GBAtemp Review of the...

EverDrive GBA X5 Mini
Developed by: Krikzz
Worldwide sales by: Everdrive.me, Amazon.com
Also Known As: Everdrive GBA, EverDrive-GBA X5 Mini, ED GBA
Review by Another World – Completed 11/3/2020

Introduction

Before getting started, I want to give a shoutout to GBAtemp member Raulpica who wrote the EverDrive GBA X5 review in 2016. It would have been very easy to approach this review as a 'follow-up' to that review by writing it from the perspective of an editorial piece, however, I felt that enough time had passed and that this Flash Kit deserved a full review. If you own the EverDrive GBA X5, you will not gain anything by purchasing the EverDrive GBA X5 Mini, except a smaller form factor. If size matters, then keep reading...

The Game Boy Advance was an extremely popular handheld gaming device that sold in the 80 million unit range. During its 9 year life span, more than 1,500 games were released in a variety of languages, across multiple regions, that revolutionized what handheld gaming could mean. The hardware went on to inspire new designs in the form of the Game Boy Advance SP and the Game Boy Micro, a resurgence as a GameCube add-on that allowed games to be played on an actual TV, and even found its way into the Nintendo DS.

Third party support was never far behind, and always looking for a way to capitalize on the GBA's popularity. A multitude of cases, cleaning kits, lights, rechargable battery solutions, an MP3 player, various cheating devices, and even a variety of screen magnifiers were released during the handheld's lifetime. The GBA further inspired an entire generation of gamers to become developers, a task made much easier by the introduction of Flash Kits. Early GBA kits were expensive, limited by compatibility, and often required the user to maintain a collection of patched ROMs. In the years that followed, the GBA Flash Kits became more standardized and were modernized through replaceable save batteries and microSD support. Today, it is possible to drag/drop a few files and start gaming with in minutes on solutions that are much more affordable. The EverDrive GBA X5 Mini is one such Flash Kit.

Product Information

The product information included in this review was obtained after cross-referencing information found on the official Web site, in the official EverDrive Forums, and on various Internet reseller Web sites. An attempt has been made to include the most accurate information. However, this listing may include inaccurate or outdated information. Please use the product information listed below for reference only and direct all future questions to the designer of this product.

Product & Hardware Information:

• Support for all save types, no ROM patching required
• Fast loading (most games load within 2 seconds)
• 256Mbit PSRAM (32MByte) ROM memory
• 1Mbit SRAM (128KByte) save memory
• Real-time clock support
• Low power consumption
• Support for microSD cards (up to 64GB)
• FAT32 support
• Option to swap A/B
• Option to hide the GBASYS folder
• Option to quick boot (skip the Game Boy Advance boot logo)
• Support for the GameCube player, some revisions of Super Retro Advance adapter, some GBA clones, and other GBA accessories
• Support for launching NES, GB, and GBC ROMs (requires PocketNES and Goomba emulators)
• Support for launching SMS and GG ROMs (requires SMSAdvance emulator)
• Support for most GBA homebrew

The various ROM save-types are automatically detected, and ROMs will never need to be pre-patched. However, some homebrew may require the save-type to be manually set to SRAM. In addition, some homebrew may require a header fix in order to boot. The tool GBATA (GBA Tool Advance 0.7a by coolhj) is recommended to quickly and easily fix headers. The advertised fast loading performed incredibly well, even with large 32MB files. The GBA Movie files and Mother 3 (fan translation) boot within 3-5 seconds. Quick Booting will function by loading a GBA ROM without displaying the Game Boy Advance boot logo. However, some games may fail to execute if this option is enabled. Native NES, GB, GBC, SMS, and GG ROM launching require the supported emulator to be placed inside the GBASYS (X5 operating system folder) in order to function. Otherwise, games must be complied into their emulator 'wrapper' as per their specific instructions and tool sets.

