Superufo SNES Superdrive 8

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Interesting ...

http://www.swapmagic3.com/superufopro8/upload_files/image/Pro8_full.jpg
http://www.swapmagic3.com/superufopro8/upload_files/image/Pro8_front_rear.jpg

This thing looks like it shrinks the old-school SNES/SFC cartridge backups systems like "Game Doctor" and the like, shrinks it to the size of a standard Super Famicom cartridge and adds SD card functionality as the storage medium.

Appears to have the ability to back up directly from an inserted game cartridge or load image files directly from SD card. SFX games reportedly work by utilizing the SFX chip of a SFX game attached to the top of the device.

At less than $100 the price SEEMS reasonable for everything that it does though I'm sure ULTIMATELY it will have some flaws. We know, these things always do but my curiosity is certainly piqued.

Couldn't find any reviews of the device, but if it only does the same thing as those older, larger, floppy-disc style backup devices, it could be a winner.

From the manufacturer:

Superufo Pro 8 is a Game Cartridge emulator ( Flash Card, Backup and developing tools )for your SNES / SFC Console . It allows you to play your favourite backup game on your SNES console via Pro 8. Besides the game cartridge emulation function, it has more features as below :

1. Game Cartridge emulator
2. Game save function
3. Real-time game save function.
4. Firmware flash rom ( firmware updatable )
5. Memory card support SD, HC-SD, TF and MMC
6. USB support for files transfer
7. Cheat code function ( Thousands of cheatcodes build-in )
8. Multi game files format support ( UFO , 078, SMC, FIG and Bin )
9. Regional Protection Patch function ( auto patch and play ) : allows you to play imported games from different country
10. Original game cartridge back up function. ( backup your existing game cartridge )
http://www.swapmagic3.com/superufopro8/content.asp?id=1

Youtube video (no sound) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3RmZ6n-6WI&feature=related

[Parodius Duh!]

this sounds really awesome and the price is great. I wish I could see how the menu screens and everything operates....

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

this sounds really awesome and the price is great. I wish I could see how the menu screens and everything operates....

There are some youtube videos (with no sound) that show basic loading functionality, and LOTS of Youtube videos of the old Game Doctor devices which are similar. I'm waiting for some type of review, but, yeah, the price is decent.

[understatement]

So it’s like a Retrode mixed with a Super Everdrive?

I’m interested, I just wish the sites that shipped to the US wouldn’t make you register with them, I hate doing that for one item. I think I’ll wait for a review as well and a site that doesn’t require me to register with them to buy it.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

So it’s like a Retrode mixed with a Super Everdrive?

I’m interested, I just wish the sites that shipped to the US wouldn’t make you register with them, I hate doing that for one item. I think I’ll wait for a review as well and a site that doesn’t require me to register with them to buy it.

I think it's more like a SUPER COMPACT version of a Game Doctor but swap the floppy drive with an SD card slot.

http://ucon64.sourceforge.net/ucon64/images/sf3.png

But, yeah, still similar to the comparison you make.

[xelement5x]

Interesting ...

10. Original game cartridge back up function. ( backup your existing game cartridge )



If this means I can backup my saves from my SNES carts I'd be onboard with that in a heartbeat.

[Parodius Duh!]

If this means I can backup my saves from my SNES carts I'd be onboard with that in a heartbeat.

Id assume thats the case, hence the extra adapter built on the top of it.

[Greg2600]

I can't confirm this works for certain, but supposedly it will work with special chip games if you have a cart with the chip plugged in. Like for instance, if you wanted to play Star Fox 2, plug in Star Fox 1. Now of course everything I've been told about SNES games, for all but the DSP games, that is actually not possible.

[markusman64ds]

I think it's more like a SUPER COMPACT version of a Game Doctor but swap the floppy drive with an SD card slot.

http://ucon64.sourceforge.net/ucon64/images/sf3.png

But, yeah, still similar to the comparison you make.

Heh. Floppy disks.

Aren't there SD to floppy converters?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I can't confirm this works for certain, but supposedly it will work with special chip games if you have a cart with the chip plugged in. Like for instance, if you wanted to play Star Fox 2, plug in Star Fox 1. Now of course everything I've been told about SNES games, for all but the DSP games, that is actually not possible.

Yeah. They claim that FX chip games work with a piggy-back in the marketing for this device, but it's probably safe to assume that DSP reliant games aren't going to work on this thing.

[understatement]

I think it's more like a SUPER COMPACT version of a Game Doctor but swap the floppy drive with an SD card slot.

http://ucon64.sourceforge.net/ucon64/images/sf3.png

But, yeah, still similar to the comparison you make.


I didn’t think those could get the save data from a cart, you could get the rom but not the saves off it. In other words with the old Game Doctor if you load from the cart you could load saves from/to the cart but if you copy the cart to a floppy it’s just the rom and it makes new save files. I could be wrong about that I don’t know much about the Game Doctor.

What it sounds like is this has something like this in it…

4554

that can pull saves from the cart.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I didn’t think those could get the save data from a cart, you could get the rom but not the saves off it. In other words with the old Game Doctor if you load from the cart you could load saves from/to the cart but if you copy the cart to a floppy it’s just the rom and it makes new save files. I could be wrong about that I don’t know much about the Game Doctor.

What it sounds like is this has something like this in it…

4554

that can pull saves from the cart.

If it does in fact offer the ability to read/write save files (I'm not sure if it does) it may have hardware/software that can pull the save file from the storage bank where that is.

I had a Gameboy Flash copier that could read/write those. SNES shouldn't be that different.

