Review: Super Card SD (Supercard SD) for GBA/DS

[Flack]

The Super Card SD is a flashcart for the Nintendo Gameboy Advance and Nintendo DS. (I don’t currently own a Nintendo DS, so for this review the Super Card SD was only tested on a Gameboy Advance.)

The difference between the Super Card line of flashcarts and most other carts is instead of having on board memory, the Super Card has a slot where either SD RAM or CF RAM (depending on the model purchased) can be inserted into the cart. Most GBA flashcarts start at 128 megabits of storage (32 megabytes) and cannot be expanded. For approximately the same price you can now get a Super Card and a 512 meg SD RAM cart (16x the amount of storage). However, like the old saying goes, “size isn’t everything.”

The Super Card lets you do some pretty neat things with your Gameboy Advance. The Super Card home page (<u>http://www.supercard.cn</u>) has utilities that will let you read e-books, look at JPG pictures, and even watch videos (after converting them to GBA Media Format) on your GBA. The Super Card also has built in support for several types of emulation ROMs, including NES, GameGear/SMS, PC-Engine, and original Gameboy (but not GBC) games. The real (illegal) reason most people buy these cards is to allow them to play downloaded Gameboy Advance ROMs for free on their GBA.

Transfering GBA games to your Super Card is relatively simple. First, you’ll need some Gameboy Advance ROMs (Google). Next, you’ll need a way to read/write to your SD card. Third, you’ll need to install the Super Card Software, which you can download from the Super Card site. The rest is a piece of cake. The software will convert/patch your ROMs to work with the Super Card. Copying each game over only takes a matter of seconds. Turning on your GBA reveals a simple text menu, at which the games can be selected. After being patched and converted, the card also allows for save states, saving to/from the card, and dropping back to the menu without cycling the unit's power. Games can also be compressed on the SD card (trading free space for uncompressing load times), but with so many 4 meg games on a 256 meg, 512 meg or 1 gig card, I can't imagine needed to save space.

So what’s not to like? Compatibility issues, for one. Several of the GBA ROMs I tried flat out wouldn’t work. Some wouldn’t run at all; others ran but with graphical glitches, or locked up during gameplay. The good news is the card is easily flashed with firmware upgrades which are continually improving compatibility, but that doesn’t help you if the game you really want to play isn’t currently supported.

The original Super Card SD (the one I ordered) is slightly longer than a real GBA cart, causing the cart to stick out the front of the cartridge slot a bit. The new Super Card Mini is the same size as a real GBA cart.

As the owner of an EZF Advance as well, I’m torn between the two products. While the EZF offers more compatibility, the gigantic amount of storage possible on the Super Card is phenomenal. The native support for NES and SMS ROMs is nice as well. It’s a good product; to be great, Super Card will need to improve their compatibility list.

Links:

Super Card Homesite (w/latest downloads): <u>Link</u>
Super Card GBA Compatibility Database: <u>Link</u>
Super Card Dev Forums: <u>Link</u>

[Wookie]

You can improve compatibility by turning off the "save" feature in the Supercard software prior to converting the ROM. I've found that this makes about half the otherwise unusable games work. But of course you can no longer save a game in progress.

[Beavertown]

Make sure you're using the right software and firmware combo, and download the latest GBA Rom patch data, if you haven't already. When I first got it, I somehow overlooked that and couldn't get anything to work.

And on a side note, if you ever plan on picking up a DS, it has close to 100% compatibility with all NDS games.

[mr_pollock]

Hm? It has compatibility with NDS games? It plays DS roms?

[Wookie]

Hm? It has compatibility with NDS games? It plays DS roms?

You have to add an additional piece that plugs into the DS slot, either a "Passme", "Superpass", or "Superpass 2" (I have the middle one), and you must have an actual DS cart plugged into that unit. Seems to work OK, but you end up with something sticking out of both slots so the DS, which is already too heavy & uncomfortable, now becomes even more cumbersome.

[c0ldb33r]

Will it work with the GB micro?

How about the red mariokart DS? I read that passme doesn't work with the red DS.

[Flack]

Will it work with the GB micro?

According to their website, "the Supercard can be run on a Nintendo DS, GBA, GBASP and GBM." I only personally tested it on a GBA SP2.

Make sure you're using the right software and firmware combo, and download the latest GBA Rom patch data, if you haven't already. When I first got it, I somehow overlooked that and couldn't get anything to work.

I downloaded software version 2.53 and firmware 1.61, the latest ones I could find on their website. I assume the latest GBA Rom patch data is included in the latest version of the software? I didn't know about that but I'll check into it.

[DeuZZ]

I have the M3 player, it is a flashcard similar to the Super Card (I even think they are made by the same company and the roms are also stored on a CF or SD card). It has better compatability than the Super Card (all games work), it loads the roms in a second and once you boot it you can take the Passkey out.

They recently released a new, smaller version the same size as a GBA cart, so it doesn't stick out.

It also works with GBA, GBM, GBSP, NDS and NDS lite and plays NDS, GBA, NES, SMS and some MAME and SNES roms. It also comes with the great moonshell program which lets you listen to mp3s, view JPGs and watch DGP movies, a full lenght movie is about 200mb in size. For example,

I downloaded Office Spaces from a site called 'GBA, the movie way' in 30 minutes and then watched it while riding in my car (not me driving, of course :P )

[Beavertown]

I downloaded software version 2.53 and firmware 1.61, the latest ones I could find on their website. I assume the latest GBA Rom patch data is included in the latest version of the software? I didn't know about that but I'll check into it.

I checked. Looks like it is included, my mistake. And your software and firmware are right.

How about the red mariokart DS? I read that passme doesn't work with the red DS.

It works with Superpass/Passme versions 2 and higher. But it's a little more work. It also works with the DS lite.

Seems to work OK, but you end up with something sticking out of both slots so the DS, which is already too heavy & uncomfortable, now becomes even more cumbersome.

You can Flash the firmware, and then you don't have to have anything in the DS slot.

[c0ldb33r]

It also works with GBA, GBM, GBSP, NDS and NDS lite and plays NDS, GBA, NES, SMS and some MAME and SNES roms. It also comes with the great moonshell program which lets you listen to mp3s, view JPGs and watch DGP movies, a full lenght movie is about 200mb in size. For example, I downloaded Office Spaces from a site called 'GBA, the movie way' in 30 minutes and then watched it while riding in my car (not me driving, of course :P )

How does the battery last while watching movies? The same as playing games?