Contents, Packaging, Design & Impressions

Contents:

• 1x EverDrive GBA X5 Mini

Packaging:

The EverDrive GBA X5 Mini review sample was sent directly from the developer and includes all retail packaging. The cartridge shipped inside a matte-black cardboard box. The box opens from the top, and locks shut from the front via two "wing flaps" that tuck back into either side. The top of the box displays the official EverDrive logo and Web site URL. The top-inside of the box is lined with crush-resistant foam. The cartridge was additionally secured inside of a thick foam insert. The insert fits the box perfectly and eliminates any possibility of movement during shipping. The cartridge itself was further protected inside of a clear plastic bag, held shut by a clear round sticker.

Design and Impressions:

The EverDrive GBA X5 Mini PCB is secured inside of a custom smoke-translucent plastic shell. The shell is the same relative thickness and size as an official GBA cartridge. The front of the shell has a sticker label displaying the "EverDrive GBA X5 Mini” logo, Krikzz logo, and the official URL (www.krikzz.com). Above the sticker and embossed in the plastic shell, is an official "EverDrive" logo. The back of the shell is secured by 1 micro-phillips screw. The clear nature of the shell allows the gold "EverDrive" printed PCB logo to shine through. The top of the shell has a spring-loaded microSD slot on the right side.

Set-up and Usage

The EverDrive GBA X5 Mini will accept a microSD card in the spring-loaded microSD slot. Both small and large capacity cards are supported. To minimize errors, it is recommended to format all microSD cards using the official Panasonic SD Formatter, and not with 3rd party software. Set-up is as simple as dragging and dropping the O/S files. All O/S files are currently hosted on the official EverDrive homepage. As of the writing of this review, the latest build is v1.12 (8/16/18). Inside of the .ZIP archive is a folder titled “GBASYS”, which contains the required GBAOS.GBA operating system file. Emulators with native ROM execution support (PocketNES, Goomba, SMSAdvace) must be placed into this directory as well. After initial execution, the GBASYS folder will expand to include new directories and files (REGISTRY.BIN). These new directories include EMUSAVE (for natively supported emulators), ROMCFG (for manually set options), and SAVE (for game saves, RAM backup, and test files).

Once the “GBASYS” folder is properly configured, it should be placed into the ROOT directory of the microSD card. ROMs can be placed anywhere, with 2048 files per folder (as of GBAOS v1.12). The microSD card must be inserted into the spring-loaded microSD slot with its contacts facing away from the sticker label. A finger-nail press is required, as the microSD slot sits just low enough below its shell that it requires more than a flush index finger to insert or remove.

Once powered-up and following the Game Boy Advance boot logo, the EverDrive GBA X5 Mini will boot instantly into the ROOT directory. The O/S can be navigated using Up and Down on the d-pad. Folders can be selected by pressing A to open and B to go back. File directories can be navigated using Left and Right on the d-pad, and by pressing A to bring up the File Menu, B to cancel, Select to bring up the Main Menu, and Start to load the last ROM executed.

The main-menu is the parent menu for the O/S and contains many important settings. These settings include Options, Recently Played, Start Random Game, Device Info, Diagnostics, and About. Pressing A on any choice will expand that main-menu into new sections.

The Options section offers settings for Swap A/B (ON/OFF), Quick Boot (ON/OFF), and Hide GBASYS (ON/OFF). Turning Quick Boot ON will allow the selected ROM to execute without displaying the Game Boy Advance boot logo. Some games may fail to execute when this option is enabled. Hiding the GBASYS folder will remove it from view, and it can be made visible again by simply turning this option OFF. The Recently Played option will display a list containing the last 12 executed ROMs. ROM names are truncated at 25 characters within the list and 60 characters in the 'file name' box that appears on the bottom of the screen. To execute any game from the recently played game list, simply navigate to it and press A. The Start Random Game option allows the operating system to select one game from the current folder, and then execute it. Device Info displays various EverDrive system information. This information includes the OS Ver, FPGA Ver, ASM Date, and ASM time. The Diagnostics option will run a series of tests to determine the validity and health of the unit. These tests include STB, ROM0, ROM1, DSIK, SRAM, FLASH, EEPROM, SD RD speed, SD WR speed, RTC date, RTC time, RTC test, and copy file to RAM. These tests are both a means to validate an official Flash Kit, as they are to determine the health of the system and microSD card. Finally, the About option displays information related to the developer and the Flash Kit. Information displayed here includes the name (EverDrive-GBA X5) of the Flash Kit, the name of the developer, support e-mail and URL information, a basic control navigation manual, and the Flash Kit's SN and RC numbers.

