Hacking GBA SP Flashcart

[n3rd]

Hi all, My Flash to Advance Ultra (yes I know no comment plz) lost always all the save and the sram test is ok it seem the battery has died and now I am seeking for a new good flashcart.

If you have any good advice

.

EZ III seem to be your preference, what about more recent cart (like G6) ?

I'm seeking a GBA flashcart who is running all game at full speed anytime (no slowdown) for this I think is better to take a flashcart with integrated memory. Don't like to seek for a specific microSD and praying is good. What do you think about ?

I don't seek for special features like compression or thing like this (GBA cart size are big enough)

If a cart can do instant save perfectly is good but if it do it one time over two i'm not interessed (I never activate the Diehard fonction of my old cart too buggy

)

Thx all for spending time helping a noob

 

[FAST6191]

SD cards are too slow to run GBA code so GBA stuff is copied to a seperate section before execution. It is for this reason that the supercard line is less than stellar with GBA stuff (they use some somewhat bad memory).
It is also for this reason that any card that works with the flashcart will have no bearing on GBA compatability, the only time you are really gambling is if you try and use some cheapo cards or known brands from ebay (often fake/rebadged cheapo cards).

Anyhow integrated memory cards do work and the EZ3 would serve your purposes as would the G6, both in my knowledge/experience have fine GBA support although their instant save maybe not all that it is cracked up to be, especially if you are coming from an emulator (still very nice though). They will however be far more expensive than their memory card using cousins.

You mentioned nothing of DS support but I will mention the trend is towards DSlite sized carts, a simple case swap means they work in the original DS and GBA lines.

 

[n3rd]

I don't seek a card with DS support this card is for my GBA SP, for my DS I wait flashcards with better compatibility

 

[Veho]

Why does it have to have built-in memory?

I would recommend the EZF4 or the M3, they are both excellent cards with 100% compatibility, both with GBA and DS games. But they are adapter-type cards, and don't have built-in memory.

EDIT: I see you want built-in memory because you think memory cards would be too slow. The M3 and EZF4 copy the game you want to play into RAM, and the GBA reads the game from the flashcard RAM, and you don't get slowdowns, regardless of the miniSD card speed.

 

[hariboo]

Hello I will also take into this.
I read that supercard is not a good choice for gBA
is the EZ flash 4 minisd with highspeed a good option
Has EZ flash 4 better memory then supercard ?

 

[Veho]

is the EZ flash 4 minisd with highspeed a good option
Has EZ flash 4 better memory then supercard ?

In short: yes and yes. The EZF4 is a very good choice, it has 100% compatibility, and it doesn't lag. And it's cheap, too.

 

[n3rd]

I'm not looking for a NDS compatible cartridge I just look for GBA and seem the EZF4 don't have RTC... Not a good choice for my needs

 

[-EX-]

Pokemans? Duh. Get EZ3 then.

 

[Veho]

I'm not looking for a NDS compatible cartridge I just look for GBA and seem the EZF4 don't have RTC... Not a good choice for my needs

You only need RTC for Pokemon, and you can patch your Pokemon ROM to change in-game time (and get the time-triggered stuff, like nighttime Pokemon and stuff like that), so the lack of RTC is only a semi-problem, not a full-blown issue

But if you really really really have to have RTC, go for the M3 miniSD. Best. Flashcard. Ever. 100% compatibility, RTC, movie player.

(Too bad it's so expensive

)

 

[jalaneme]

i too want a gba flash cart for only gba games don't bother getting the EZF III it's a very hard to find flash cart, instead check out the G6 lite!

http://www.modchipman.com/g6-lite-review-p-1150.html
http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=34239
http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=content&itemid=209

it has full 100% gba compatibility, it has DS support but you don't have to use it, it has a casing included so that you can fit it in a normal gba sp.

you can drag and drop gameboy original, sega master system, NES, turbografx, gameboy colour and game gear roms zipped, or unzipped, directly onto the cart without patching or emulators, it has a very nice menu, it has cheat support, it has a usb cable supplied and has save states & real time clock support support for pokemon games.

with this card you are not forced to use the DS part of it, it's optional if i decide to buy this card i will be using it for gba games only anyway, i'm not interested in playing movies on a gba flash cart

, i have a divx player & a 32" TV for that kind of thing.

the EZF4 is very small limited space to only put 1 rom, complete crap and the gba support is very bad anyway so it's not worth it.

the G6 lite dosn't need a micro SD, it has inbuilt on board memory, so no problems there, imo it's a great choice to get the G6 it has everything i need gba wise, i really want to buy one soon as i have a very old gba flash cart that will probably die out one day so it's best to buy it sooner or later as gba flash carts will be phased out for make way for DS slot 1 flash carts.