[Greg2600]

Yeah. They claim that FX chip games work with a piggy-back in the marketing for this device, but it's probably safe to assume that DSP reliant games aren't going to work on this thing.
The opposite, DSP work via piggybacking. No other special chip games will. Without looking further into other features, the menu is nice, and the cart is nicely put together. It's also not a new product, just version 8 is.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

The opposite, DSP work via piggybacking. No other special chip games will. Without looking further into other features, the menu is nice, and the cart is nicely put together. It's also not a new product, just version 8 is.

Ah. Interesting. They claim that FX works via piggyback, so I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[understatement]

If it does in fact offer the ability to read/write save files (I'm not sure if it does) it may have hardware/software that can pull the save file from the storage bank where that is.

I had a Gameboy Flash copier that could read/write those. SNES shouldn't be that different.

It says it can here (http://www.swapmagic3.com/superufopro8/content.asp?id=7).




3. Top Right Hand Corner – BACKUP icon

GAMER can transfer the GAME / GAME SAVE / BACKUP data between Cartridge Cell / UFO Build in memory & SD card.

Press” ↑↓” to move on the Cursor.

Press “B” Button to enter.

Press “Y” Button to exit to the previous page.

Press “Select” Button for the next Game list pages

Press “Start” Button to select listed directory for file save.

Press “R” Button jump into the “HELP” menu.

http://www.swapmagic3.com/superufopro8/upload_files/image/image016.jpg

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

It says it can here (http://www.swapmagic3.com/superufopro8/content.asp?id=7).

SWEET!

I'm very interested to see a hands-on review when somebody gets one of these.

[ccovell]

This is most likely:

1) A hack of the old UFO Company copier Super UFO 8 BIOS to accept SD cards instead of floppies
2) An implementation of some of the Everdrive technology?
3) Not by UFO company but riding on their coattails for brand recognition / name confusion

Very sneaky.


(Original UFO info:
http://web.archive.org/web/20090527084646/http://www.robwebb.clara.co.uk/backup/ufo/ufosuperufo.html
4580 )

[InsaneDavid]

I didn’t think those could get the save data from a cart, you could get the rom but not the saves off it. In other words with the old Game Doctor if you load from the cart you could load saves from/to the cart but if you copy the cart to a floppy it’s just the rom and it makes new save files. I could be wrong about that I don’t know much about the Game Doctor.

My Multi Game Hunter (when I had it) could dump save files off a cartridge to the SRAM in the copier and then write it to diskette via a separate menu. It couldn't write a save file from SRAM back to the cartridge, however it could supplement the save data in SRAM (or loaded off a diskette) and use it with a ROM file.

Anything to get around the dark art of setting up files for floppies with these copiers would be great. I'll have to wait until someone at DP gets one of these before I go in though.

[Duke.Togo]

The Mr. Back Z64 also allows for save file dumping for the N64. Also, good chance to plug that I have one for sale (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?157567-Duke-Togo-FO-FT-List-2600-7800-INTV-NES-GEN-SCD-SNES-N64-DC-GG-GB-TG-16-Coco) ;)

[Culex4096]

Perhaps most interesting is that the case looks identical to those of the Retrogen and Retroport adapters by Retrobit

[Az]

Ordered one of these a while ago, if info about it hasn't been posted by the time it arrives I'll post some impressions.

[InsaneDavid]

Ordered one of these a while ago, if info about it hasn't been posted by the time it arrives I'll post some impressions.

Awesome, thanks!

[badinsults]

I highly doubt that you could play Super FX games by "piggybacking". DSP games, maybe, but the Super FX is a bit more complex than the DSP chips.

[understatement]

My Multi Game Hunter (when I had it) could dump save files off a cartridge to the SRAM in the copier and then write it to diskette via a separate menu. It couldn't write a save file from SRAM back to the cartridge, however it could supplement the save data in SRAM (or loaded off a diskette) and use it with a ROM file.

Anything to get around the dark art of setting up files for floppies with these copiers would be great. I'll have to wait until someone at DP gets one of these before I go in though.

Cool I didn’t know that (now I wish I would have got one back in the day) but it seems this one is a bit more powerful, with the ability to put the save back in the SRAM of the cart, making battery replacement and cart condition upgrades less shitty.

I’ve had a Retrode since they came out so the save functions aren’t that important to me just a cool extra feature but I have been looking to get a Super Everdrive and this seems like a cheaper alternative with more abilities and game support, if what they claim is true.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I highly doubt that you could play Super FX games by "piggybacking". DSP games, maybe, but the Super FX is a bit more complex than the DSP chips.

Again, I only mention that because it's in the on-site marketing for the device. They could easily be lying.

Specification:
Emulation Game Cart-Dram Size: 32Mbit(With NiMH Battery BackUp)
Emulation Game Cart Rom Map Support: HiRom, LoRom
Emulation Game Save Sram Size: 1Mbit(With Li Battery BackUp)
Emulation Game Cart Sram Map Support: HiRom, LoRom
Game Cart Special Chip Support: BSX, C4, DSP, SA1, SPC7110, Super FX (With Game Cart On Top)
Firmware Flash Rom Size: 2Mbit(Updateable with SUPERUFO CLONE or FLASHUFO)
Extended Firmware Sram Size: 256Kbit
SDCard Support: SD, HC-SD, TF, MMC (FAT 32, 16, 12 System)
USB Support: USB1.2
Game File Format Support: UFO, 078, SMC, FIG, BIN, ROM
Cheat Code Support: X-Terminator, Gold Finger
Regional Protection Patch Function: Automatic Patch To Play

[Az]

I think the special chip thing is a translation error. AFAIK, tphe cart will play & dump actual carts but not ROMs in conjunction with a cart plugged in.

