Hardware GBA Flashcart questions .

[Splych]

alright i have lots of questions i've been wanting to ask soo . . .

- if i wanted to link cable a legitimate game + a ROM in the flashcart, will it work ?
- are flashcarts capable of running games such as Pokemon, Fire Emblem and Golden Sun without a problem?
- are cheats supported ?
- what's the top flashcart [in production flashcart + out of production flashcart]

there are lots of games for the GBA i've always wanted , but my local Gamestop stopped selling GBA games . i checked out eBay , and i am afraid that they may not be legitimate, they're too pricey or no one sells them .
Pokemon for one , is something i've been wanting to play . i only have my hands on Sapphire + Emerald , and i checked online for the others on the GBA and they're more expensive then i'd expect .

if anyone knows a site where i could buy GBA games , that'd be helpful as well . same goes for a site that sells a GBA flashcart as well !

games:
- Megaman Battlenetwork [series]
- Pokemon Ruby, FireRed, LeafGreen
- Fire Emblem [GBA series]
- Golden Sun [GBA series]

those are what i am looking for .

 

[Elvarg]

this might be the only awnser you get

-No
-No
-Yes
-As a wise man once said: "The world doesn't revolve around pokemon".

-Zyzz

 

[Shockwind]

alright i have lots of questions i've been wanting to ask soo . . .

- 1.if i wanted to link cable a legitimate game + a ROM in the flashcart, will it work?
- 2.are flashcarts capable of running games such as Pokemon, Fire Emblem and Golden Sun without a problem?
- 3.are cheats supported?
- 4.what's the top flashcart [in production flashcart + out of production flashcart]

there are lots of games for the GBA i've always wanted , but my local Gamestop stopped selling GBA games . i checked out eBay , and i am afraid that they may not be legitimate, they're too pricey or no one sells them .
Pokemon for one , is something i've been wanting to play . i only have my hands on Sapphire + Emerald , and i checked online for the others on the GBA and they're more expensive then i'd expect .

if anyone knows a site where i could buy GBA games , that'd be helpful as well . same goes for a site that sells a GBA flashcart as well !

games:
- Megaman Battlenetwork [series]
- Pokemon Ruby, FireRed, LeafGreen
- Fire Emblem [GBA series]
- Golden Sun [GBA series]

those are what i am looking for .

1.Yes, it will work. I tried link cable with my friend. My friend's is a legitimate game and mine is a flashcart.
2.Yes. I have Pokemon Fire Red on my EFA-Linker II,but I don't know if Pokemon, Fire Emblem, and Golden Sun will work on other flashcarts.
3.Maybe. I am using Game Shark for cheats, but don't use Game Shark if your GBA game isn't original.
4.That's the question I don't know.

 

[FAST6191]

1) Yeah it should do, worst case scenario is you turn off all the soft reset and other patches as sometimes they can cause timing issues (extra code running and all that).

Sidenote- stuff like pokemon on the DS with a flash cart is a bit more tricky. You need http://nds.cmamod.com/2009/07/07/pokepatch-v42-and-v5alpha3/ in that case.

2) Very few GBA titles had anything resembling AP- you are looking at Nes Classics, famicom mini, some dragon ball Z titles and a small handful of more obscure titles (I think samurai deeper kyo).
Most issues stem from games that use real time clock (earlier flash carts mimicked the RTC but it was costly in PCB space and resources for the 5 odd games that did it so modern ones tend to lack it), some form of tilt sensor or other extra hardware (solar sensor and the like).

These games tend to have patches (not to mention you can emulate the NES games far more easily/effectively- see pocketnes and HVCA)
http://www.pocketheaven.com/ph/bubbz/
A bunch of enhanced ones for the boktai series appeared late last year as well- http://filetrip.net/f12559-Revised-Boktai-...or-patches.html
If you really want the classic NES/famicom mini stuff is somewhere on filetrip too.

Pokemon patching takes a bit to know about- the real time clock is wound tightly into the game- you can get by quite happily but there are a few things worth knowing. More on that and a few other nice things to know http://gbatemp.net/t269418-clarification-o...-iv-the-big-one

Back when there were sometimes issues with new save types (the thing, if anything, that caused the "does it work on X" in the releases threads) but that has long since been resolved. To answer your question none of the big titles on the GBA aside from some pokemon games the problems of which have just been dealt with should cause you any troubles whatsoever.

3) Sometimes, if not though you always have GBAATM http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=99334 or the ability to grab the save from the miniSD and fire it through an emulator.

