Is there any method or device to backup *GAME SAVES*?

[SkiDragon]

Inspired by this thread:
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101139

I now have a way to backup/restore game saves for most SNES games with my SF7. It is a good feeling to take an old game I could never finish, and complete it with the help of save states, etc. even if it is technically cheating.

Now I am looking to do the same thing with other cartridge based systems, mainly NES, Genesis, and N64 games that do not support the memory card. Are there devices that allow this? I have no real interest in backing up the ROM of a game or playing backed up ROMS on the system. I just want to preserve the effort of all the wasted time of my childhood.

Thanks.

[Kitsune Sniper]

I'm pretty sure you could do this with the GB, but it saved them to a sort of memory card dongle thingy instead of to a file.

Wonder why people haven't tried to code this into a DS or something.

[SkiDragon]

I forgot about Gameboy. I think I know the device you are thinking of. I was called the Mega Memory Card.
I want to eventually get the same save onto my PC, so if it just stores the gamesave to it's own memory with no way of retrieving it, then it is not of much use to me.

I already know of a method to backup DS gamesaves.

[A Black Falcon]

With the N64, with a DexDrive (or some other things that do the same thing) you can back up Controller Paks to your PC, and I'm pretty sure that with a Game Shark you can copy save files from cartridges to memory cards... and then to the PC with the DexDrive. However, the Game Shark can mess up save files sometimes... the DexDrive should be safe, though.

N64 GameShark 3.3s should have parallel port link ports on them for a direct computer link, but the ports (and N64 Game Sharks in general) are quite unreliable and are often broken. Thus it'd be much easier to use the DexDrive...

N64 Controller Paks (memory cards) use battery-backed SRAM, so you want to back that up! It's the cartridges that mostly use flash memory (EEPROM or Flash RAM)... excepting 12 titles, all US N64 games with on-cart saving have flash memory inside. Those 12 are mostly major titles, though... OoT, SSB, F-Zero X, etc.

[SkiDragon]

I just bought a DexDrive for my N64, actually. I will look into the GameShark method, since I already own one. Thanks.

[Draven]

Nice thread. I have always wondered the same thing (and was pondering what could be done with the N64...eerie). Hopefully someone on here comes through! So how would the Gameboy thing work? With the use of the Super Gameboy and the card? Where to get a DexDrive besides ebay? Is the N64 the only thing it will work on or could it be used on a SNES (I've heard it can be used for the PS1...but maybe its a different device).

[A Black Falcon]

The DexDrive is a memory card file copier that backs up your files to a PC or copies files to a card from your PC. They made two, one for the N64 and another one for the PSX. You plug your memory card into it and use the software to copy the card over to your PC. There are other similar products that can handle both, and others that can do Dreamcast cards (or is there one that can do all three of those?).

Actual DexDrives use a serial port connection, so you must have a computer with a serial port on it to use them.

There's a similar thing from Datel called the "MAX Drive" for PS2, Xbox, and GC. They use USB.

Like the N64 GameShark, some other GameShark/Action Replay devices can back up save files... I don't know which offhand, though. Anyone know?

[ProgrammingAce]

I'm pretty sure you can backup NES saves using a copy NES as well.

[SkiDragon]

Any more info on this? For example, my SF7 can backup most SNES game saves, but not many later games that use additional chips such as the FX chip. I cannot backup my Super Mario RPG save, for example. Is there a device that can do this?

[SamuraiSmurfette]

I have a dexdrive for the PS1. Pretty neat. I had alot of fun with it back in the day uploading/downloading custom characters for various fighting games.

[skaar]

I recall reading and writing a Gameboy Colour save from/to a Dragon Warrior III cart using my GB Transferer. Same with one of the Metroids on GBA.