Hacking What to Buy?

[Jmclark]

Well, I just recently got a GBA from a friend who didn't want it anymore. I was looking into buying some games, but they are way to overpriced. So, I decided to come here and look at info about flashcarts. They seem like a good idea, I just don't know what one to get.

I'm somewhat on a budget, and I don't really need all kinds of games with me at once. Between two and five would be good. Also, I have a normal Game Boy Advance, manufactured in 2000. (if that matters)

So, what would be the best option for me?

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

There are several topics listed if you scroll down.

The remaining prevailant gba flashcart is the EZ-IV.
http://www.realhotstuff.com/ezflash-size-p-294.html

It is a USA retailer, so shipping will be fast.

The other flashcart is the M3 perfect, which cost $65 and hard to find for less.

 

[Jmclark]

Okay, first off, sorry for taking so long. I kinda forgot about this thread lol.

So I'm looking at this right now, and I had a few questions, since I'm a complete flashcart noob.

1) Do you NEED a MicroSD card? If not, how many games can it hold without one.
2) Can it play GB/GBC games?
3) Will this work with my GBA? It says it was manufactured in 2000, so I'm guessing it was one of the early ones.

 

[velocity37]

1. You need a MiniSD card (or MicroSD with MiniSD adapter.) The max you can store is ~98 games, since there is a file limit per folder and the EZ4 stores all saves in a saver folder.

2. Yes, via emulation (Goomba). Color emulation is far from perfect, but regular gameboy is extremely good. You can download it and give it a shot in an emulator if you'd like.

3. It should work with all GBAs, so yes.

The only other thing of note is that it's extremely difficult to remove the MiniSD card. That's the biggest con, really, besides the game limit. 16MB and under games will load quick, but 32MB games have to be loaded to the NOR. This will take a few minutes, but you only have to do this once for a game, and after that it will load instantaneously.

Also, if you're not in a hurry (I suspect you aren't, as you forgot about this thread for almost a month) you can save yourself ten bucks and buy the cart from DealExtreme. Shipping will take a few weeks, but the price is nice.

So basically, get: EZ-Flash IV ($24.82), MicroSD reader ($0.98). and a 2GB MicroSD with adapter ($7.79). You'll be all set for about $34.