Hacking M3 DS Real GBA Questions.

[MrGoomba]

I am having a difficult time finding any official spec sheet on the GBA Expansion of the M3DS-R. I have a couple questions, some of which I asked in a review topic, but instead of hijacking that topic (and so others can find the same info) I figured I would ask in a separate topic.

1. Is the GBA Expansion memory volatile or NOR like the 3 in 1?

2. I have read that GBA support is buggy, but cannot find anything concrete except some complaints about real-time-save (which I dont care about). Is this the only GBA issue?

3. I understand that the GBA Expansion saves to a battery, and backs that save up on reboot. Is there a way to force that save to backup without rebooting? (I.E. a 'Save' button combination)

4. Does the GBA Expansion use raw '.sav' files that are compatible with VGBA or Supercard? (I.E. can I use my Supercard SD GBA saves on the M3DS-R GBA Expansion without conversion?)

5. Is GBA support fullspeed? My Supercard SD runs many games (Final Fantasy VI, FFTA, Megaman Zero, etc...) much slower then the actual cart would run them.

 

[sibio]

I am wondering the same things myself!
Nearly no one cares about the GBA support I assume...
Let's hope that your (and mine) questions will be answered here!

 

[Maikel Steneker]

I am wondering the same things myself!
Nearly no one cares about the GBA support I assume...
Let's hope that your (and mine) questions will be answered here!

I certainly do!

I´ll receive my M3 Real in abouttwo weeks. When I get it I´ll test how good the GBA support is. If I don´t I probably forgot about this topic. In that case you can PM me

 

[sibio]

I am wondering the same things myself!
Nearly no one cares about the GBA support I assume...
Let's hope that your (and mine) questions will be answered here!

I certainly do!

I´ll receive my M3 Real in abouttwo weeks. When I get it I´ll test how good the GBA support is. If I don´t I probably forgot about this topic. In that case you can PM me

Thanks, you are my savior! I really need to decide between M3DS real perfect bundle (with GBA support) or EZ Flash 3-in-1.
I need the slot-2 cart for the great GBA games and to use the slot-1/slot-2 link functions in games like Super Robot Wars W and Pokemon!
It's a shame that every review (that I read) of the M3DS real barely mentions the GBA functionalities...

 

[Maikel Steneker]

I am wondering the same things myself!
Nearly no one cares about the GBA support I assume...
Let's hope that your (and mine) questions will be answered here!

I certainly do!

I´ll receive my M3 Real in abouttwo weeks. When I get it I´ll test how good the GBA support is. If I don´t I probably forgot about this topic. In that case you can PM me

Thanks, you are my savior! I really need to decide between M3DS real perfect bundle (with GBA support) or EZ Flash 3-in-1.
I need the slot-2 cart for the great GBA games and to use the slot-1/slot-2 link functions in games like Super Robot Wars W and Pokemon!
It's a shame that every review (that I read) of the M3DS real barely mentions the GBA functionalities...

I think that's because the M3 Real has just been released. Professional sites like GBAtemp will take their time to write a review. In it, they'll at least mention the quality of the GBA support.

I'll probably write a review myself, but I might not translate it in English (I'm Dutch and I'm moderator of a Dutch site, so the review will be in Dutch too).

 

[iritegood]

I am wondering the same things myself!
Nearly no one cares about the GBA support I assume...
Let's hope that your (and mine) questions will be answered here!

I certainly do!

I´ll receive my M3 Real in abouttwo weeks. When I get it I´ll test how good the GBA support is. If I don´t I probably forgot about this topic. In that case you can PM me

Thanks, you are my savior! I really need to decide between M3DS real perfect bundle (with GBA support) or EZ Flash 3-in-1.
I need the slot-2 cart for the great GBA games and to use the slot-1/slot-2 link functions in games like Super Robot Wars W and Pokemon!
It's a shame that every review (that I read) of the M3DS real barely mentions the GBA functionalities...

I was also wondering if the one-click ease GBA functions were compatible with other expansion packs (3-in-1/ewin). Can someone with a M3 answer this?

And also (slightly off topic) where can you find a perfect bundle? I only found one site with the perfect bundle and it was about $65 plus shipping. $30 just for the expansion and rumble packs seem a bit much.

 

[Maikel Steneker]

I was also wondering if the one-click ease GBA functions were compatible with other expansion packs (3-in-1/ewin). Can someone with a M3 answer this?AFAIK they aren't. Someone tested it with some cards. I don't know where he posted, but all non-M3 cards weren't recognized except for the SuperCard. But the SuperCard gave two white screens.

And also (slightly off topic) where can you find a perfect bundle? I only found one site with the perfect bundle and it was about $65 plus shipping. $30 just for the expansion and rumble packs seem a bit much.

They're almost rare at the moment. I would just wait for a while if you want it.