ROMs are listed in their directory as 15 files per page. Pages can be navigated by pressing Left or Right on the d-pad. ROM names are truncated at 25 characters. Following each truncated file name is a space, and then the ROMs size (8M, 16M, 32M, etc). The bottom of the screen contains a section that will display 60 characters of the currently selected file name. Selecting a ROM and then pressing A will bring up the File Menu. This menu contains options to Select and start, Select Only, Rom Info, Rom Settings, and Hex View.

The option to Select and Start will execute the ROM. When a ROM is execeucted, any previous save data is written to the microSD card, and then the ROM is loaded. Loading takes anywhere from 1-6 seconds depending on the file size. Most 32MB games will load and execute in under 6 seconds. Select Only will select the current ROM for execution and write any save data to the microSD card. After that, pressing Start will execute the 'selected' game. The Rom Info option will display detailed information about the file. This information includes the Game ID, Save Type (EEPROM, Flash128, SRAM, etc), Game Title, Maker code, RTC (YES/NO -- if the game supports it), and the File Size. The Rom Settings option will expanded into a screen with additional options to manually change the Save Type (EEPROM, SRAM, Flash64, Flash128, OFF) and to manually enable or disable the Real Time Clock (ON/OFF). The Rom Settings expanded menu is the only menu found in the O/S that can not be closed by pressing B. In order to exit these expanded options, either Cancel or Apply must be highlighted and then selected by pressing A. The Hex View option will display the ROM in a Hex viewer.

Some GBA homebrew emulators are supported by the O/S for native file execution. As of GBAOS v1.12 the list of supported emulators include PocketNES, Goomba, and SMSAdvance. Each of the emulator files must be placed into the GBASYS directory. Supported ROMs (.NES, .GB, .GBC, .SMS, GG) can be placed anywhere. When a ROM is navigated to and then executed, the proper emulator will launch. This convenience feature helps greatly as the user is no longer responsible for maintaining emulator 'wrappers' that contain ROMs in file sizes 32 MB and under.

Compatibility

The handhelds used for testing were a NTSC Nintendo DS lite and a Game Boy Micro 20th Anniversary Edition. The microSD card used for all testing was a Patriot 32GB and formatted using the Panasonic SD Formatter. All ROMs used for testing were verified against a known ‘goodset’ .dat and found to be without issue. Homebrew was collected from various sources, including years of unsorted back-ups. A moment please to mourn GBAtemp's Filetrip. When it went offline it took with it an extremely vast collection of homebrew projects, source code, guides, and information.

Back-ups...

• Aggressive Inline - PASS
• Aladdin - PASS
• Avatar the Last Air Bender - PASS
• Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance - PASS
• Banjoo Kazooie Grunty's Revenge - PASS
• Batman Begins - PASS
• Bit Generations Orbital - PASS
• Black Belt Challenge - PASS
• Broken Circle - PASS
• Capcom Classics Mini Mix - PASS
• Castlevania Circle of the Moon - PASS
• Classic NES Series Super Mario Brothers - PASS
• Classic NES Series The Legend of Zelda - PASS
• Contra Advance The Alien Wars EX - PASS
• Crazy Taxi Catch a Ride - PASS
• Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 - PASS
• Defenter of the Crown - PASS
• Donky Kong Country - PASS
• Doom - PASS
• Double Dragon Advance - PASS
• Driven - PASS
• Driver 2 Advance - PASS
• Dungeons & Dragons Eye of the Beholder - PASS
• Extreme Ghost Busters - PASS
• Game Boy Advance Video Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - PASS
• Gauntlet Dark Legacy - PASS
• Jet Grind Radio - PASS
• Killer 3D Pool - PASS
• Kirby Nightmare in Dream Land - PASS
• Lara Croft Tomb Raider - PASS
• Mario Pinball land - PASS
• Mega Man Battle Network - PASS
• Metal Slug Advance - PASS
• Mother 3 (Fan Translation v1.0) - PASS
• Ninja 5-0 - PASS
• Pokemon Ruby Version - PASS (There is a clock, it does advance...)
• River City Ransom EX - PASS
• Strawberry Shortcake Sweet Dreams - PASS
• Super Dodge Ball Advance - PASS
• Super Mario Advance - PASS
• The Bible Game - PASS
• The Cabbage Patch Kids - PASS
• The Legend of Zelda - A Link to the Past & Four Swords - PASS
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 - PASS
• Wolfenstein 3D - PASS

