Tanooki Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 2 hours ago, Austin said: I just bought a MegaSG and it should be arriving Tuesday, so I foresee plenty of Genesis in the near future. Fitting, as it should balance out the Super Nintendo binges I've been going on. Welcome to the club that thing is on par amazing with the Super NT. The only odd difference I noticed, you can't cheat and swap carts when the power is on, unless that's part of the jailbreak I've not applied yet?? SNT I can fire up either Turrican, pull cart, pop in other, return to menu and enter cart. I try that on the Mega is just sticks to a black screen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Pendleton Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 Yeah, you are not supposed to insert or remove carts on any of the Analogue systems with the power on. The only exception is the Pocket. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roots.genoa Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 And it's a bit annoying when you're used to the Pocket, because Mega Sg's powering on is so slooooooooooooow in comparison. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Pendleton Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 (edited) 6 hours ago, roots.genoa said: And it's a bit annoying when you're used to the Pocket, because Mega Sg's powering on is so slooooooooooooow in comparison. ? It actually powers on basically instantly, but it has an adjustable thingy that is there to allow your display time to get the signal. You can set it to be practically instant, but it takes a while by default because apparently some modern HDMI displays will freak out if you don't give them enough time to process the signal first or something like that, although I'm not sure exactly how this works or why it is this way. Edited May 8, 2022 by Steven Pendleton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roots.genoa Posted May 8, 2022 Share Posted May 8, 2022 Oh didn't know that, thanks. Every time I think it's over the logo does an extra round! ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 23 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said: Yeah, you are not supposed to insert or remove carts on any of the Analogue systems with the power on. The only exception is the Pocket. Damnit seriously... I had no idea that wasn't allowed because I had been bypassing it loading up Turrican on the SNT, tried it with hardcore on the MG and it didn't work, so I was thinking maybe it's the jailbreak I haven't applied. I guess I'll tolerate the load up gap, not the worst thing, just was hoping to save it being hit with juice each game I swap out. My system I just disabled the logo to straight to the menu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Pendleton Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 6 minutes ago, Tanooki said: Damnit seriously... I had no idea that wasn't allowed because I had been bypassing it loading up Turrican on the SNT, tried it with hardcore on the MG and it didn't work, so I was thinking maybe it's the jailbreak I haven't applied. I guess I'll tolerate the load up gap, not the worst thing, just was hoping to save it being hit with juice each game I swap out. My system I just disabled the logo to straight to the menu. Yeah, aside from the Pocket, they all function the same way the real versions of the systems do: power on before inserting/removing cart = not good. I did it a few times myself before I read the manual and it said specifically not to do that. Pocket manual says that it's okay on the Pocket once you exit the game you are playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 1 minute ago, Steven Pendleton said: Yeah, aside from the Pocket, they all function the same way the real versions of the systems do: power on before inserting/removing cart = not good. I did it a few times myself before I read the manual and it said specifically not to do that. Pocket manual says that it's okay on the Pocket once you exit the game you are playing. I do exit the game, I wasn't going to ever pull the cart when it was in memory. THat's why I thought there wasn't a problem, but trying to do it on the Mega went to black. I then realized I put the JB on the Nintendo one, so I was thinking maybe that's why I got away with it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Pendleton Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 12 minutes ago, Tanooki said: I do exit the game, I wasn't going to ever pull the cart when it was in memory. THat's why I thought there wasn't a problem, but trying to do it on the Mega went to black. I then realized I put the JB on the Nintendo one, so I was thinking maybe that's why I got away with it. Yeah, I used to do that, as well: exit the game, pull the cart without turning the power off and put a new cart in... yeah, apparently we are not supposed to do that lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 Eh I guess I'll stop seems like a strange design flaw if the game isn't being tapped for information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Pendleton Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 14 minutes ago, Tanooki said: Eh I guess I'll stop seems like a strange design flaw if the game isn't being tapped for information. You're also not supposed to insert or remove controllers with the power on on the Analogue systems, as well. This also can cause the system to reset itself, and then I looked around and it seems that we are not supposed to do that, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted May 9, 2022 Share Posted May 9, 2022 Wow that's insane. The old hardware was basically setup for doing that between the