Edit: you might want to take a look at this: http://www.gameyeeeah.com/m3-perfect-m3ds-real-c-21_66.html
Also:
QUOTE(Costello @ Nov 5 2007, 12:56 PM)If you wish to order from GameYeeeah.com, you may use the following coupon codes:



Code: GBATEMP
5% off R4 DS, Supercard, and M3 DS Real !

Code: www.gbatemp.net
3% off all products!


Enjoy!

 

[MrGoomba]

I´ll receive my M3 Real in abouttwo weeks. When I get it I´ll test how good the GBA support is. If I don´t I probably forgot about this topic. In that case you can PM me

As much as I appreciate your gesture, it will be too late for me. I must order my new cart by Friday morning and have to make a decision by then. If I cannot get any concrete information on GBA support, then I will have to look for a cart that does have this information.

 

[Maikel Steneker]

I´ll receive my M3 Real in abouttwo weeks. When I get it I´ll test how good the GBA support is. If I don´t I probably forgot about this topic. In that case you can PM me

As much as I appreciate your gesture, it will be too late for me. I must order my new cart by Friday morning and have to make a decision by then. If I cannot get any concrete information on GBA support, then I will have to look for a cart that does have this information.


Then we'll have to wait for someone who can test this or for a review. I'll keep you updated, but I don't think I can get any information for you.

Edit: someone PMed me this though:

GBA is wel mooi gedaan met real time save enzo, enkel spijtig dat je telkens de gba naar je expansie pak moet flashen.

In English it says:
QUOTE

They've done a nice job on the GBA feature, and realtime saving works like a charm. I don't like the fact that you have to flash a GBA rom everytime you want to play it.

So it seems to be good

 

[MrGoomba]

The fact that you have to 'flash' every time, hopefully means that its volatile memory that doesn't have limited write cycles like the NOR does.

If you're someone who is indecisive (like me) and tends to switch games around a lot, spending 1-2 minutes per switch (like you would do with a NOR based cart like the 3-in-1) is no fun.

 

[Destructobot]

If it was NOR you wouldn't need to flash the game every time you play it, only when you want to play a different game.

The 3-in-1 has both NOR and volatile memory BTW. GBA games can be run from either.

 

[Maikel Steneker]

The fact that you have to 'flash' every time, hopefully means that its volatile memory that doesn't have limited write cycles like the NOR does.

If you're someone who is indecisive (like me) and tends to switch games around a lot, spending 1-2 minutes per switch (like you would do with a NOR based cart like the 3-in-1) is no fun.

If it was NOR you wouldn't need to flash the game every time you play it, only when you want to play a different game.

The 3-in-1 has both NOR and volatile memory BTW. GBA games can be run from either.

He means that you can't flash a game to some kind of NOR because the M3 Real Expansion Pack hasn't got such a thing.

The 3 in 1 can indeed run GBA games from both memories, but personally I think the M3 Real way is better. When using the RAM of the 3 in 1 you can only use games of 16 MB.

NOR would be a nice extra, but I probably wouldn't use it.

 

[sibio]

The fact that you have to 'flash' every time, hopefully means that its volatile memory that doesn't have limited write cycles like the NOR does.

If you're someone who is indecisive (like me) and tends to switch games around a lot, spending 1-2 minutes per switch (like you would do with a NOR based cart like the 3-in-1) is no fun.

If it was NOR you wouldn't need to flash the game every time you play it, only when you want to play a different game.

The 3-in-1 has both NOR and volatile memory BTW. GBA games can be run from either.

He means that you can't flash a game to some kind of NOR because the M3 Real Expansion Pack hasn't got such a thing.

The 3 in 1 can indeed run GBA games from both memories, but personally I think the M3 Real way is better. When using the RAM of the 3 in 1 you can only use games of 16 MB.

NOR would be a nice extra, but I probably wouldn't use it.

So I can't exploit the GBA/DS link feature if the DS cart is original...?
Or is there a way to link the M3 real slot 2 cart to the original genuine DS game? I'm talking about Super Robot Wars W, Pokemon Diamond; I have the original games and I'd like to get the bonuses from the DS/GBA slots link without restarting the playthrough (I'm halfway in both games).
But how does the GBA/DS link feature work in the first place with M3DS real?
thanks in advance to anyone who answers!

 

[Maikel Steneker]

The fact that you have to 'flash' every time, hopefully means that its volatile memory that doesn't have limited write cycles like the NOR does.

If you're someone who is indecisive (like me) and tends to switch games around a lot, spending 1-2 minutes per switch (like you would do with a NOR based cart like the 3-in-1) is no fun.

If it was NOR you wouldn't need to flash the game every time you play it, only when you want to play a different game.

The 3-in-1 has both NOR and volatile memory BTW. GBA games can be run from either.

He means that you can't flash a game to some kind of NOR because the M3 Real Expansion Pack hasn't got such a thing.

The 3 in 1 can indeed run GBA games from both memories, but personally I think the M3 Real way is better. When using the RAM of the 3 in 1 you can only use games of 16 MB.

NOR would be a nice extra, but I probably wouldn't use it.

