Everdrive questions

[Edmond Dantes]

I'm thinking of getting an Everdrive or some other "allows you to play downloaded roms on a real console" device, mostly cuz I want to play romhacks like Zelda Outlands and Super Metroid Redesign and this seems more economical than buying a repro cart.

But I'm wondering about a few things. Some of these questions might seem boneheaded, but better safe than sorry.

Here goes.

1. Can you save your game on games like Zelda which have battery-backed saving, or does the data get lost as soon as you turn off the console?

2. Can the SNES version do games that use the Super FX or other enhancement chips, or do I need a repro cart for those?

3. How exactly does loading multiple roms on the thing work? Does it give you a list when you turn on the console and ask you to select your game or what?

4. Are there alternatives to the Everdrive I should know about?

5. If the answer to 4 is "yes," what are their pros and cons compared to the Everdrive?

Thanks in advance.

[JSoup]

Last I had looked into it, the best "allows you to play downloaded roms on a real console" device would be the OUYA. Simply, turn it on, download the emulator of your choice, load up ROMs in the SD slot and play.

[scooby105]

Last I had looked into it, the best "allows you to play downloaded roms on a real console" device would be the OUYA. Simply, turn it on, download the emulator of your choice, load up ROMs in the SD slot and play.

The OUYA doesn't allow you to play games on the real console. It allows you to play games on the OUYA. If someone is looking for emulation, there are better options than the OUYA.

[scooby105]

I'm thinking of getting an Everdrive or some other "allows you to play downloaded roms on a real console" device, mostly cuz I want to play romhacks like Zelda Outlands and Super Metroid Redesign and this seems more economical than buying a repro cart.

But I'm wondering about a few things. Some of these questions might seem boneheaded, but better safe than sorry.

Here goes.

1. Can you save your game on games like Zelda which have battery-backed saving, or does the data get lost as soon as you turn off the console?

2. Can the SNES version do games that use the Super FX or other enhancement chips, or do I need a repro cart for those?

3. How exactly does loading multiple roms on the thing work? Does it give you a list when you turn on the console and ask you to select your game or what?

4. Are there alternatives to the Everdrive I should know about?

5. If the answer to 4 is "yes," what are their pros and cons compared to the Everdrive?

Thanks in advance.

1. Yes
2. No
3. Yes
4. Yes

The Everdrive cartridges are generally the way to go. All the Everdrive cartridges will save your games like a battery will.

For SNES, SD2SNES is the cartridge you want. It doesn't do Super FX and a few others, but it does most.

For Genesis, Mega Everdrive is the cartridge you want. It can do save statesmanship some other things.

For the other systems that have Everdrives available, they are the way to go. I use the NES PowerPak for my Nintendo, but the Everdrive version is just as good or better.

There are other options available for systems the Everdrive is not for, such as Game Boy Advance, Neo Geo Pocket, Dreamcast, Saturn, Atari 2600, Intellivision, etc. Generally, you can just search for system name + flash cart and you'll find information. There's also a thread on AtariAge in the Classic Gaming (I think) forum that has a large list of different flash carts / drive emulators / etc.

[kai123]

SD2SNES is the one I am saving up for at the moment. It was designed by someone other than Krikzz but he manufactures it for him so he must like it somewhat. Krikzz btw is the creator of the everdrive series.

[Zthun]

1. Yes
2. No
3. Yes
4. Yes

The Everdrive cartridges are generally the way to go. All the Everdrive cartridges will save your games like a battery will.

For SNES, SD2SNES is the cartridge you want. It doesn't do Super FX and a few others, but it does most.

For Genesis, Mega Everdrive is the cartridge you want. It can do save statesmanship some other things.

For the other systems that have Everdrives available, they are the way to go. I use the NES PowerPak for my Nintendo, but the Everdrive version is just as good or better.

There are other options available for systems the Everdrive is not for, such as Game Boy Advance, Neo Geo Pocket, Dreamcast, Saturn, Atari 2600, Intellivision, etc. Generally, you can just search for system name + flash cart and you'll find information. There's also a thread on AtariAge in the Classic Gaming (I think) forum that has a large list of different flash carts / drive emulators / etc.

The SuperEverdrive only does the basic chipset. If your games have special chips (MegaMan X2, Super Mario RPG, StarFox, etc), then they won't play on the Super Everdrive and you will need the SD2SNES to play them (very expensive). The alternative is the Deluxe SuperEverdrive sold at StoneAgeGamer which comes with only the DSP-1 chip installed (basically, you can play Mario Kart and some japanese games).

[kai123]

The SuperEverdrive only does the basic chipset. If your games have special chips (MegaMan X2, Super Mario RPG, StarFox, etc), then they won't play on the Super Everdrive and you will need the SD2SNES to play them (very expensive). The alternative is the Deluxe SuperEverdrive sold at StoneAgeGamer which comes with only the DSP-1 chip installed (basically, you can play Mario Kart and some japanese games).

Super F/X is not implemented on the SD2SNES yet.

[Leo_A]

And at this point, likely never will be.