 

[Harsky]

I'm tempted to get a seperate flash cart for GBA play. Yes, I know I could've just stuck with my M3 CF ever since I got the R4, it's now being retired (or put up for sale here) because the size of the thing is just silly. BUt I do miss the GBA part of it even if in a few years I'll look on GBA games in the same way I did with GB games when I got the GBA.

Wish there was still some stores that still stocks GBA flashcarts that cost more than a NDS flash cart

 

[jalaneme]

I'm tempted to get a seperate flash cart for GBA play. Yes, I know I could've just stuck with my M3 CF ever since I got the R4, it's now being retired (or put up for sale here) because the size of the thing is just silly. BUt I do miss the GBA part of it even if in a few years I'll look on GBA games in the same way I did with GB games when I got the GBA.

Wish there was still some stores that still stocks GBA flashcarts that cost more than a NDS flash cart

i know, tell me about it, the G6 lite costs $99.99 at some places!!! but i can get it for £55.

 

[Harsky]

I'm tempted to get a seperate flash cart for GBA play. Yes, I know I could've just stuck with my M3 CF ever since I got the R4, it's now being retired (or put up for sale here) because the size of the thing is just silly. BUt I do miss the GBA part of it even if in a few years I'll look on GBA games in the same way I did with GB games when I got the GBA.

Wish there was still some stores that still stocks GBA flashcarts that cost more than a NDS flash cart


i know, tell me about it, the G6 lite costs $99.99 at some places!!! but i can get it for £55, i don't know how much that translates in USA dollars though.

I think paying £55 for the G6 Lite when all I'm essentially going to be using it for is just GBA play is a bit too much. Okay, maybe if my R4 breaks down then I can use it as a backup (ha ha) device. But if that's that case I might as well have just bought the G6 Lite in the first place instead.

Oh and I would kill for one of these instead of getting a F2A Ultra

http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=28491

I really hated my F2A Ultra....

 

[jalaneme]

I'm tempted to get a seperate flash cart for GBA play. Yes, I know I could've just stuck with my M3 CF ever since I got the R4, it's now being retired (or put up for sale here) because the size of the thing is just silly. BUt I do miss the GBA part of it even if in a few years I'll look on GBA games in the same way I did with GB games when I got the GBA.

Wish there was still some stores that still stocks GBA flashcarts that cost more than a NDS flash cart


i know, tell me about it, the G6 lite costs $99.99 at some places!!! but i can get it for £55, i don't know how much that translates in USA dollars though.

I think paying £55 for the G6 Lite when all I'm essentially going to be using it for is just GBA play is a bit too much. Okay, maybe if my R4 breaks down then I can use it as a backup (ha ha) device. But if that's that case I might as well have just bought the G6 Lite in the first place instead.

Oh and I would kill for one of these instead of getting a F2A Ultra

http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=28491

I really hated my F2A Ultra....

i was thinking about getting that card at some point but the compatibility is not very good compared to other flash carts

edit: i must have mistaken it for another flash cart because i can't find it, oh well.

and i don't think the price is that bad for what you get, you can do quite a lot with the G6 lite.

 

[Veho]

the EZF4 is very small limited space to only put 1 rom, complete crap and the gba support is very bad anyway so it's not worth it.

the G6 lite dosn't need a micro SD, it has inbuilt on board memory

The EZF4 has the best GBA compatibility out there. And a 512MB miniSD card can fit at least 40 GBA ROMs, for example. And there are 2GB miniSD cards out there, if 40 games at once isn't enough.

And the trouble with built-in memory is that it's fixed, can't be replaced, or expanded if you decide you need more.

 

[FAST6191]

I have no intention of getting involved in a flame war with you jalaneme but might I suggest you make sure what you are posting is accurate, especially if it is quite so polarised.
Oh and £55 is about $100 US today, good price for Europe I guess (normally things are more expensive here) though. Still a huge amount compared to the $60 you can spend and walk away with an external memory device and memory though.

