Hacking Everdrive x5 vs. EZ Flash on a GB Micro?

Kourin · Mar 28, 2017

So I might be purchasing a Micro soon, kinda still on the fence but I think I'm likely going to do it.
Since I'm iffy on fake carts being sold everywhere, I thought I'd just get a flashcart so then I'd have a lot of games with me on one cartridge and I wouldn't have to worry about buying something I think is official before receiving it and finding out it's fake.

Anyway, back to the point at hand.
I've noticed the x5 is a bit more pricey which is understandable. Has a lot more features, what I'm pretty sure is a better build quality and the battery is easily replaceable. The deal breaker is that it protrudes out by a fair bit. Could anyone put their 5 cents in on whether it not it's still comfortable to hold? It just looks a little.. awkward.

Otherwise the EZ Flash is cheaper but it has less features and such. It doesn't protrude out at all though which is really nice.

Evilengine · Mar 28, 2017

Go for the x5 , EZ is ok if you have a very tight budget, but instant rom loading from x5 is absolutely worth the very small bit that stands out from the cart. EZ needs to load a rom about 10-40 seconds. Large roms need to be put into internal ram, which takes a while also only one rom at the time (small roms still bootable). normal GBA games, especially bigger ones like Yoshi UG stand out, also, right?

gnmmarechal · Mar 28, 2017

Evilengine said:
Go for the x5 , EZ is ok if you have a very tight budget, but instant rom loading from x5 is absolutely worth the very small bit that stands out from the cart. EZ needs to load a rom about 10-40 seconds. Large roms need to be put into internal ram, which takes a while also only one rom at the time (small roms still bootable). normal GBA games, especially bigger ones like Yoshi UG stand out, also, right?

Actually, it's not RAM. It loads the ROM to its internal NOR flash storage.

Evilengine · Mar 28, 2017

yes you are right, I thought of changing that because a RAM only saves temporarily... ^^

ltsheppard · Mar 29, 2017

I'm sure the Everdrive is the superior card. But it costs about twice or thrice as much (depending on where you buy).

The only thing the EZIV lacks is the RTC and on-the-fly patching. It's your decision if you think that's worth that much to you.

Deleted-236924 · Mar 29, 2017

Size might feel a bit awkward on the micro compared to the original GBA/SP, but I guess you'll have to judge for yourself whether it looks like a bit too much for you or not.
How you hold your GB micro when using it will matter the most. Do you feel like it will get in the way considering how you hold it?

If you can afford it you should definitely get the ED over EZ4. Not that EZ Flash IV is a bad cart, but the ED is simply that much better and imo you'd probably regret picking the EZ4 over the ED later on.
Just the fact it can run roms directly without requiring any patching, supporting every save type there is and supporting RTC which very few carts even support, if enough to make it worth every penny. Again if you can afford it.

Easily replaceable RTC battery is a very big plus as you've pointed out.

That being said though, if you don't anticipate needing RTC for any game, the ED loses quite a bit of value. Most games will work just fine being SRAM-patched for the EZ4 (and I -think- their save files remain compatible with clean roms, for emulators, or even for retail cartridges), and if you can get the reset patch working for your games, the internal battery running dry will never be a problem. You could save a fair amount of money if you don't really need the extra features of the ED (though I'd still say you should get the ED if you can comfortably afford it; you never know when you may want those extra features.)

Todderbert · Apr 4, 2017

I'll chime in, you need a computer program to add roms to the EZ4. They need to be save patched by it. I'm not sure how it runs on Win7, but a reviewer said he could not get his to run on Win10 at all even with legacy mode. He ended up using a XP machine to use the program. I've used the software on my XP machine, its ok, but dated. If that battery fails you lose your saves, so backing them up often is good.

There is a possible mention of an X3 and X7 model to go along with the ED X5. Maybe one of them will have a better form factor by removing the RTC. Guessing that would be the X3.

lenselijer · Apr 4, 2017

Ezflash works fine on Windows 10 with the latest software.
The fact that it doesnt stick out is a huge plus, and the price of course.