I (and others) may be totally off base on that assumption. In my experience with a few SNES copiers I never saw one that featured anything like that. But, I was more a MD kinda guy and didn't look too far into it. Being this cart is probably based heavily on copier hardware, did any one feature something like that?

[Greg2600]

The Tototek SNES carts could play DSP games if you plugged them in. Eventually carts like the Super PowerPak and Everdrive incorporated spots on the boards which DSP donor chips could be soldered in. DSP is the only chip that can be used in this way, NONE of the other ones can. This was explained a number of times in the past on a multitude of forums.

As for the design, probably is an Everdrive ripoff, as many clones have been spotted out of China as well. Complete rip-offs for which Everdrive creator Krikzz gets nothing for.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

The Tototek SNES carts could play DSP games if you plugged them in. Eventually carts like the Super PowerPak and Everdrive incorporated spots on the boards which DSP donor chips could be soldered in. DSP is the only chip that can be used in this way, NONE of the other ones can. This was explained a number of times in the past on a multitude of forums.

As for the design, probably is an Everdrive ripoff, as many clones have been spotted out of China as well. Complete rip-offs for which Everdrive creator Krikzz gets nothing for.

Maybe they just mean that you can PLAY Super FX games that are inserted on the top of the device. I know the old Super 8 SNES/NES player for SNES used to have some issues (slowdown, not booting, etc.) when certain games were even attempted to be played through the device and they want to clarify that that's not an issue.

[Az]

This was explained a number of times in the past on a multitude of forums.

Well I stand corrected, I apologize for offending you.

Don't forget that the basic press release also states this has real-time saves and Goldfinger/X-Terminator code support, neither of which the Powerpak or Everdrive do.

On top of that, if it's built off older copier hardware & software routines, all these hundreds of games that require tedious work to meticulously repair unnecessary header information to work with both the Powerpak and Everdrive will work without any sort of modification.

[InsaneDavid]

On top of that, if it's built off older copier hardware & software routines, all these hundreds of games that require tedious work to meticulously repair unnecessary header information to work with both the Powerpak and Everdrive will work without any sort of modification.

Which is why this device sounds so appealing.

[superufo]

For the attention of all Nintendo Super Famicom fans: if you will remember, the UFO Super Drive for SNES needs disc floppy to do all these superlative features: backup/rom player/check device/develop kit/real time save, in order to win all the games.

Now the inventor of UFO Super Drive has made an innovative move: no more disc floppy, just use flash memory, SD card, then all the above-mentioned winning features will appear on the UFO Pro 8

1) Introduce Product/Product Features: Back up your favorite SNES games, real time save, cheat code and be a develop kit of SNES

SUPER UFO pro 8 is a smart storage device that lets you download your own cheat codes from your computer and into your favourite FC/SFC game. Equipped with internal memory and SD memory card support, it allows you to copy and paste files between the game cartridge or SD card and the internal memory. With this transfer function, you can install all your cheat codes effortlessly and play with your code-enhanced game. The Super UFO Pro 8 also allows you to edit file names and organize files. Its user-friendly menus allow you to navigate through the smart storage device at ease.

2) Tech specification

Emulation Game Cart-Dram Size: 32Mbit(With NiMH Battery BackUp)

Emulation Game Cart Rom Map Support: HiRom, LoRom

Emulation Game Save Sram Size: 1Mbit(With Li Battery BackUp)

Emulation Game Cart Sram Map Support: HiRom, LoRom

Game Cart Special Chip Support: BSX, C4, DSP, SA1, SPC7110, Super FX (With Game Cart On Top)

Firmware Flash Rom Size: 2Mbit

Extended Firmware Sram Size: 256Kbit

SDCard Support: SD, HC-SD, TF, MMC (FAT 32, 16, 12 System)

USB Support: USB1.2

Game File Format Support: UFO, 078, SMC, FIG, BIN, ROM

Cheat Code Support: X-Terminator, Gold Finger

Regional Protection Patch Function: Automatic Patch To Play

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

For the attention of all Nintendo Super Famicom fans: if you will remember, the UFO Super Drive for SNES needs disc floppy to do all these superlative features: backup/rom player/check device/develop kit/real time save, in order to win all the games.

Now the inventor of UFO Super Drive has made an innovative move: no more disc floppy, just use flash memory, SD card, then all the above-mentioned winning features will appear on the UFO Pro 8

1) Introduce Product/Product Features: Back up your favorite SNES games, real time save, cheat code and be a develop kit of SNES

SUPER UFO pro 8 is a smart storage device that lets you download your own cheat codes from your computer and into your favourite FC/SFC game. Equipped with internal memory and SD memory card support, it allows you to copy and paste files between the game cartridge or SD card and the internal memory. With this transfer function, you can install all your cheat codes effortlessly and play with your code-enhanced game. The Super UFO Pro 8 also allows you to edit file names and organize files. Its user-friendly menus allow you to navigate through the smart storage device at ease.

2) Tech specification

Emulation Game Cart-Dram Size: 32Mbit(With NiMH Battery BackUp)

Emulation Game Cart Rom Map Support: HiRom, LoRom

Emulation Game Save Sram Size: 1Mbit(With Li Battery BackUp)

Emulation Game Cart Sram Map Support: HiRom, LoRom

Game Cart Special Chip Support: BSX, C4, DSP, SA1, SPC7110, Super FX (With Game Cart On Top)

Firmware Flash Rom Size: 2Mbit

Extended Firmware Sram Size: 256Kbit

SDCard Support: SD, HC-SD, TF, MMC (FAT 32, 16, 12 System)

USB Support: USB1.2

Game File Format Support: UFO, 078, SMC, FIG, BIN, ROM

Cheat Code Support: X-Terminator, Gold Finger

Regional Protection Patch Function: Automatic Patch To Play

The mothership found us!