Thankfully, it only really effects Star Fox 2. The few Super FX titles are either dirt cheap, or at least likely already a part of someone's collection (I imagine Yoshi's Island is on the expensive side).

[JSoup]

The OUYA doesn't allow you to play games on the real console. It allows you to play games on the OUYA.

I somehow completely missed the words "on real console" when I posted.

If someone is looking for emulation, there are better options than the OUYA.

Straight emulation, yes.
All the conveniences and aesthetics of a having a real console, debatable.

[Tanooki]

Everdrive is basically the best bet unless you're into the SNES stuff as SD2SNES plays many of the chipped games and is trying to add more (FX is on the current thing being worked on if I remember right.) Any of the everdrives (or that) will work like a real game and save like a real one too just to the everdrive instead of the original battery backed chip so even hacks will work. Loading of many roms just means you have a menu to push through to the game you want. And again other than SD2SNES I can't think of anything someone else makes that's overall better.

[Edmond Dantes]

Super Everdrive so far is the only one that seems to have compatibility issues with games. Are there any compatibility thingies I should know about with the other Everdrives? (I imagine the Genesis one can't do Virtua Racing or 32X games)

For any of the SNES flashcarts, the main point of interest to me is just playing the hacked versions of games I already like--like Zelda: Parallel Worlds or Super Metroid Redesign or Super ZeroMission. I imagine as long as A Link to the Past, Super Mario World and Super Metroid work, all their hacks will work?

Anything else I should be warned about before plucking down money? It would suck if I bought the NES one and found out it can't play Earthbound Zero or will eat your save games if you don't sing the star-spangled banner to it every night before bed, for example...

[badinsults]

As far as compatibility with games that were actually released on the SNES, the Super Everdrive and SD2SNES are at the same level. It all comes down to features. Are you willing to live with loading times? The Super Everdrive can take upwards of one minute to load a game, while the SD2SNES is pretty much instantaneous. Do you want to try the growing list of MSU-1 hacks? You will need a SD2SNES. Do you want to play Mega Man X2 and X3? They will not work on Super Everdrive. Whether or not these things are enough for you to consider the extra money is up to you (though the cost of Mega Man X2 and X3 alone is probably on the order of the price difference). Neither flash cart has a problem with game saves, which is a step up from the SNES Powerpak. I personally think both flash carts are great (I own both).

As for Super Mario World hacks, prepare to be disappointed. Although I think the community has tried to rectify some of the issues, the vast majority of SMW hacks used this exploit in an old version of ZSNES to play different music. However, when these hacks are played on a real snes, they will ultimately crash.

[Tanooki]

I think you have it figured out. I never bought one but did read into it a good bit and the Everdrives are all the best bang for the buck, even the SNES one if you're not stuck on wanting to play some of the chipped games. The SD2SNES won't play SuFami Turbo games(JP only), SA-1, Super FX1/2, SDD-1, and some other off hand 1-3 game JP only title stuff. It will handle all the 1-4 DSP chips and the Mega Man X2/X3 CX4 and whatever else doesn't fall on this incompatability list -- http://sd2snes.de/blog/compatibility Basically the Everdrive does what SD2SNES does minus the CX4 chip and eventually the FX whenever he figures that out as it's in development and has been a long time.

BS games are hit and miss depending on satellite features, but stuff like patched BS Zelda or BS FZero would work, but they should on an everdrive too.

Maybe someone else knows this, but can the Everdrive or SD2SNES handle the SDD1 games if the graphics are decompressed for it? A couple emulators years ago on PC ran SFAlpha 2 and Star Ocean by decompressing the graphic assets into a folder.

I'd say this much if I hadn't shelved my systems and got a Retron5 I'd strongly consider a SNES and NES style Everdrive, and that GBA one in development is very tempting since I still use my GB Micro.

[Greg2600]

The newest Super Everdrive loads MUCH faster than it ever has. It's not instant like the SD2SNES, but it's not that bad. As for compatibility, I believe Super ED will play nearly all the BS games (Satellaview), and will play DSP-1 games if you have the donor chip installed. Unfortunately neither Stone Age nor Retrogate (Krikzz) are installing them anymore. SD2SNES has somewhat better saving, and slightly better game compatibility. However, if you can install a DSP-1 yourself, you're probably going to save around $90 by going with the Super ED over the SD2SNES. MSU1 is cool, I love that more games are being hacked (CD audio added), but SED is the better "value."

[Gatucaman]

Forget the fact that SuperFX is not implemented yet on SD2SNES, most of the games are still cheap and accessible to own with the sole exception of Yoshi's Island and you can buy the Japanese version for cheap, and most SuperFX games are either gimmicky games like Stunt Race and Dirt Trax FX, which quite frankly never appeal to me, or garbage like the SNES port of Doom, plus never cared for Star Fox 1.

The real deal is the fact that SA-1 is not yet implemented, and probably NEVER WILL, that's the one it should been worked on from the get go, because that one has fricking Super Mario RPG, Kirby's Super Star, Kirby's Dreamland 3, the third parodius game on Super Famicom & Marvelous: Another Treasure Island.

