love to get a Pro, I just can't bring myself to chuck over the cash since I do still have a Sega CD that works. But I have to admit, it sure would be nice to simplify that particular setup.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
After the hellish time I had buying a replacement gear for my PC Engine CD and recapping it and it still didn't work (I've sent it to a professional), I'm avoiding CD based collecting lmao
 
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