[ccovell]

For the...... Patch To Play

UFO, thanks for joining! Now can you show us a video of eg. StarFox 2 running in the UFO8 Pro using an FX donor cart? :|

[InsaneDavid]

I know it has only been a week but any new news about this? Anyone have one in hand yet?

[StoneAgeGamer]

UFO, thanks for joining! Now can you show us a video of eg. StarFox 2 running in the UFO8 Pro using an FX donor cart? :|

Well take my opinion as biased since I sell EverDrives. SuperUFO seems to have some neat features and good price, but this message has been spammed on almost every retro gaming forum. They even had the audacity to post it a couple times on EverDrive official sub forum at AssemblerGames. He/she has never replied to anyone's questions to my knowledge. My guess is if you purchase this product you are on your own and there will be very limited or no support. Maybe I am wrong though.

I am pretty sure the stuff about using SuperFX games to play other SuperFX game ROMS is bunk and probably a bad translation. I think they are just stating you can play SuperFX (and other enhancement games) through the cart connector on top of the SuperUFO and use it like a cheat device in this case. However I don't think you can play SuperFX game roms if you have a SuperFX cart plugged in. I believe the only enchancement chips this is possible with is DSP-1, DSP-2, DSP-3, and DSP-4. However, 2, 3, and 4 only have 1 game each. So defeats the purpose for those games.

I don't believe that you can use any of the other enhancement chips this way. So the out of the big 3 (DSP-1, SA-1, and SuperFX) only DSP-1 will most likely work using a donor cart.

[Az]

Heading to the PO to pick this up, details on it tonight.

[Az]

After some initial testing, I'm personally glad I invested in this but I can see why others wouldn't. If you don't know much about ROM structure, SNES hardware, or emulation in general a Powerpak or Everdrive is much more user friendly.

Build quality and packaging is excellent. Comes with a driver CD, USB cable, and microSD to SD card adapter, & user manual in Japanese & English. Driver CD has drivers for connecting the unit to your PC and a multi-language manual. The manual itself is pretty straightforward and covers more than I expected. Also comes with a plastic cap to put over the cart connector on the top if you choose. The manual shows it connected to a Pokefami or RDP, so I'm assuming it works on one of those. Works fine in my SNES, still need to try on my mini and other clone systems.

I haven't hooked it up to a PC yet. It works just like copier units used to and the frontend is basically the same. You can dump carts, load ROMs, dump cart SRAM to SD card, and load SRAM from the unit to a cartridge. Filename's are limited to 5 characters, so you're looking at SUPERM-01.SMC.

Tried dumping ROM's and SRAM from carts and it worked fine. I haven't tried loading SRAM from the unit to a cartridge, but if it does work I know you will either have to fiddle with the settings on the unit or your PC because it sometimes identifies SRAM files as being the wrong size. For instance, it dumped my 7th Saga SRAM as 128k, yet the file on my Powerpak is 8k, and it won't straight up load the Powerpak file due to it not being the same size.

IT WILL NOT LOAD FX ROMs. You can play real FX carts, but not load ROMs requiring FX chips.

I think it will work with DSP, possibly other chips, but I don't own any carts to 100% verify this. Tried loading Super Mario Kart ROM and by itself it locks at the Nintendo screen. Put my Powerpak on top (the only thing I own with a DSP chip) and it loaded, but the track graphic was garbage when racing.

It supports PAR (Action Replay) codes (finally, thank God something does!) It has built in PAR codes that load when it loads a ROM, I don't know how to alter the built in code list yet. You can enter your own also. Also supports Goldfinger codes.

Real time save seems to work fine on some games, others not. You can also toggle the cheat codes off/on during gameplay.

ROM stays in memory after powering off. ROM loading is just about as fast as a Powerpak, maybe the same speed, but definitely much faster than an Everdrive.

And... betas, hacks, BS games, and everything else that won't load in a Powerpak or Everdrive due to header problems works without any problems

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Thanks for the info Az! Awesome!

[TonyTheTiger]

All this talk about header support, honestly I'd be fine if nothing ever supported them again ever. They cause more problems than not. May as well rip the band-aid off fast, convert everything once and for all, and standardize the format for everything so nobody ever has to worry about it again. It's really silly we're still fiddling with headers after so many years.


Filename's are limited to 5 characters, so you're looking at SUPERM-01.SMC.

What is this, 1994? That's ludicrous.

[StoneAgeGamer]

After some initial testing, I'm personally glad I invested in this but I can see why others wouldn't. If you don't know much about ROM structure, SNES hardware, or emulation in general a Powerpak or Everdrive is much more user friendly.

Build quality and packaging is excellent. Comes with a driver CD, USB cable, and microSD to SD card adapter, & user manual in Japanese & English. Driver CD has drivers for connecting the unit to your PC and a multi-language manual. The manual itself is pretty straightforward and covers more than I expected. Also comes with a plastic cap to put over the cart connector on the top if you choose. The manual shows it connected to a Pokefami or RDP, so I'm assuming it works on one of those. Works fine in my SNES, still need to try on my mini and other clone systems.

I haven't hooked it up to a PC yet. It works just like copier units used to and the frontend is basically the same. You can dump carts, load ROMs, dump cart SRAM to SD card, and load SRAM from the unit to a cartridge. Filename's are limited to 5 characters, so you're looking at SUPERM-01.SMC.