@hariboo you can use a junk mini/microSD card for GBA (and most DS) but I do suggest gettting a halfway decent card as cheap stuff has been known to cause issues (it is usually only a few pounds/dollars/euros/whatever more).

@n3rd As everyone says it is only pokemon and boktai/solar boy django that use RTC (actually the recent meteos title may as well) and they can be patched to be like veho described.

Also to my knowledge no card supports the Classic Nes series but HVCA and pocketnes (as well as DS code emus) do a far better job.

@Harsky I have never seen one but the EFAII has been widely panned by a fair few sites/individuals.

 

[jalaneme]

the EZF4 is very small limited space to only put 1 rom, complete crap and the gba support is very bad anyway so it's not worth it.

the G6 lite doesn't need a micro SD, it has inbuilt on board memory

The EZF4 has the best GBA compatibility out there. And a 512MB miniSD card can fit at least 40 GBA ROMs, for example. And there are 2GB miniSD cards out there, if 40 games at once isn't enough.

And the trouble with built-in memory is that it's fixed, can't be replaced, or expanded if you decide you need more.



i thorght he was talking about this flash cart

i guess i got mixed up with the numbers, i couldn't cares less if the G6 lite didn't have expanded memory, 512 is more than enough for me, my current flash cart is only 256m and i'm happy with it, i don't need to play so many roms at once, the G6 lite has way more options than than this card located here

the EZ-Flash 4 has no real time clock, the G6 lite has it, you have to buy a mini SD separately which will cost you more money on top of buying the flash cart itself, the G6 lite has more than enough data for gba roms alone. the G6 lite supports gameboy colour and original roms master system turbografx and game gear roms DIRECTLY to the flash cart, the G6 lite also supports ips patching. i would rather spend my cash on a flash cart that works properly with gba games and has extra features as a bonus instead of buying a flash cart that makes gba support second place and DS compatibility it's first priority.

QUOTE(FAST6191 @ Mar 15 2007, 03:44 PM)I have no intention of getting involved in a flame war with you jalaneme but might I suggest you make sure what you are posting is accurate, especially if it is quite so polarised.
Oh and £55 is about $100 US today, good price for Europe I guess (normally things are more expensive here) though. Still a huge amount compared to the $60 you can spend and walk away with an external memory device and memory though.

@hariboo you can use a junk mini/microSD card for GBA (and most DS) but I do suggest gettting a halfway decent card as cheap stuff has been known to cause issues (it is usually only a few pounds/dollars/euros/whatever more).

@n3rd As everyone says it is only pokemon and boktai/solar boy django that use RTC (actually the recent meteos title may as well) and they can be patched to be like veho described.

Also to my knowledge no card supports the Classic Nes series but HVCA and pocketnes (as well as DS code emus) do a far better job.

@Harsky I have never seen one but the EFAII has been widely panned by a fair few sites/individuals.

well i can see you are the one trying to start the flame war, i'm just giving the facts to what i have found out about what is available and the best flash cart for the gba, i don't see why it's necessary in my eyes to by a flash cart and then have to buy expandable memory on top of that, now that is EXCESSIVE and real time clock is needed for pokemon games so it's a must for me and the original poster did say that he wanted memory built in he said he was going to use it in his gba sp so DS support won't be needed, i too was looking at a EZ-Flash III and i know what he wants in a gba flash cart, because that is exactly what i wanted when i was looking for a gba flash cart, but as the EZ-Flash III is very hard to get the G6 is the only flash cart that is similar to the EZ-Flash III (which also has support for other type of roms e.t.c)

the only flash cart that supports classic NES directly is this flash cart located here:

http://www.64scener.com/gba/ezfa3.htm

but this flash cart you can no longer buy anymore, i have no idea if there is any other flash carts that can boot classic nes gba games, and even then if you brought a G6 lite would wouldn't need the classic nes games anyway.

 

[n3rd]

oki oki Thx all

)

Just thinking there are now many good flashcard

)
I remind G6 lite and EZFA3

 

[dbgtdob]

the EZF4 is very small limited space to only put 1 rom, complete crap and the gba support is very bad anyway so it's not worth it.

the G6 lite doesn't need a micro SD, it has inbuilt on board memory

The EZF4 has the best GBA compatibility out there. And a 512MB miniSD card can fit at least 40 GBA ROMs, for example. And there are 2GB miniSD cards out there, if 40 games at once isn't enough.