I'm using this in my gb micro:

PoppaDre · Apr 4, 2017

I have an EZ Flash IV and i don't have any complaints. Other than the text on the menu is a bit off and I can't seem to find skins or it anymore for the latest version. It also has a better form so it looks and fits like an actual GBA cart and doesn't stick out. Haven't used the everdrive since i bought my EZ before the ED was released.

invaderyoyo · Apr 4, 2017

Go for the Everdrive. The load times and patchless roms are worth it. Just throw the no-intro romset and firmware files onto a microsd and you're done.

Zero hassle.

Here are some pics. The white one is a legit EZ flash IV, but I took the sticker off.

JCR1 · Apr 6, 2017

Hi, I have a doubt, I plan to buy everdrive gba, can I use my already patched games for ezf4 or I need clean roms? and if my games are patched with soft reset to exit to the game selection, the soft reset it will work in everdrive and exit to game list too?
thanks!

Deleted member 42501 · Apr 7, 2017

That poking out cart just kills it for me. Waiting for them to release a flush version at some point and using an ez flash until then.

Deleted-236924 · Apr 7, 2017

lenselijer said:
Ezflash works fine on Windows 10 with the latest software.

On Windows 10 I could never get any of that to work. Plain does not run, even EZ4 Client 2014 (the older versions did not run either, more obviously.)

However there is ezgba which -mostly- does the same thing, more recent, better maintained, works better in general, but it does -not- do reset patch. You'd need to patch that separately using kuwanger's sleephack (does not support every game), or using an XP VM to do the patching (which is a one-time thing for the most part, so that would be worth it imo.)

After I went back to 8.1, EZ4 Client works fine. I don't know what the deal is with EZ4 Client 2014, maybe it's made specifically for the newer EZ4s that run newer kernels, but the reset patch in 2014 client never worked for me (maybe it's specifically programmed for 1.76/1.77 or something.)

ltsheppard · Apr 7, 2017

Ammako said:
On Windows 10 I could never get any of that to work. Plain does not run, even EZ4 Client 2014 (the older versions did not run either, more obviously.)

Shouldn't have any problems with Windows 10. I've read that there needs to be a D: partition or drive present or it crashes.

Ammako said:
I don't know what the deal is with EZ4 Client 2014, maybe it's made specifically for the newer EZ4s that run newer kernels, but the reset patch in 2014 client never worked for me (maybe it's specifically programmed for 1.76/1.77 or something.)

I think the reset patch function just doesn't work in the 2014 version.

Deleted-236924 · Apr 7, 2017

Oh yeah, that's definitely possible. I didn't have a D:\ partition until I created one specifically for holding data while I was installing W8.1 over W10.
lmao this was apparently a problem even back over 10 years ago, with how terrible the default client is it doesn't surprise me that this was never fixed.

ltsheppard · Apr 7, 2017

Well, there's a pretty good alternative in ezgba

Deleted-236924 · Apr 7, 2017

Yeah, just can't live without the reset patches though. If my EZ4 battery runs dry I need a way to return to menu and write save file to SD without powering off. ;p

bradzx · May 6, 2017

If you like to play as real cartridge version as no save state, load state, or anything else like emulator does, then EZ-Flash 4 is best for you. Everdrive 5 have that feature like emulator, but EZF4 don't. I have EZF4 with me and there are several problem with rom. Sometime it have crash so you will have to use NOR to prevent crash the game. If you want to do very smoothly, then ED5 is best shot for you, but price isn't sweet.

The Real Jdbye · May 6, 2017

There's no doubt that the EverDrive is a much better cart (and it's priced accordingly), but the protrusion is a deal breaker for me, ESPECIALLY on the GB Micro which is such a small and beautiful device, and the ED just ruins it.
If you can live with that, then get the ED.
If not, the EZ4 is still a solid cart.

swiitness · May 31, 2017

I have an EZ4 on the way, but would consider an ED later on down the track maybe if they release a micro friendly form factor of it. One question I have though, I notice as part of the initial installation of the EZ4, you need to install the .bin file at the start, will that ever need to be undone, if I switch to an ED?

Hacking Everdrive x5 vs. EZ Flash on a GB Micro?

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