Tried dumping ROM's and SRAM from carts and it worked fine. I haven't tried loading SRAM from the unit to a cartridge, but if it does work I know you will either have to fiddle with the settings on the unit or your PC because it sometimes identifies SRAM files as being the wrong size. For instance, it dumped my 7th Saga SRAM as 128k, yet the file on my Powerpak is 8k, and it won't straight up load the Powerpak file due to it not being the same size.

IT WILL NOT LOAD FX ROMs. You can play real FX carts, but not load ROMs requiring FX chips.

I think it will work with DSP, possibly other chips, but I don't own any carts to 100% verify this. Tried loading Super Mario Kart ROM and by itself it locks at the Nintendo screen. Put my Powerpak on top (the only thing I own with a DSP chip) and it loaded, but the track graphic was garbage when racing.

It supports PAR (Action Replay) codes (finally, thank God something does!) It has built in PAR codes that load when it loads a ROM, I don't know how to alter the built in code list yet. You can enter your own also. Also supports Goldfinger codes.

Real time save seems to work fine on some games, others not. You can also toggle the cheat codes off/on during gameplay.

ROM stays in memory after powering off. ROM loading is just about as fast as a Powerpak, maybe the same speed, but definitely much faster than an Everdrive.

And... betas, hacks, BS games, and everything else that won't load in a Powerpak or Everdrive due to header problems works without any problems

Thanks for first impressions.

Yeah I think same company makes PokeFami, so that's probably why it shows it working on that.

8 character limit on file names is perplexing though and IMO would be a deal breaker for me, even with the upsides. Maybe it will get fixed eventually.

Its funny you mention PAR codes because I started writing manual for Mega EverDrive (different system, I know), but I was pleasantly surprised that KRIKzz had both Game Genie and Play Action Replay support. I hope he adds at least GG code support to Super EverDrive eventually like he did with the EverDrive-MD.

[InsaneDavid]

After some initial testing, I'm personally glad I invested in this but I can see why others wouldn't. If you don't know much about ROM structure, SNES hardware, or emulation in general a Powerpak or Everdrive is much more user friendly.

What's the largest ROM you've loaded on it (file size wise)? Having to split and span ROM images across multiple floppies is why I got out of the old disk based copiers. A couple of the units I had also couldn't load anything over 3MB.

[Az]

All this talk about header support, honestly I'd be fine if nothing ever supported them again ever.

That's just it though, the actual console doesn't even pay attention to the headers. All the problems that stem from SNES ROM header information stems from the way the Everdrive or Powerpak handle the information from the ROM.

I don't mean that as a pot shot against Bunnyboy or Krizz. But, like your comment about it being a throwback to 1994 due to the file name display, it's also a throwback to 1994 in the sense that all these "non-standard" files work just fine like they did years ago. Almost all of the stuff that people have problems running (weird shit like trainers, betas/protos, unlicensed games) all work fine on 20 year old copiers but won't run on the modern flash carts. It took a throwback extension of a copier to get this stuff working again because it flat out ignores header info.

A couple other points before I sit down to experiment:

If you double stack them they flash the bottom unit with the newer firmware ala N64 Gameshark.

Has it's own CIC (or clone, whatever) so a standard cart isn't necessary to have plugged in the entire time. Some early copiers required a regular SNES cart to be plugged in to work.

One weird thing I noticed; and this is totally irrelevant, but I had some dead carts that I put in it for shits and grins. Dead multicarts (DOA when purchased) and dead unlicensed carts (Retrode fried the protection devices). If you did a cart ROM check, both showed up as 0m carts and wouldn't dump anything. On my copiers the carts still wouldn't play but it would at least show up as the proper megabit size and dump the accessible ROM area. Useless info I know; but it's proof either the dumping algorithm or hardware has changed from the floppy versions.

[StoneAgeGamer]

I don't mean that as a pot shot against Bunnyboy or Krizz. But, like your comment about it being a throwback to 1994 due to the file name display, it's also a throwback to 1994 in the sense that all these "non-standard" files work just fine like they did years ago. Almost all of the stuff that people have problems running (weird shit like trainers, betas/protos, unlicensed games) all work fine on 20 year old copiers but won't run on the modern flash carts. It took a throwback extension of a copier to get this stuff working again because it flat out ignores header info.

So you are saying there is no rhyme or reason to why KRIKzz or Bunnyboy don't ignore the header? I will show this to KRIKzz next time I see him on Skype. It will be interesting to see what he says about it because I am curious if there is no reason to bother with the header then I wonder why its done.

P.S. Just to be clear I am not saying you are wrong, I am actually curious myself to the reason.

[Az]

So you are saying there is no rhyme or reason to why KRIKzz or Bunnyboy don't ignore the header?

I'm sure both Kirkzz and Bunnyboy have valid reasons for whatever is behind their handling of the way their own respective devices are programmed, but when it comes to header info the SNES itself doesn't require it. Like I mentioned, I don't mean that as an insult to either of them, but this is obviously an issue that people encounter I've never heard the actual reason why they chose to setup the devices the way they are.

I'll give you an example, say an unlicensed SNES cart. The cartridge works in any SNES system, real or clone. Dump the ROM and load it into a Powerpak or Everdrive and it won't work due to the header not having the required information. Sure, you can sit and tediously hex edit the ROM to work, but when you've got two dozen games like that (or a folder of 200 you'd like to try for just a few minutes) that's not really a valid option. If you were to take that exact ROM and load it into a copier or burn it to EEPROM it will work fine, because the SNES itself doesn't care about the header info.

Hell, after dumping King of Fighters 2000 for SNES I found that the game actually has game code in the address area where the header information is. You couldn't just go in and change a few values, it required some rather big reconstruction by D4S to overcome that just so it would work on flash carts.