And the trouble with built-in memory is that it's fixed, can't be replaced, or expanded if you decide you need more.



i thorght he was talking about this flash cart

i guess i got mixed up with the numbers, i couldn't cares less if the G6 lite didn't have expanded memory, 512 is more than enough for me, my current flash cart is only 256m and i'm happy with it, i don't need to play so many roms at once, the G6 lite has way more options than than this card located here

the EZ-Flash 4 has no real time clock, the G6 lite has it, you have to buy a mini SD separately which will cost you more money on top of buying the flash cart itself, the G6 lite has more than enough data for gba roms alone. the G6 lite supports gameboy colour and original roms master system turbografx and game gear roms DIRECTLY to the flash cart, the G6 lite also supports ips patching. i would rather spend my cash on a flash cart that works properly with gba games and has extra features as a bonus instead of buying a flash cart that makes gba support second place and DS compatibility it's first priority.

I have no intention of getting involved in a flame war with you jalaneme but might I suggest you make sure what you are posting is accurate, especially if it is quite so polarised.
Oh and £55 is about $100 US today, good price for Europe I guess (normally things are more expensive here) though. Still a huge amount compared to the $60 you can spend and walk away with an external memory device and memory though.

@hariboo you can use a junk mini/microSD card for GBA (and most DS) but I do suggest gettting a halfway decent card as cheap stuff has been known to cause issues (it is usually only a few pounds/dollars/euros/whatever more).

@n3rd As everyone says it is only pokemon and boktai/solar boy django that use RTC (actually the recent meteos title may as well) and they can be patched to be like veho described.

Also to my knowledge no card supports the Classic Nes series but HVCA and pocketnes (as well as DS code emus) do a far better job.

@Harsky I have never seen one but the EFAII has been widely panned by a fair few sites/individuals.

well i can see you are the one trying to start the flame war, i'm just giving the facts to what i have found out about what is available and the best flash cart for the gba, i don't see why it's necessary in my eyes to by a flash cart and then have to buy expandable memory on top of that, now that is EXCESSIVE and real time clock is needed for pokemon games so it's a must for me and the original poster did say that he wanted memory built in he said he was going to use it in his gba sp so DS support won't be needed, i too was looking at a EZ-Flash III and i know what he wants in a gba flash cart, because that is exactly what i wanted when i was looking for a gba flash cart, but as the EZ-Flash III is very hard to get the G6 is the only flash cart that is similar to the EZ-Flash III (which also has support for other type of roms e.t.c)

the only flash cart that supports classic NES directly is this flash cart located here:

http://www.64scener.com/gba/ezfa3.htm

but this flash cart you can no longer buy anymore, i have no idea if there is any other flash carts that can boot classic nes gba games, and even then if you brought a G6 lite would wouldn't need the classic nes games anyway.

actually you flame in alot of threads about ez flash lol, from my opinoion anyway, and the ez flash is a great gba flash cart, granted iv compact and deluxe have problems, but the the other 2 ez flash iv's work great lol yes there are 4 different brands of ez flash iv, and the G6 is very expensive although it works great, so if you are strapped for cash there are tons of gba cartidges that work really great.

 

[Veho]

the EZ-Flash 4 has no real time clock, the G6 lite has it, you have to buy a mini SD separately which will cost you more money on top of buying the flash cart itself
Yes, a miniSD card will cost you some extra money. But you can get the EZF4 with a 512 MB miniSD card for $55, while a G6 with 512MB costs $85. As for the Real Time Clock, only Pokemon use it. And if playing Pokemon without having to patch them twice during the gameplay is so important, you can buy every Pokemon GBA game that actually uses RTC for that price difference.

QUOTE(jalaneme @ Mar 15 2007, 07:33 PM)i would rather spend my cash on a flash cart that works properly with gba games and has extra features as a bonus instead of buying a flash cart that makes gba support second place and DS compatibility it's first priority.

True, true. But the EZF4 is a GBA card first, and DS second, and has 100% GBA compatibility, without lags or glitches or problems. That argument doesn't apply to it.