12 replies to this topic

[retrogamer73]

I've been interested in Gameboy/Color/Advance flash carts, and have been having trouble finding them. Are there any good trustworthy sites that someone on here has bought one from. I was wanting one like the Powerpak, that will let you store several roms at once. Are there any like that? and if so where would I buy from?

Edited by retrogamer73, Wed Feb 8, 2012 12:59 PM.

[Reaperman]

The best GBA flashcart I've seen available lately is the EzFlash IV. Ndscardsale.com still sells them (under DS flash carts).

EzFlash IV has a few weaknesses, like not supporting 256mbit roms and lack of rtc, but is overall one of the better cards for the system--especially since the M3 family is no longer available. It won't do b/w or color games in 'legacy GB mode,' however GBA does have software emulators for them in GBA mode.

More primative cards (no sd storage) can be combined with a device called a gb-bridge (good luck finding one these days) to provide full legacy gb support. Occasionally I see those primative gba cards still, but not the bridge.

Finally there have been a few gb/gbc flash cards recently, but they're mostly for music and lack the storage to hold the largest commercial gbc games.

[wood_jl]

This is just opinion, but.....

The "M3 DS Real Perfect Bundle" (what a name) is for the DS Lite. It's the best "Gameboy-type" flashcart around. Not only DS, but GBA ROMs, obviously. But the emulator runs original Gameboy and Gameboy Color games, and you can increase the screen size to touch the sides of the DS Lite screen, making the game MUCH more visible. I love it! The emulator will also display Super Game Boy enhancements right on the DS screen - the borders, etc. It's great!!

I got mine from Dealextreme, back when they used to sell them. Anybody know where these are still selling, if at all? Getting one of these and a DS Lite is like a Gameboy-lover's dream.

[Drixxel]

Reaperman, on Wed Feb 8, 2012 1:37 PM, said:

Finally there have been a few gb/gbc flash cards recently, but they're mostly for music and lack the storage to hold the largest commercial gbc games.

The one that comes immediately to mind in this category is the USB 64M Smart Card and it definitely has its quirks. Low storage capacity, weird compatibility issues, questionable build quality, only one save file stored on the cart at a time, the need to use proprietary software to manage files... That being said, it does work if all you want is to play non-emulated GB/GBC ROMs on the Game Boy of your choice and you're willing to jump through some hoops to do so. I bought it as a gift for a friend and felt like a bit of a jerk having to explain the baggage this thing comes with.

[gliptitude]

Reaperman, on Wed Feb 8, 2012 1:37 PM, said:

EzFlash IV has a few weaknesses, like not supporting 256mbit roms and lack of rtc, but is overall one of the better cards for the system--especially since the M3 family is no longer available. It won't do b/w or color games in 'legacy GB mode,' however GBA does have software emulators for them in GBA mode.

What exactly does it mean to support or not support "256mbit roms"? I have an EFA gba flash cart that I bought years ago, but it no longer connects through the USB port, so I'm stuck with the last stuff I wrote to it. I seem to remember "256" appearing often when I was writing files to it in the past. Mainly trying to run the various emulators. Can I do this on the EZflash IV?

[goldenegg]

gliptitude, on Tue May 15, 2012 10:14 PM, said:

What exactly does it mean to support or not support "256mbit roms"? I have an EFA gba flash cart that I bought years ago, but it no longer connects through the USB port, so I'm stuck with the last stuff I wrote to it. I seem to remember "256" appearing often when I was writing files to it in the past. Mainly trying to run the various emulators. Can I do this on the EZflash IV?

It's referring to the maximum ROM size supported by the cart. Basically it means that you can't run games which are 32MB (256mb = 32MB) in size.

[godslabrat]

I look into this every now and again. I've often wanted something to tinker with creating GB/GBC romhacks and homebrews, but I usually don't get too far into the buying process. It seems most of the good GB/GBC flashcarts are out of production, stupidly expensive, and/or require tons of hardware/software I don't have. Looks like the time to get in on that game was about 15 years ago... :-/

[PFL]

^
You can always get an EZ-Flash IV and use GB/GBC emulation (the best one is called Goomba). That's how I try out the ROM hacks. The emulation is surprisingly accurate and does feel like your playing on the real harware.

If anyone's looking for respectable sellers I'd recommend popping over to GBATemp and look at the sponsors or follow the Shoptemp link. There are lots of places to buy eg/ Kicktrading and Deal Extreme...

[gliptitude]

godslabrat, on Wed May 16, 2012 12:36 AM, said:

I look into this every now and again. I've often wanted something to tinker with creating GB/GBC romhacks and homebrews, but I usually don't get too far into the buying process. It seems most of the good GB/GBC flashcarts are out of production, stupidly expensive, and/or require tons of hardware/software I don't have. Looks like the time to get in on that game was about 15 years ago... :-/

This looks current and reliable:

http://r4-3.com/ez-f...-lite-p-19.html

At $38 including shipping that's about half what I paid 6 years ago for a GBA flash cart that stopped working after a year or two.

[Austin]

Has anyone been able to confirm if these GBA flash carts work on the Game Cube Game Boy Player?

[PFL]

Yes they do. I do most of my gaming using EZ-Flash IV. I play GBA games as well as, through emulation, GB/GBC, NES, SMS & Game Gear!

I use my GBA needs and the GB Player on my CRT at home and have never come across any compatibility issues. After all, the GB Player is basically a GBA without a screen...

[godslabrat]

gliptitude, on Wed May 16, 2012 4:54 PM, said:

godslabrat, on Wed May 16, 2012 12:36 AM, said:

I look into this every now and again. I've often wanted something to tinker with creating GB/GBC romhacks and homebrews, but I usually don't get too far into the buying process. It seems most of the good GB/GBC flashcarts are out of production, stupidly expensive, and/or require tons of hardware/software I don't have. Looks like the time to get in on that game was about 15 years ago... :-/

This looks current and reliable:

http://r4-3.com/ez-f...-lite-p-19.html

At $38 including shipping that's about half what I paid 6 years ago for a GBA flash cart that stopped working after a year or two.

I was actually thinking of something that would work in an original Gameboy... but that's not a bad price at all! :-)

[goldenegg]

You have to be careful when buying the EZ-Flash IV. There are so many fake carts flooding the market, that even reputable vendors are getting duped. I still haven't figured out how to tell the carts apart yet.