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Hard EverDrivin'! Flash cartridges & ODEs

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Not great, to be honest. Juggling save files is a chore, one that I never really learned how to deal with - the thing would just decide sometimes that I didn't have enough space to save the game normally or with a save state (this is what caused me to buy an alternative, ultimately). Pokemon Crystal and Puzzle League don't run properly, if at all. NES seems to run okay, but it's squished because the resolution isn't right as I'm sure you're aware, so I've barely used it.

I highly recommend either the Everdrive GB X7 or the EZ Flash Jr, both of which I've used, both of which perform MUCH better than the GB/GBC emulation.
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
I assume that it's using Goomba Color for emulation. I've played with that, and it seems okay, but definitely not perfect. I still haven't tried it on my X5 Mini. But I do agree that the EverDrive GB is a better option (even just the X3) if you want the ideal experience.
 

muteKi

Geno Cidecity
GB emulation on GBA is always a bit of a wash, and the compatibility mode is a hardware switch so you can't access it simply through software.

On the other hand, GB emulation on DS (and DSi and thus 3DS) is actually pretty good
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Just finished installing an XStation ODE tonight in a Japanese SCPH-5500 I got last week. I'm not going to say it was easy - it's not - but I had all the tools I needed to get it installed, so it wasn't too bad. Just downloading PSX games at the moment...
 

lincolnic

can stop, will stop
(he/him)
Thanks for the insights! I'm looking into a gift for a friend, but I think he's mostly interested in the legacy GB/GBC stuff. I had the idea to include GBA games as a bonus, but it sounds like it's not worth trying to do everything on one flash cart.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Just finished installing an XStation ODE tonight in a Japanese SCPH-5500 I got last week. I'm not going to say it was easy - it's not - but I had all the tools I needed to get it installed, so it wasn't too bad. Just downloading PSX games at the moment...
This device is a delight to use. Simple menu, loads quickly, I haven't had any issues so far. Turns out 128gb can go a long way for PS1 games, as well - I've got pretty much everything I'd ever want to play on there with about 30 gigs left over.

Gonna start with a Final Fantasy VII retranslation, Harvest Moon Back to Nature, and Dragon Warrior VII playthroughs, most likely. Wild to be using a PS1, I never really did - I started with the PS2.
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
Getting a Fenrir for my Saturn has really gotten me wanting an XStation setup. Unfortunately, I currently have three PSX systems and they're all 9001 models, haha. Might consider getting a pre-modded system, even though I could probably do the soldering work.

That being said, the FreePSXBoot memory card exploit is pretty awesome if you have a system with a good laser in it with solid CD-R media. I've used both CMC Pro and Verbatim DataLife Plus discs to good effect in my systems. (I do think my original system has a power supply issue - it randomly resets even with legit discs.)
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Besides not wanting to burn 100+ discs (realistically more like 50+ considering what games I'll actually play), I wasn't sure if any of those solutions would work with my Japanese PS1 anyway like the XStation does. Granted, I do have that 9001 model lying around if I ever wanted to mess about with it.
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
Oh, yeah, XStation is way easier I'm sure. I used to burn a lot of discs for my Saturn, but I don't have to now, and it's awesome. Especially for new translations and when they get revisions. (My Saturn is also way less picky about CD-R media, though.)
 

ShakeWell

Slam Master
(he, etc.)
Getting a Fenrir for my Saturn has really gotten me wanting an XStation setup. Unfortunately, I currently have three PSX systems and they're all 9001 models, haha. Might consider getting a pre-modded system, even though I could probably do the soldering work.

That being said, the FreePSXBoot memory card exploit is pretty awesome if you have a system with a good laser in it with solid CD-R media. I've used both CMC Pro and Verbatim DataLife Plus discs to good effect in my systems. (I do think my original system has a power supply issue - it randomly resets even with legit discs.)