various SNES accessories of all things. Yeesh, either it's not as well made as we think, or it's the 21st century boogeyman of warnings to legally cover their asses like the backs of all those NES/SNES carts of what to do/not to do...or else ooooh consequences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enduro75 Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 Mega games 6. Playing super hang on 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asaki Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 On 5/8/2022 at 9:53 AM, Steven Pendleton said: It actually powers on basically instantly, but it has an adjustable thingy that is there to allow your display time to get the signal. You can set it to be practically instant, but it takes a while by default because apparently some modern HDMI displays will freak out if you don't give them enough time to process the signal first or something like that, although I'm not sure exactly how this works or why it is this way. Probably to make sure the HDMI has enough time to handshake. Otherwise your TV will think you're trying to pirate BluRay discs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 That Genesis(mega) 6pak is fantastic, a great starter variety to get a real taste of things. I did a trade during the week and it came in the mail yesterday or the day before but I got the kind of more obscure Caliber 50 which is pretty nice, but also with it came Rolling Thunder 3. I got to work on those, but SNES is battling for time as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtmonkey Posted June 7, 2022 Author Share Posted June 7, 2022 (edited) I recently got a Mega Everdrive Pro to replace my MegaSD (for various reasons not really worth mentioning here). I was dismayed to find that the MegaSD uses its own special format for SRM save files, that is compatible with neither the Mega Everdrive nor emulators like KEGA. Anyway, here's a solution to convert from MegaSD SRM to Mega Everdrive and/or KEGA SRM files: Open the MegaSD SRM file in a hex editor, and remove the first four hex values from the MegaSD SRM file (42 55 50 32 / "BUP2"). This brings the file down to a size/length of 8KB/2000(h) exactly. Download the "8to16.exe" tool from krikzz's website: https://krikzz.com/pub/support/everdrive-md/v2/ Run 8to16 from the command line (ex: "8to16 PS2.SRM") to generate a properly sized SRM file. Rename the file with the proper extension (ex: "PS2.SRM"). Copy the converted SRM somewhere on the Mega Everdrive SD card (doesn't matter where), and then insert the SD card into the Everdrive. Start up your system with the Everdrive inserted, navigate to the converted SRM (from step 3-4), open the Everdrive menu, and select "copy to RAM". Start the game. It should recognize the file in RAM. Save the game in-game (ex: save at the memory center in Phantasy Star II). The Everdrive will place the SRM file in the proper location on the SD card for use then on. I was able to get my Phantasy Star II save over without an issue (thank goodness, as I'm probably 20 hours into this brutal game, and don't want to start over)! Edited June 7, 2022 by newtmonkey 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newtmonkey Posted June 13, 2022 Author Share Posted June 13, 2022 As mentioned above, I recently got a Mega Everdrive Pro to replace my MegaSD. I've used both extensively now, and they are both good devices, each with some pros and cons. Both devices have some great features in common: + Support for MD/GEN ROMs, Mark III/SMS ROMs, and Mega/Sega CD images + Nice options for tweaking Mega/Sega CD game audio (though I believe both devices were developed using MDFourier for nearly perfect audio compared with real hardware) + In-game menus for saving/loading states, quitting back to the menu, etc. + Both support the ability to play certain carts with CD quality audio (MD+ and MSU-MD) MegaSD + Attractive interface with preview image support + In-game menu that works with both MD/GEN ROMs and Mega/Sega CD images, allowing you to exit back to the menu without having to reset the console + A fun option: You can choose to speed up hardware scrolling/rotation in Mega/Sega CD games (doesn't work with all games) + Nice overall construction, looks and feels like a high quality product + Support for MD+ - Interface is slightly slow... there is a pause to fade in/out the Mega SD logo, and it does this everytime you reset to menu. Listing folders with many files also can cause a short pause. - Firmware updates require you to link your hardware serial number with your e-mail address, and download a unique FW file specifically for your hardware; fine now, but what about 15 years from now? - Random crashes/black screens when loading images; I thought this might be due to my SD card, but I tried several SD cards and still had the issue occur. It's not frequent, and only seemed to happen if I was resetting to menu somewhat frequently. - Weird region incompatibilities. This might only be with JPN consoles, as that's all I have. On both my MD1 and MD2, I could not get a handful of US ROMs to run no matter what I did (region set to AUTO or US). - No in-game menu for Mark III/SMS games (no save states, no reset to menu) Mega Everdrive Pro + Very fast menu, both loading and browsing + In-game menu that works with both MD/GEN ROMs and Mark III/SMS ROMs, allowing you to exit back to the menu without having to reset the console + A nice convenience: You can delete files from the Everdrive interface itself; very convenient for deleting a game you discover you don't like or that doesn't work (for whatever reason) + More compact thatn the MegaSD (the same size as a regular cart, whereas the MegaSD is the same size as