Cheap Slot-2 Flashcart?

[srwgin]

opensource flashcard
https://github.com/ChisBread/ChisFlash/blob/main/README-en.md

 

[squall1989]

I want a slot 2 flashcart for my DS Lite, but the only one available is the EZ-Flash Omega, which is way too expensive. I want one for $40 CAD or less, and I don't see why I can't get a cheap one since the EZ-Flash V 3in1 was an amazing cheap option. The only GBA flashcart I can find anywhere online is the Omega, and there are literally no alternatives. Where can I find a slot 2 flashcart for less than $40 CAD?

i don't know why you need specific this one, but what you want is no longer avaible, you can find one second hand arround, or just accept the fact that what you need is no longer product, find out the reason why they stop make it doesn't help, since you can't solve their problem or convince them to make a product for you. What on the market right now don't have what you want, which is a slot 2 flashcard that take data from slot 1 card, there are only standalone flash cart. On your price range there is only supercard sd, which is suck, i got one and belive me it suck, with the new firmware it's better, but still far away from ezflash omega, let alone the omega DE, the better way should be the stand alone single rom hold flashcart, you can use burntoslot to write the rom you want from your slot 1 r4 with your ds lite that is your best option

 

[Deleted member 702243]

you can make single game flashcarts work almost exactly like the 3in1 did if you just write your own ds mode software for it

make it a file browser, when you select a rom to play you read the game code and version code from the flashcart. if it's the same as the rom you just selected then skip writing and only write the save file, then boot slot 2 in gba mode

if the rom is different, backup the save data to slot 1 micro sd, write the new game, write that game's save data if it exists, then boot slot 2 in gba mode

and because game code and version code probably won't change if you modify your rom and try to run it again, you can have a button combo like Hold R when selecting a game to force rewrite the rom if it's the same game

maybe add some kind of checks to make sure you only write roms that have been properly patched, if your single game cart requires games to be patched

then next time you power back on in ds mode and run the app, back up the save data from slot 2 into a .sav file

you just have to figure out how to handle keeping track of file names to make sure that save data is backed up to the correct game on the slot 1 micro sd, and you won't have a quick boot psram, only a nor equivalent, but it's the best you can have for this price if you care about it needing to be paired with a slot 1 flashcart

you seem willing to build your own stuff to have what you want, so surely writing the software for it wouldnt be a problem

(ps: https://github.com/flashcarts/GBA-ExpLoader to get started, and find the source code for whatever ds homebrew would let you write roms to your slot 2 cart would help too)

 

[SuffahBish]

InsideGadgets makes these single game carts that fit flush in the DS Lite's dustcover. You can flash them from DS mode to change the game on it.

https://shop.insidegadgets.com/product/gba-32mb-1mbit-flash-save-no-rtc-ds-lite-flash-cart/
https://shop.insidegadgets.com/product/gba-32mb-256kbit-fram-save-ds-lite-flash-cart/

 

[squall1989]

InsideGadgets makes these single game carts that fit flush in the DS Lite's dustcover. You can flash them from DS mode to change the game on it.

https://shop.insidegadgets.com/product/gba-32mb-1mbit-flash-save-no-rtc-ds-lite-flash-cart/
https://shop.insidegadgets.com/product/gba-32mb-256kbit-fram-save-ds-lite-flash-cart/

well those are nice, but their price is not very nice =)) with those price i'd better get a ezflash omega

 

[Dimensional_Games]

Supercard. maybe? You can flash onto it to make it a bit better? That's the only cheap one that I can think of.

EZ-Flash Omega's definitely worth the price based on the features it offers, plus it comes with the case specific for the DS Lite Slot 2 that fits in nicely. I personally have the Definitive Edition and it's really amazing. Trust your fellow Toad.

I use Supercard for my Custom GBA Videos and it's worked well enough so far, you just need to make sure to only fill the SD card about halfway, or else it gets a bit slow. Other than that you can fill up at least ten or so ROMS with a 2GB micro SD card.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

They discontinued the 3in1 because a chip that it contained was discontinued. But it's such a great price!!! Why can't they just find an alternative chip? I want a slot 2 flashcart for that same great price as the 3in1.

They did, there are at least 3 different variations of the 3in1 that have different hardware.
In the end I guess it wasn't profitable to keep making hardware revisions when sales slowed down. Especially when it was cheap to begin with and the alternative parts that were available may have cost more.

What seems likely to me is that they were able to score a great deal on remaining stock of chips that were already discontinued and once that supply dried up they would have had to pay a lot more for similar parts. As there would've likely been multiple pin compatible (or close enough to it) options that would be drop in replacements for similar MSRP if they were actually paying MSRP. That's just my educated guess though.

Making a profitable product for such a low price is no easy thing, especially as a small (relatively speaking) company, and GBA flashcarts are a fair bit more complex than DS flashcarts as those could basically be reduced down to a single chip with no ill effects whereas GBA flashcarts need dedicated NOR flash and PSRAM and if you try to cut corners you end up with a cart like the Supercards which had neither of those things and therefore made terrible GBA flashcarts.

 

[Skv0ra]

well those are nice, but their price is not very nice =)) with those price i'd better get a ezflash omega

Look, in all honesty, what's even $100 to have MAD free.99 library of retro games that cost a damn arm a leg now for legit copies?

My rule of thumb is - NEVER skimp out on storage and batteries, and in this case a solid cart that won't give you any bs.