Granted the rest are either shovel-ware or games that are just passable like Dragonball Z Hyper Dimension, but the fact that for most of these games you can buy the japanese versions for cheap or reasonable, but the giant exceptions are of course Super Mario RPG which most people cant buy the US version for cheap or reasonable anymore due to the speculator money hungry epidemic and Marvelous which can only be played via translation (if it exist, i don't know), such a shame, well i guess there's repro cart option, but i wonder if buying one of the cheapest SA-1 games with chip like those derby games would work.....

Honestly, i find no reason to invest on the SD2SNES at all, since the chip-based titles that are worth a damn are few, and the only ones that require to be played in english are Marvelous and Mario RPG, and quite frankly, there's the question, what if you regret investing in some of them, heck i finally got Rockman X3 and gues what? it SUCKS ASS!!!

I still need to get Jikkyoh Oshaberi Parodius, Dreamland 3, Yoshi's Island, Mario Kart and the one which is gonna be a pain, Mario RPG in english.

Now, then again, the day that someone ports the real Rondo of Blood on the SNES via the MSU-1 chip.........

[Greg2600]

Forget the fact that SuperFX is not implemented yet on SD2SNES, most of the games are still cheap and accessible to own with the sole exception of Yoshi's Island and you can buy the Japanese version for cheap, and most SuperFX games are either gimmicky games like Stunt Race and Dirt Trax FX, which quite frankly never appeal to me, or garbage like the SNES port of Doom, plus never cared for Star Fox 1.

The real deal is the fact that SA-1 is not yet implemented, and probably NEVER WILL, that's the one it should been worked on from the get go, because that one has fricking Super Mario RPG, Kirby's Super Star, Kirby's Dreamland 3, the third parodius game on Super Famicom & Marvelous: Another Treasure Island.

Now, then again, the day that someone ports the real Rondo of Blood on the SNES via the MSU-1 chip.........

True on SuperFX. It was a big deal because ikari_01 (creator of SD2SNES) made it sound like it was going to happen, but he kind of hit a brick wall. The SD2SNES is open source, so anyone out there is free to attempt to map one of these chips. As for Rondo, someone I know modified Dracula X to use Rondo's CD tracks. Just have to get him to post it, but you'll never have the exact Turbo Duo game ported.

[SparTonberry]

The real deal is the fact that SA-1 is not yet implemented, and probably NEVER WILL, that's the one it should been worked on from the get go, because that one has fricking Super Mario RPG, Kirby's Super Star, Kirby's Dreamland 3, the third parodius game on Super Famicom & Marvelous: Another Treasure Island.

Because SA-1 is probably the most powerful and complex of them all.
(except for the Japanese chess game that used an ARM, but probably nobody cares that one. Maybe not even the Japanese, as I hear the AI wasn't THAT great despite its relatively powerful CPU )

Though I do wonder why Panic Bomber uses an SA-1? Is it the multiplayer mode?
That game seems to like being on overkill hardware. "There's just one problem: why the HELL is it on Virtual Boy?"

[Tanooki]

I think it's a bit harsh tearing on the SFX chip and DOOM isn't that terrible either, at least if you use a hot save feature since the fools gave none, not even a password. SA-1 is the big one, but also even if it just has 2 games the SDD1 is a nice one with SF Alpha 2 and Star Ocean.

You did leave off that the SuperED/ED do not play CX4 so that leaves out MegaMan X2/X3. I do understand though again, there are the Japanese versions and they do not use that, so if you don't mind losing the lame story you can still play and for notably less. Those two games cost so much more they more than cover the price difference of the Everdrive to the SD2SNES if you love those (I don't at all.)

Also does the everdrive cover just the DSP1 or DSP1-4, pretty sure SD2SNES does them all.

I don't think since SD2SNES will ever get the FX chip down let alone the SA1 or the SDD1 that it's worth the grossly expensive price tag, but depending on your tastes it could I suppose.



Panic Bomber is also a PCEngine SuperCD game too. Maybe they wanted to carry over those assets while also copyprotecting it since that was an added perk of the chip.

[genesisguy]

I've had trouble getting Rom Hacks to work on my Super Everdrive and Everdrive 8. If you google either of those flashcarts and "rom hacks" not working. You'll find plenty of threads relating to those issues on krikzz.com

But aside from that I love these things and haven't had any issues.

[Greg2600]

I've had trouble getting Rom Hacks to work on my Super Everdrive and Everdrive 8. If you google either of those flashcarts and "rom hacks" not working. You'll find plenty of threads relating to those issues on krikzz.com

But aside from that I love these things and haven't had any issues.

The SNES is very temperamental when it comes to the rom header. If it's not the right size and all, won't play. Emulators ignore this, so the games work. Many of the rom hackers, as well as prototype dumpers, don't test the stuff on real hardware, so they don't bother fixing the headers. Awhile ago, Krikzz put in an option to circumvent this check, and then most of the proto's that weren't working for me, did.