the Virtua Racing cart shell) + Extremely stable; I've not had a single crash or failure to load + Perfect region compatiblity; all the US games I couldn't load on my JPN consoles using the Mega SD load fine on the Everdrive + Firmware updates are easy; just go on Krikzz site, download the FW, and drop it on the SD card - Interface is a little boring compared with the Mega SD - No in-game menu for Mega/Sega CD images (no save states, no reset to menu) - Support for MS-MDU; negative because it apparently has some issues with seamless looping of tracks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Pendleton Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 (edited) You forgot that the MegaSD has better compatibility than the Everdrive does; MegaSD can play those CD32X games and the Everdrive can't. You need a 32X and the MSDEXP, which I believe is no longer in production, but it does work. I don't think even the MiSTer is currently capable of running those games. I'm not sure why anyone would want to play that garbage, but if you want to, it's the only FPGA implementation that can do it as of right now. Is "it plays an additional 6 garbage games that nobody cares about" enough to say the MegaSD has higher compatibility and is therefore better? At a technical level yes, but given the fact that those extra games are what they are, I am hesitant to do so unless you REALLY like the CD32X versions of those games for whatever reason. I believe the MegaSD predates MDFourier, as well, and that tool was not used in its development since it of course did not exist yet (although I might be wrong since I really don't remember), but the Everdrive used it for development, so I think the Everdrive has more accurate audio or something like that. I don't know the details. 20 minutes ago, newtmonkey said: - Weird region incompatibilities. This might only be with JPN consoles, as that's all I have. On both my MD1 and MD2, I could not get a handful of US ROMs to run no matter what I did (region set to AUTO or US). I have yet to get Alien Soldier to work on the Nomad, so it's not just Japanese systems. I've been too lazy to go tell Terraonion about it. Maybe I should do that. Ditching the Super 32X helps, as well, as the Super 32X breaks compatibility with the region fix for some reason. Edited June 13, 2022 by Steven Pendleton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+-^CrossBow^- Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 I've been playing quite a bit of the newly released Attack of the Petscii Robots for the Genesis/MD. My physical cartridge arrived Friday and I played it for several hours over the weekend. Unfortunately... I found more than a few bugs as well including one possible game breaking one that I already reported to the dev who confirmed and corrected it. Not sure how the physical carts will be handled since I found these issues but I believe an updated ROM will be available for those that bought digital and physical versions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asaki Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 7 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said: ...MegaSD can play those CD32X games and the Everdrive can't. You need a 32X and the MSDEXP, which I believe is no longer in production, but it does work. You can't just use a 32X and a Sega CD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Pendleton Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 1 hour ago, Asaki said: You can't just use a 32X and a Sega CD? No. There is some sort of bus conflict that prevents CD games from running through a 32X. It must use the edge connector, which means you need the MSDEXP, which the Everdrive is not compatible with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asaki Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 17 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said: No. There is some sort of bus conflict that prevents CD games from running through a 32X. It must use the edge connector, which means you need the MSDEXP, which the Everdrive is not compatible with. So Sega released all of those 32X/CD games without realizing that nobody could even play them?? WTF?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+-^CrossBow^- Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 2 hours ago, Asaki said: So Sega released all of those 32X/CD games without realizing that nobody could even play them?? WTF?? The actual Sega32x CD games do work properly. They are talking about the flash carts not working properly I believe? Similar to how I can't play any of the SMS roms from my Everdrive x7 while I have the 32x attached. But I'm able to play 32x games just fine but never tried to play a sega32x CD game as I don't own any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+remowilliams Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 29 minutes ago, -^CrossBow^- said: The actual Sega32x CD games do work properly. They are talking about the flash carts not working properly I believe? Correct, you cannot play Sega 32X CD games with the MegaSD acting as a CD drive while it is plugged into the 32X. The MSDEXP moves the MegaSD over to the Genesis expansion bus for this purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asaki Posted June 15, 2022 Share Posted June 15, 2022 3 hours ago, remowilliams said: Correct, you cannot play Sega 32X CD games with the MegaSD acting as a CD drive while it is plugged into the 32X. Yeah, I was asking why you couldn't just play the 32X CD games with the CD drive acting as a CD drive, and he said there was a bus conflict. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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