[badinsults]

Most official games should work on the Everdrive or Powerpak simply by reading the header. When it doesn't work, generally it is an issue with mirroring (something that the latest firmware updates of the Super Everdrive allows you to fix). Reading the header is something that makes it easy to find the mapping required by games, as even though the SNES hardware never read this information, it was required by Nintendo to have correct. If you only care about commercial games, this is a good approach. If the SuperDrive8 has support for games with corrupt headers or unlicensed games, then it must have something programmed in its firmware to detect the mapping for these games.

[StoneAgeGamer]

This is what KRIKzz said:


any copier/flashcart should use header info, cuz there is two mapping types and various ram size and some games check ram size and will not work if ram size is wrong
so if cart always show 32kb of ram, for example, but original game know that should be only 8kb, then game will not work

[TonyTheTiger]

That's just it though, the actual console doesn't even pay attention to the headers. All the problems that stem from SNES ROM header information stems from the way the Everdrive or Powerpak handle the information from the ROM.

The reason why headers cause problems has less to do with the SNES itself and more with the surrounding community. Patches, for instance. How often do you see "requires headered/unheadered rom"? It's an extra layer of confusion, and for what? So we can continue to retain the extra bit of data in a rom that wasn't ever supposed to be there in the first place?

We're basically allowing random copiers from almost 20 years ago (copiers most people don't even have/use anymore) to have a continuing effect on how we deal with SNES software. It's just silly. And modern emulators/copiers/flash carts/etc. continuing to support them is only encouraging the ongoing existence of this arbitrary and completely obsolete detail. It'd be much more efficient to just require everybody get a clean set of roms that work with everything and then whatever future exchanges/hacks/distributions/etc. will always just work from the get go.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Az, do you know how the system will react if a ROM with a title longer than the permitted number of characters is attempted to be viewed/loaded on the menu system?

Will it simply truncate the title, or will that ROM not show up?

I shudder to think about needing to edit an entire ROM set of SNES/SFC games to fit the formatting of a character limit.

[Az]

Az, do you know how the system will react if a ROM with a title longer than the permitted number of characters is attempted to be viewed/loaded on the menu system?

Will it simply truncate the title, or will that ROM not show up?

File system
Every type of file when displayed on the menus (games, savestates, SRAM) is truncated. Spaces are ignored and only the first 5 or 6 letters of the filename are displayed followed by -##. Street Fighter II (U) [!].smc & Street Fighter II (J) [!].smc become STREE-01.SMC & STREE-02.SMC. After you've chosen a ROM to load into memory the game name from the header is displayed underneath the truncated file name. File system is also organized by the date of creation so you'll have to use a utility like Drivesort or whatever to keep them in alphabetical order. I do not know if there is a limit to total number of folders or of files in a folder, although it only displays 10 files at a time and pages back and forth with the select button. Currently using a FAT32 4g microSD as a memory card.

USB/SD Memory
SD card sits flush into the right side of the cart. MicroUSB port is on the opposite side. After hooking it to a PC and powering the console on your PC will detect it and require you to install the drivers that come with the CD. After installation you pick USB mode from the menu and start the linker program on your PC. USB loading is a one-way ROM loader only. You cannot download anything from the cart to your PC, nor upload anything but a ROM image to the cart's DRAM. I could see a use for this for those interested in coding since you wouldn't have to take the SD cart out a umpteen times, but normal users probably won't have any use for that. On the PC side, the device doesn't show up as any additional storage or anything; the only way to communicate with it is through the included transfer program.

ROM's
I haven't run into anything that didn't work that I expected to. Supports most ROM image formats I've found and dumps in .UFO format. It doesn't carry over the old copier requirement of split ROM's nor does it split a ROM when you dump it. ROM images DO NOT stay flashed on the unit like an Everdrive, my previous statement was incorrect. They do stay on there, but not permanently. As you can see from the attached photos the unit has two different batteries; one is a standard coin cell used for SRAM, the other is a rechargeable NiMH used for ROM data. Once the rechargeable battery loses juice, the DRAM is wiped.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/337/sufoa.jpg

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/100/sufob.jpg


Cheats/savestates
Unit has a button labeled "Hyper mode" that you have to check in order to enable cheats or savestates. Some games will work fine, others glitch or crash simply by having the option checked. AFAIK you can enter an unlimited amount of either PAR or Goldfinger codes, and I think you can have both types active at once. Codes can be turned on/off with a button combo when in game, but they have to either be all on or off (no individual selection). One savestate slot exists and will stay there until you've loaded a different ROM and overwritten the savestate with a new one (or maybe if the NiMH battery dies?). If a savestate exists you can back it up to the SD card as a .SAV file, and load it later on if you want to. I haven't been able to use savestates from emulators on the cart, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's not possible.

SRAM
SRAM is handled rather clumsily like copiers were. I have been able to dump my SRAM from carts and use on the SuperUFO, and I've been able to upload SRAM saves from the SuperUFO to my carts. I haven't been able to use .SRM from emulators or other flash carts, but that may very well be possible and I just don't have the settings tweaked correctly. When you start a game that uses SRAM you play the game as normal and it will save onto the cart. At some point before you change games you have to manually go and transfer the .SRM file from the SRAM to the SD card. After that, the next time you play the same game you manually load the .SRM file after loading the game ROM, and you're ready to go. It's annoying but I guess not as bad as a Powerpak. If you turn the console off you're not screwed, the only point you get screwed is if you forget to back up the .SRM later on when loading a new game that also uses battery backup since the new game's .SRM will overwrite the old.

