New Sega Genesis, 32x, and Mega Drive Flash Cart

[Jagasian]

A new flash cart for Sega's most popular system has been released. It can read games off of standard SD flash cards:

http://www.ic2005.com/html/2005/show-47.htm

 

Note that it also requires a NEO2 GBA cart, which plugs into the slot ontop. Since NEO2 GBA carts can use SD flash cards, that is how you get the SD flash card support.

[guitarmas]

A new flash cart for Sega's most popular system has been released. It can read games off of standard SD flash cards:

http://www.ic2005.com/html/2005/show-47.htm

 

Note that it also requires a NEO2 GBA cart, which plugs into the slot ontop. Since NEO2 GBA carts can use SD flash cards, that is how you get the SD flash card support.

 

Wow, first time I've seen a flash cart for the genesis.

[DeathAdderSF]

Tototek sells a Genesis - Megadrive flash cart that, unlike this NEO product, does not require the purchase of any additional units / memory cards. Thus, the overall cost is cheaper. It also supports Genesis / Megadrive and 32X and supports saved games automatically. It's a very high-quality unit that works very well.

 

Tototek multimedia MD-PRO flash cart

[Video]

Wow, that's cool, I want one of those, bothe of them. Maybe some day I'll get this mythicle thing called MONEY and I can get one LOL

[+remowilliams]

Cool, good to see people still care enough to work on this stuff.

 

I own the TotoTek Genesis flash cart and it's fantastic. I also have their SNES and TG flash stuff as well. Very very handy!

[Video]

Wow, there's one for the SNES too? Cool, I always wanted to try Starfox2 on a stock SNES...come to think of it, I'll probably have to build a cart for that though, due to having an FX chip in it and all...

[guitarmas]

Wow, there's one for the SNES too? Cool, I always wanted to try Starfox2 on a stock SNES...come to think of it, I'll probably have to build a cart for that though, due to having an FX chip in it and all...

 

Maybe not, it might support it.

[Jagasian]

As is the case with all other SNES flash carts and copiers, the NEO flash cart for the SNES will NOT support FX chip games such as Star Fox 2. Also, the NEO flash carts for the Genesis and SNES are superior to the Tototek carts. I own a Tototek SNES flash cart myself. The benefits of the NEO flash carts are:

 

1. Games are written to the NEO carts using a USB cable as opposed to a parallel port cable like the Tototek carts.

 

2. The NEO carts are much higher capacity, so they can hold a playlist of far more games than the Tototek cart is capable of.

 

3. The NEO carts can hold more than one game save at a time, while the Tototek cart for the SNES can only hold one save game at a time.

 

4. The NEO cart doesn't need a separate programming circuit board like the Tototek cart.

 

So while the NEO carts might cost more up front, they are vastly superior to the Tototek carts. Also, if you get flash carts for the Genesis, SNES, N64, GBA, and DS, you will actually save money by going with the NEO collection as opposed to the Tototek collection, since the NEO collection can use the same single NEO GBA flash cart for storing games and saves.

Edited July 26, 2006 by Jagasian

[Flojomojo]

Note that it also requires a NEO2 GBA cart, which plugs into the slot ontop. Since NEO2 GBA carts can use SD flash cards, that is how you get the SD flash card support.

Whoa! My head is spinning. You buy a little flash cartridge that's compatible with DS and GBA. Then you stick it into the adapter that can run Sega 16-bit games? And you can hook THAT whole monstrosity back up to your PC with USB for loading more goodies? Again, I say whoa!

 

Sadly, it looks like its upwards of $150 for the whole set. Since it's no more legal than a modded XBOX running emulators (and a lot more of a PITA), I think I know which option I would choose.

 

Still .... whoa!

[LocalH]

Of course it's legal. One can also use it for only homebrew development, never loading a commercial ROM.

[Jagasian]

How can you even compare emulation to running games on the original hardware for which they were designed? I have both emulation on my PC, on my modded Xbox, and I have original classic consoles. Emulation can come close to the real thing, but for anybody that is enough of a fan to be willing to play a game 10+ years after it was originally released... it is very easy to tell the difference between emulation and the real thing.

[LocalH]

Given enough accuracy, an emulator can be a boon to development, though. As long as the code is regularly tested on hardware as well, there's no harm in it. Granted, there's no Genesis emulator that's accurate to the level I'm talking, but still a combination of Gens Kmod and Kega can be useful for "seeing inside the system" with savestate ability and Kmod's VRAM peeking.

Edited July 27, 2006 by LocalH