So I can't exploit the GBA/DS link feature if the DS cart is original...?
Or is there a way to link the M3 real slot 2 cart to the original genuine DS game? I'm talking about Super Robot Wars W, Pokemon Diamond; I have the original games and I'd like to get the bonuses from the DS/GBA slots link without restarting the playthrough (I'm halfway in both games).
But how does the GBA/DS link feature work in the first place with M3DS real?
thanks in advance to anyone who answers!

I don't know how the M3 Real handles it, but I do know that it's impossible to use a Slot-2 flashcart to link with an original game.

About restarting the game: you can use Rudolphs save tool (or whatever it's called) to copy the save from your flashcart to the original game and the other way around.

 

[MrGoomba]

The 3-in-1 has both NOR and volatile memory BTW. GBA games can be run from either.

Some games can be run from either, but the volatile memory on the 3-in-1 isnt big enough to hold many games.

The NOR is honestly a big turn off, and any company that would make such a choice isnt on the same page as me, which is one of the reasons I am looking at the M3.

 

[Destructobot]

The 3-in-1 has both NOR and volatile memory BTW. GBA games can be run from either.Some games can be run from either, but the volatile memory on the 3-in-1 isnt big enough to hold many games.

There are only a handful of games that big. The only ones I know of that anyone would care about are Kingdom Hearts, Riviera, and Ygddra Union (or whatever it's called). Most are just those stupid nicktoons videos.

 

[sibio]

I don't know how the M3 Real handles it, but I do know that it's impossible to use a Slot-2 flashcart to link with an original game.

About restarting the game: you can use Rudolphs save tool (or whatever it's called) to copy the save from your flashcart to the original game and the other way around.

Hmm, I thought it could be done with the NOR mode of the 3-in-1 but it seems that I'm totally wrong. I'll try to understand how this tool works as soon as I get a slot-2 cart (currently I own an R4 alone).
Thanks

 

[I-Iybr1d]

Maybe i can help...

Ive bought mine a few days ago and ive been using the M3DS Real perfect bundle (rumble + GBA expansion) for 3 days now, and gba loads just perfectly, fast and flawless.

The main problem is, i cant save! Neither the normal save or even the Savestate works and ive been unable to use the nds slow speed key as well...

I dunno is it is anything to do with the firmware or even the card who is difective but im getting pretty bored about this...

I will be doing more tests and i will keep you guys posted if i found anything that might help...

 

[I-Iybr1d]

Almost forgot about awnsering the questions...

1. Is the GBA Expansion memory volatile or NOR like the 3 in 1?

Yes, its volatile but it doesnt matter since it loads pretty darn fast...


2. I have read that GBA support is buggy, but cannot find anything concrete except some complaints about real-time-save (which I dont care about). Is this the only GBA issue?

GBA support is 100% perfect (every single one works) but the saves are getting on my nerves right now...


3. I understand that the GBA Expansion saves to a battery, and backs that save up on reboot. Is there a way to force that save to backup without rebooting? (I.E. a 'Save' button combination)

It does? i didnt know about that, but since ive got 2 batteries, i dont really care about it (but it seens that it doesnt take much power either).


4. Does the GBA Expansion use raw '.sav' files that are compatible with VGBA or Supercard? (I.E. can I use my Supercard SD GBA saves on the M3DS-R GBA Expansion without conversion?)

GBA uses .0 and .is0 saves (the nds saves can be just renamed, dunno about the gba ones) but a save converter is available


5. Is GBA support fullspeed? My Supercard SD runs many games (Final Fantasy VI, FFTA, Megaman Zero, etc...) much slower then the actual cart would run them.

Once again, 100% perfectly, no slowdows whatsoever ^^

 

[MrGoomba]

3. I understand that the GBA Expansion saves to a battery, and backs that save up on reboot. Is there a way to force that save to backup without rebooting? (I.E. a 'Save' button combination)

It does? i didnt know about that, but since ive got 2 batteries, i dont really care about it (but it seens that it doesnt take much power either).
Sorry I worded it a bit wrong, It doesnt exactly save to a battery, it saves to SRAM which is volatile memory, as such needs constant juice from the internal battery in the expansion cart to save.

If that battery were to die (as they all do in time), no GBA games would be able to save. Well, thats not true, they would save, but a few seconds after you turn off the system they would be wiped.

QUOTE1. Is the GBA Expansion memory volatile or NOR like the 3 in 1?

Yes, its volatile but it doesnt matter since it loads pretty darn fast...

Volatile memory is a good thing. NOR is very slow and has write cycles limited to as little as 10,000 writes for the life of the device.

I asked if it was volatile because I much prefer it. Not only do I not like devices with extremely limited write cycles (even if I probably wont reach that limit) but I also change games very often, so 1-2 mins to change games (like the 3-in-1 has) is just not good for me.

I just ordered a M3 DS Real + GBA Expansion from realhotstuff, as it looks like the best Slot1&2 solution, hopefully it wont disappoint like the Supercard SD did.