You don't have to put a bunch of dummy blank .SRM files in like on the Powerpak. When backing up the SRAM to SD card you just put in the filename and it's saved.

Options
There's an option screen to get a lot of information out of your hardware. There's a controller test, system check that displays CPU/PPU1/PPU2/video/firmware, and both a cart checker and a game checker (for the ROM loaded into memory). On the game/cart screen you can alter a few different fields in order to get a problem game to dump correctly or get a problem ROM to work. Includes Hi/Lo ROM, ROM size, SRAM size, DSP on/off, and video output. [Edit.. The thing Krikzz mentioned above about header information and games comparing SRAM sizes and not working, here's the workaround on this unit. SRAM size can be changed or completely removed after the ROM is loaded. If anyone can give me an example of a game that has the SRAM check or whatever I'll try it ASAP.

I also didn't see the colored middle band that you often get with a Powerpak.

Overall I see it as a viable alternative to other flash carts out there. Build quality is great, and while we'll probably never see any updates or manufacturer support there's really no huge changes that need to be addressed. The file display aspect sucks and the SRAM deal is a bit janky but look what you're getting in trade; a cartridge dumper, RAM/ROM cheat code support, savestates, expanded ROM support, and possibly DSP support without having an additional cost onto the unit, all for about half of what you'd pay for a Powerpak or Everdrive ($70-80 USD versus $130-150). If you have little interest in RPG's and are content with a fairly reasonable number of games on hand (versus having an entire 6 gig set of shit you'll not spend 5 minutes with) it's definitely worth looking in to.

[StoneAgeGamer]

Thanks Az, great write-up.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Agreed, awesome writeup! Thanks!

[Captain Burrito]

If you have little interest in RPG's and are content with a fairly reasonable number of games on hand (versus having an entire 6 gig set of shit you'll not spend 5 minutes with) it's definitely worth looking in to.

I signed up for the forums because of this post. :)

Just want to know which you would recommend for someone that likes RPGS. I didn't fancy the powerpak due to having to press reset to save but this one sounds like a winner... Guessing the everdrive is better but wondering why.

Sorry i'm not very technically minded. XD

[TonyTheTiger]

The Everdrive and Powerpak seem to have a Pepsi/Coke thing going on right now. You'll find supporters on both sides who will each make good arguments.

Meanwhile the SD2SNES is nearing release which will blow everything out of the water in terms of compatibility. If you're not turned off by a $200ish price tag that's the way to go.

[Old_Skool_Fool]

The Super UFO Pro 8 (http://www.dascheap.com/snes-adapter-super-ufo-pro-8.html) has been tested by yours truly on the Retroduo Portable (http://www.dascheap.com/retro-duo-portable-black.html) and makes the thing that much more awesome!


I'm looking for some helpers to give me a really good video review of the US version now available at the link above.


Please PM me for more details.

[Satoshi_Matrix]

I might be interested. I've pm'd you back to at least hear you out.

[zin0099]

i ordered mine last friday on linker4u and was wonderind if it would play starocean in english if u have original cart like i have??

(still waiting for it, the usps website says it's still in hongkong!!hope mine is white!!!!)

[zin0099]

love mine!!! it's white most of mine games copied except super mario rpg and my sufami turbo game (i have the rom anyway)
i love the lunar ips patcher cuss the superufo won't read ips files unless u permapatch the rom

the sufami turbo bios was able to be copied

seiken densetsu 3 in english works

for my first snes flash/copier cart i'm happy

[Warrax]

My only problem so far is the fact that I can't use SRM files from emulators, I tried to convert them with Ucon64 (by using the --ufos command) but it doesn't work, the converted file is 32kbytes and save as a .SAV while a SRM created with the SuperUFO is 128kbytes and is a SRM file. Anyone found a way to convert emulator SRM to SuperUFO format?

[jm77]

My only problem so far is the fact that I can't use SRM files from emulators, I tried to convert them with Ucon64 (by using the --ufos command) but it doesn't work, the converted file is 32kbytes and save as a .SAV while a SRM created with the SuperUFO is 128kbytes and is a SRM file. Anyone found a way to convert emulator SRM to SuperUFO format?

I managed to get this working on my SuperUFO Pro 8 using uCon64 (ucon64-2.0.0-win32-vc-bin).


ucon64.exe --pad -ufos YOURFILE.SRM

Hope this helps someone else!

I'm pretty happy with the device so far, not entirely disappointed with the lack of special chip support (for the price).


8.3 filename limit is annoying
Startup music is annoying
Interface is really terrible
SD Card *must* be formatted FAT32
Documentation is terrible
Single SRAM slot -- potentially VERY BAD (if you're not careful) - manually back up to SD often!



Other than that, I can't complain. It smelled like really terrible chemically plastic when I opened it up.

[Apollo]

8.3 filename limit is annoying
Startup music is annoying
Interface is really terrible
SD Card *must* be formatted FAT32
Documentation is terrible
Single SRAM slot -- potentially VERY BAD (if you're not careful) - manually back up to SD often!


Would you mind clarifying/elaborating on the SRAM a little bit? Please keep in mind that I'm very inexperienced and not knowledgeable in this area. Does the SRAM essentially mean Save RAM, meaning that whenever I use a "legitimate" save in a game (whenever the game would save on the original cart) that that save will be lost unless I back that save up to the SD card before entering another game? I'm hoping to order one of these soon!

Edit: I came across another review and got some clarificatio. It seems that my assumption was correct. For any interested, here's the review I was looking at (http://www.videogameperfection.com/console-specific-pages/superufo-pro-8-review/). Planning on ordering mine tonight! I want to be able to play a bunch of 3-5 player games to really make use of the multi-tap I picked up recently. I'm hoping to start playing through Seiken Densetsu 3 with a full team shortly!