4) In production- probably the EZ4.
Out of production is a tough call- some of the late GBA era like the EZ3, the EZFA and EZ2 still fetch a decent price should they come up for sale, some of the GBA slot DS cards (the EZ4 was one of them) like some of the the M3 and G6 are quite nice but expensive too (not necessarily justifiably so either). Be careful when looking at DS era cards as there were often cheap models* made without decent GBA abilities (GBA hardware costs a bit and as a lot of people already had GBA cards and just needed a DS one.......) and avoid all supercards if you want decent GBA abilities.
Frankly though if you can not sort things with an EZ4 I would be shocked. Word of advice- get a miniSD and avoid those microSD to miniSD adapters. SDHC does not work.


*the EZ4 lite compact, m3 professional and I know I said no supercards but the supercard rumble.

 

[Splych]

thanks for the replies guys !
i guess my only real option is the EZ-Flash IV . it's about $30 at 0ShippingZone but is $60 at MyGamingMart . i guess saving $30 will be worth the long wait .

interesting note on the patches , and well , i have Pokemon Emerald , so i won't have to worry about needing a patch for that ! MiniSDs are rare . i can't seem to find them in my local computer store's site . what would be a downside if i got a MicroSD to MiniSD adapter or what advantages would i have for getting a MiniSD over an adapter ?

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

just buy one from a local electronics store, that way it is at least garenteed to work. Kingston carries a microSD kit that will have the mini and SD adapter in the plastic case. It should cost you about the equivalent of 10 bucks USA.

http://www.amazon.ca/Kingston-microSD-Adap...4792&sr=8-6

 

[Splych]

just buy one from a local electronics store, that way it is at least garenteed to work. Kingston carries a microSD kit that will have the mini and SD adapter in the plastic case. It should cost you about the equivalent of 10 bucks USA.

http://www.amazon.ca/Kingston-microSD-Adap...4792&sr=8-6

that's not the problem .
FAST said to get an actual MiniSD . not just the adapter .
they sell multiple brands over at my local computer store , just not an actual MiniSD that isn't just a MicroSD + Adapter .

 

[GreatCrippler]

alright i have lots of questions i've been wanting to ask soo . . .

- 1.if i wanted to link cable a legitimate game + a ROM in the flashcart, will it work?
- 2.are flashcarts capable of running games such as Pokemon, Fire Emblem and Golden Sun without a problem?
- 3.are cheats supported?
- 4.what's the top flashcart [in production flashcart + out of production flashcart]

there are lots of games for the GBA i've always wanted , but my local Gamestop stopped selling GBA games . i checked out eBay , and i am afraid that they may not be legitimate, they're too pricey or no one sells them .
Pokemon for one , is something i've been wanting to play . i only have my hands on Sapphire + Emerald , and i checked online for the others on the GBA and they're more expensive then i'd expect .

if anyone knows a site where i could buy GBA games , that'd be helpful as well . same goes for a site that sells a GBA flashcart as well !

games:
- Megaman Battlenetwork [series]
- Pokemon Ruby, FireRed, LeafGreen
- Fire Emblem [GBA series]
- Golden Sun [GBA series]

those are what i am looking for .

1.Yes, it will work. I tried link cable with my friend. My friend's is a legitimate game and mine is a flashcart.
2.Yes. I have Pokemon Fire Red on my EFA-Linker II,but I don't know if Pokemon, Fire Emblem, and Golden Sun will work on other flashcarts.
3.Maybe. I am using Game Shark for cheats, but don't use Game Shark if your GBA game isn't original.
4.That's the question I don't know.

I want an EFA Linker.

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

If you can get one, thats good, otherwise that would be what to look for.

 

[FAST6191]

I say stick with miniSD as most problems we see in this section and the EZFlash forums regarding EZ4s are to do with the awful detection and quality of most adapters. Some do work but most issues are immediately resolved upon someone finding a proper miniSD.

I tried to track down a miniSD around you and struck out... perhaps try a real world camera shop.

 

[DanTheManMS]

I vaguely remember something similar here in the Supercard world, where it was better to get a real miniSD card rather than a micro-to-mini adapter. However, this was back when you go just go out to your local electronics store and pick up a miniSD card without too much trouble.

 

[Splych]

ah , i see . i will keep a look out for them .
i guess with standard SD and MicroSD , MiniSD just lost it's place . not much stuff use it nowadays . . . anyway , thanks for the help ! i will add the EZ-Flash IV to the list of stuff i want .

thanks for the help again !

 

[Terminator02]

just did a quick search and found this
http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-TS2GSDM-Mi...3649&sr=8-5