Homebrew...

• 2 Pocket Raider - PASS
• 5nake GBA - PASS
• Anguna - PASS (save type must be set to SRAM)
• Another World - PASS
• Astrohawk Advance Demo - PASS
• Battle Kid - Fortress of Peril.NES (via PocketNES) - PASS
• Beer Belly Bill - PASS (May require header fix)
• Beer Belly Bill 2 - PASS
• Beer Belly Bill 3 - PASS
• Christmas Advance - PASS
• Contra (Gryzor) (J) [T-Eng1.0].NES (via PocketNES) - PASS
• DanTE Advance - Fail (Loads, and then black screen)
• Defender - PASS (May require header fix)
• GBA Notepad - Fail (Loads, and then black screen)
• GORF - PASS
• Herg's Solitare v0.4 - PASS (May require header fix)
• Herg's Yahtzee v0.2 - PASS (May require header fix)
• Lab Sound - PASS (May require header fix)
• Pocket Commander - PASS
• Pocket Raider - PASS
• Rick Dangerous v1 - PASS
• Skeet Shoot - PASS
• Skool Daze Klass of '99 - PASS
• Sushi the Cat - PASS
• The Last Seal - PASS (May require a header fix)
• Uranus Zero Sun Tear - PASS
• Uranus 2 Sun Tear - PASS

All tested Game Boy Advance games passed without issue. Each game was played between 20 minutes to 1 hour. Saving was tested at random and found to be fully functional. Both of the failed Game Boy Advance homebrew applications had fully working headers and the correct save type applied. Some older GBA homebrew projects may require a header fix in order to boot. The tool GBATA (GBA Tool Advance 0.7a by coolhj) is recommended to quickly and easily fix headers.

Supported Emulators...

It has become rather difficult to find many old homebrew releases, not to mention information, sources, guides, required files, etc, as most of the original Web sites have disappeared from the Internet. As a result, a great deal of knowledge and resources are now missing from a communities history. An amazing source of preservation was once GBAtemp's Filetrip.net Web site. This site hosted an extensive collection of meticulously collated homebrew data, which was lost to the preservation community when its archive was taken offline. Thousands of files are now gone from the Internet with no known back-ups! In an effort to help those seeking to enjoy the EverDrive GBA X5 Mini's native emulation file execution, I have re-hosted some files on Google Drive. The files below were originally collected upon their initial release dates from their respective project pages. The files below were pulled from my personal back-ups before linking for your convenience. All archives were made using 7zip. Please direct all Emulator related questions to their respective authors.

• PocketNES 2/27/2008 (DWEdit update)
• Goomba v2.3
• Goomba Color 5/4/2019 (DWEdit update)
• SMS Advance v2.5
   

Conclusion

Game Boy Advance Flash Kits have been around the homebrew and back-up communities for a very long time. They helped to cement the desires of gamers by evolving with great features and high ROM compatibility. These days we have very few modern options left available and it is still a competition of cost versus features. The EverDrive GBA X5 Mini is a barebones Flash Kit without the bells and whistles. While it does not support things like save-states, or an in-game menu, it does offers many other conveniences. These include an easy to change save battery (no soldering required), an easy to navigate O/S, extremely high ROM compatibility, and native ROM execution for all supported emulators. The build quality is on par to official Nintendo products and backed by a supported and trusted team. If you are looking to play homebrew and back-ups on GBA hardware with minimal effort, then perhaps the EverDrive GBA X5 Mini is right for you!