[badinsults]

I read this thread (http://board.byuu.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3093&start=0), and their assessment is that the Super UFO Pro 8 is pretty cheaply made, hardware-wise.

Personally, I don't see why anyone would want this over a Super Everdrive. They are pretty much the same price.

[Apollo]

I read this thread (http://board.byuu.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3093&start=0), and their assessment is that the Super UFO Pro 8 is pretty cheaply made, hardware-wise.

Personally, I don't see why anyone would want this over a Super Everdrive. They are pretty much the same price.

Pretty much the same price? The Everdrive goes for $100, and I can get a Super UFO for $50 shipped off of Amazon.

[jm77]

Pretty much the same price? The Everdrive goes for $100, and I can get a Super UFO for $50 shipped off of Amazon.

Everdrive was way more expensive; asked to be gifted the Super UFO. I'm still pretty happy with it. It stinks like toxic plastic, but it's a good device overall.

[jm77]

Would you mind clarifying/elaborating on the SRAM a little bit? Please keep in mind that I'm very inexperienced and not knowledgeable in this area. Does the SRAM essentially mean Save RAM, meaning that whenever I use a "legitimate" save in a game (whenever the game would save on the original cart) that that save will be lost unless I back that save up to the SD card before entering another game? I'm hoping to order one of these soon!

Yep. Basically. You can have one "real save" at any time. If you switch games, you need to back up your save to SD. The interface is super janky, but you get used to it.

When you fire up a new game that uses a save slot, you lose whatever was in the save slot previously. Also - the device doesn't save the modification time of the save, so you can't rely on file date when looking for a specific file on the SD card.

I usually keep one game in the root folder, and name each SD backup something like 100212-1, etc. It's ugly, but it works.

[Apollo]

Yep. Basically. You can have one "real save" at any time. If you switch games, you need to back up your save to SD. The interface is super janky, but you get used to it.

When you fire up a new game that uses a save slot, you lose whatever was in the save slot previously. Also - the device doesn't save the modification time of the save, so you can't rely on file date when looking for a specific file on the SD card.

I usually keep one game in the root folder, and name each SD backup something like 100212-1, etc. It's ugly, but it works.

Thanks! I think I'll just make a subfolder for each game, and make sure to leave both the game and save file in there. It's going to be a little more of a hassle to set up, but it sounds like it'll be worth it so files are easier to find.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Thanks! I think I'll just make a subfolder for each game, and make sure to leave both the game and save file in there. It's going to be a little more of a hassle to set up, but it sounds like it'll be worth it so files are easier to find.

Bring it to the store when we do the next Podcast. I'd really like to see it in action/compare it to the other SNES flash carts we've used!

[Apollo]

So far, i'm really enjoying the cart. It's running just about everything that I'm throwing at it. The only thing that I haven't gotten it to run has been Super Street Fighter 2, as well as a dump I did of Gradius, although I'll try and redumping it later to see if maybe the connection to the UFO wasn't good, resulting in the bad dump. I might be doing this the wrong way, but after I'm done playing a game and go to "save" it back to the SD Card, I have to go into the file manager on the cart, delete the old file (it won't allow me to overwrite it), then write the save file again. It's a bit of a convoluted process, but for what the cart does, I don't mind it.

Also, I noticed that the organization of the files in the SD card menu seems to be on descending order based upon the time the files were last modified. If there was a way to reorder them in alphabetical order, it'd be great just so I don't have to hunt for a game I want to play.

[Az]

Also, I noticed that the organization of the files in the SD card menu seems to be on descending order based upon the time the files were last modified. If there was a way to reorder them in alphabetical order, it'd be great just so I don't have to hunt for a game I want to play.

Find a free program called Drivesort, it's designed specifically for this. Most low-end products organize files this way to save on taxing the processor. A lot of cheap MP3 players do, along with the SNES & NES Powerpak.

[wiggyx]

So, I'm really close to buying one of these, but I see that the ROMs are backed up via battery. While this doesn't really bother me too much, since it doesn't mean "losing" games so much as the headache of having to re-load them, however I was wondering if anyone has considered making or actually made a charging station? It's something I'll try and tackle either way, but if someone's already done it and is willing to share, then I'd be very grateful.

[geezuzkhrist119]

With the Super Everdrive being $99.99 (PCB and Donor cart with custom label) and the Super Powerpak being 145.00, this would be the cheapest out of the 3.

This sort of interests me. The only thing that i don't like about the cart, is that the shell got that cheap dollar store plastic look. Reminds me of the Neo Flash Snes Cart.

[wiggyx]

Mine won't stay like that for long, so I'm not too worried about it ;)

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Picked one up at NAVA yesterday!

Played with it for a bit and for $50, I'm totally okay with the limitations of the device.

The file character number restriction is annoying, but I'm capable of taking a few minutes to re-name a set of games that I want to put on an SD card.

From what I can tell, other than the specialty chip games, It'll get a huge majority of SNES and SFC games running fine and physically it's a lot sturdier than I expected (I was thinking it was going to be flimsy, but it's a pretty hefty little thing).

It works great with the SupaBoy, so it'll make a perfect travel companion with that!

Thumbs up from me!

[InsaneDavid]

Can someone with one of these do me a favor and attempt to run two games?

Sailor Moon Another Story RPG (English Translation)
Terranigma (PAL English Version)

I've been unable to find confirmation specifically of the first. Thank you in advance!

[Warrax]

Terranigma does work with the SuperUFO

[InsaneDavid]

Terranigma does work with the SuperUFO

Thank you!