I guess I don't know what the market is like now, but the PSX I had (still have, unmodded) wasn't a compatible model, so I bought an as-is untested one off eBay, figuring if the drive was hosed, who cares? But it worked fine, as it turned out, and was a great candidate for the XStation. That was a little over a year ago, and it was eight bucks plus ten to ship it. I can't imagine they're much more expensive now?
 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
Yeah, I think you're right. Systems still aren't too expensive. I had a friend send me his old one, and if it was a compatible one, I was going to send it off for the mod. Actually, there's a pawn shop nearby that has a lot of those old systems that likely have dead lasers, so that might actually be the cheapest way for me to get one. (That's actually where I got my beat up but working AGS-101 from.)
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
XStation stopped working, tried to reflow my solder to see if that was the issue, and fucking got solder underneath a bunch of legs that I can't get back out, so now things are worse:


If she says it's unfixable, I'll try to get another 5500/5501 off eBay and a replacement QSB and try again. God dammit, it's my own fucking fault
 

John

(he/him)
Don’t get discouraged! Nothing’s unfixable, but it may take tools that you might not have. I’ve seen people fix those issues by using a hot air rework station and pulling the whole chip, then redoing the SMD soldering. That level’s beyond my skill, but I know they sell kits for practicing, and you can always use older broken stuff for practice too. Kapton tape and flux are your friends, so those neighboring resistors don’t slide off with the hot air.
 

ArugulaZ

Fearful asymmetry
Do you have solder braid? When you set it over solder and heat it with an iron, it acts as a sponge, absorbing the melted solder. A solder sucker (basically a handheld, spring-loaded vacuum) can also be useful, although you've got to be fast to draw the solder off the board before it hardens. A rework station would be more effective, definitely, but it's also more expensive.
 

lincolnic

can stop, will stop
(he/him)
For what it's worth, I've never ever had any luck using solder braid, but that's just my anecdotal experience. Obviously it works for plenty of people, otherwise they wouldn't keep selling it. For me it's the ultimate "YMMV" soldering accessory.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
I'm going to tinker with it, but she never responded so I bought a cheap 5501 on eBay and a replacement QSB to try to get a working one.

I have both solder braid and a cheap desoldering iron, and a non powered desoldering pump. I was messing with that thing for hours yesterday and just could not fix the bridges.
 

lincolnic

can stop, will stop
(he/him)
A solder sucker won't help you for tiny bridges like that, they're really meant to clear out through-hole pads.
 

John

(he/him)
I've seen people fix that by drag soldering. Drop a ton of flux, then add even more solder. It seems contradictory, but adding more solder makes the bridges bind to the new, and then when you drag across it the flux makes it only stick to the legs or the iron, instead of itself. Then you can do solder braid to remove anything that didn't come off on your iron, and clean it all up with high proof alcohol.

 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
I ordered some different solder braid, because the one I had wasn't working very well. Hopefully it will work to get that pesky solder out...
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Is it fluxed already? If not, get some flux on your braid.
Yeah, plus I used some more flux, too. Though I don't have flux paste like the guy in the video John posted does, maybe I should get some of that...

In any case, I'll probably mess around with the PSX some more this weekend.
 

Kazin

did i do all of that?
(he/him)
Ugh, god. I kinda wanted to get one of those PC Engine things, but I guess not now! Oh well!
 

ArugulaZ

Fearful asymmetry
TerraOnion's stuff is too expensive anyway.

So, here's an interesting nugget of information. There's a recently discovered Sega Saturn version of Heart of Darkness, the spiritual successor to the likes of Out of this World and Flashback. The big problem is that it requires a titanic 6MB RAM cartridge in order to work, which isn't available commercially. The big solution is a cartridge called Wasca that pretty much does everything you could ever need the Saturn to do. It handles games that require the 1MB expansion cart, the 4MB cart, and even the 6MB cart you didn't think you even needed or knew existed. It can also handle Pseudo Saturn KAI, and those oddball games like Ultraman that required a ROM cartridge. The big problem with this is that while Wasca has been in development for seven years, it still isn't finished, nor does anyone know for sure when it will be launched or how much it will cost. If it includes an SD card slot that lets you play games from solid state storage, you can be sure that it will be seriously expensive.

 

Sarge

hardcore retro gamin'
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. They'd have to be far and away the best option for me to consider them, or show a serious change of heart.

Also, how funny is it that something that was meant to throw shade towards one of their competitors actually ended up bolstering said competitor's profile? Seriously, I think some folks just have brain worms or something.

No idea when it might happen, but I believe KRIKzz was working on his own PC Engine alternative to the SSDS3.
 

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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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?
 

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"
 
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