*Click to enlarge* What’s up forum! This time I’m here to present my review for the 64Drive. This flashcart created great expectancy since its initial announcement by Marshall, an assembler’s forum member, who was developing (from long ago) and finally launched this device, so keep on reading! Intro: The 64Drive is a flashcart focused on the usage of homebrew in the actual hardware, but fortunately we, the video-gamers, can also use it to load backups efficiently, quickly, comfortably and nicely, because it’s equipped with 2 save systems: compact flash and the popular SD (micro-SD specifically). About the reviewer: My nickname is usually Aleomark, in some webpages of CR I am also known as Sousuke, but internationally and officially I prefer Aleomark, and I want to add in this section that I have already done several reviews in the past, both in English and in Spanish, about flashcarts for different companies and retro scene accessories, so you can take for sure that in my analysis you will find a broad perspective about comparison and, most importantly, neutrality when it comes to analyzing and writing my reviews, I thank those who sponsored my reviews sending me samples, but when doing the analysis I am as objective as possible, so that you, the readers, can make sure you are reading a good review which you may use to base a decision of acquiring the product. In short, what is the 64Drive? The 64Drive is a solution to play your N64 backups (roms) in the actual hardware, it looks like an official cartridge with the only difference that at the top it has two slots for introducing a compact flash or a micro-SD. You can have the N64 emulator roms and use them in the console itself as if they were the original games; therefore, you can play all the games that you couldn’t get at the time they were launched, for instance, the Japan exclusively released games such as Neon Evangelion (the Mario 64 compatible rumble pack version), or unofficial game translations developed by fans such as Mario Party and Ocarina of Time in Spanish. How does it look like?, like an official cartridge? This device is impeccable, the flascart looks like this: *Click to enlarge* It’s sold with its own case, taken from an official N64 game cartridge (same with the CIC); therefore, if you check in the back you can see the caution label presented in all official cartridges. In the front it has a nice sticker (cold tones) and if you check the top you will find the two slots already cut for inserting the micro-SD or a compact flash, also the micro-SD does not protrude the cartridge, you can even swap the case for another one with no slots and keep the micro-SD on the inside permanently. The only disadvantage with the micro-SD is that once inserted it’s difficult to take out, in my case, I had to use tweezers to pull it out without opening the case. Furthermore, if you prefer a compact flash it’d be easier to pull out, but it will protrude the cartridge and become an aesthetic flaw. At the side of the flashcart there is a USB slot through which you can connect to a PC and update the firmware. *Click to enlarge* It’s also sold without CIC and case, just in case you want to install the CIC 6105 of your region or equivalent in order to enable playing of the only game that cannot be played by CIC 6105: Banjo-Tooie. What’s included? First of all, when you receive the 64Drive, you’ll get a package as it is shown in the picture: *Click to enlarge* Which includes: *Click to enlarge* -64Drive. -USB Cable. -Written and illustrated Instruction Manual (almost none of the flashcarts bring any kind of manual) *Click to enlarge* Everything is bubble wrap packaged, the USB cable is for updating the firmware, no additional software required. When I received my cart, I had to update the firmware by using a CMD command because I got a preliminary version, the developer states that for end users this will be easier, they will only need to open an .exe with friendly graphic interface and click on “update” (if necessary), also, the USB cable is useful for sending information (roms) to the cart. Hadware Specifications: You can find a detailed PDF here. Storage: 64Mbytes (512Mbit) SDRAM. CompactFlash memory card slot (to 128GB). MicroSD memory card slot (to 32GB). Transfering speed: USB: 7-8 megabytes/second. CF/SD: 8-9 megabytes/ second. Compatible with all saving versions: EEPROM (4k, 16k), SRAM (256k, 768k), FlashRAM. Compatibility: Compatible with all N64 versions. Updates and Support At the very moment this review was done there was no official forum for support, but you can send an e-mail with all your doubts and inquiries (not included in the manual and/or FAQ) to the official site: http://64drive.retroactive.be/support.php. The support is only provided in English language, I made the request to the developer to set an official forum; however, he hasn’t complied yet, though he said he will. Present time, another site to which you can refer your questions is the “nintendo” sub-forum, assemblers. Here. The menu is easy to update, just download a file from the official website and place it in the root of the micro-SD or Compact Flash. There’s been 5 updates already launched proving that this device is well supported against the bugs that could be found by users. The firmware updates are very simple to perform through the USB connected to the PC, in my case, I had to make this update because what was sent to me was a preliminary version of the firmware, so I had to use a couple of DOS commands; nevertheless, if new firmware updates are launched, according to the developer, you just have to open a graphic interface program and click on “update”. How is the menu? When starting the console, after loading for few seconds, a white and blue menu saying “64Drive” is shown with a list of your micro-SD or Compact Flash directories and/or roms with a folder icon and 3 options at the bottom: -Browse: shows the content of each directory, in my case, I have all the roms alphabetically ordered. *Click to enlarge* -Options: here we find: -"use "saves" folder": if you want a separate folder with saves or not. -"Reset behaivor -go to": for starting whether in the menu or at the beginning of the game when resetting. -"Force PAL Mode": (in my case I use a NTSC system) if it is a PAL mode or not -"Font Size": font size options. *Click to enlarge* -About: here you can find the menu, firmware and Bootloader version, and the credits. *Click to enlarge* When using “Browse” for loading a rom, you’ll see the following: *Click to enlarge* So you can see the picture size, CIC type and save type, you can also change the save and CIC type. If you choose “A” the game will load in a very short time, and then just playtime! As you can see, the menu is simple and nice, it looks very professional and minimalist. The background is customizable if you have the system memory expansion already installed, just add a JPG with the background.jpg name 640x480 and that is it. *Click to enlarge* Compatibility? It has very good compatibility (it has to meet the expectations because of the hard competition), it plays 99% of the games, the only games that cannot be played are the Banjo-Tooie, unless you change the CIC to a 6105 or a region equivalent, and the original Jet Force Gemini version (but it does play the hacked version). The compatibility is almost perfect, it could even load hacked roms as long as they do not exceed the console hardware capacity. Also, the loading speed is incredible, very fast, though you may not tell reading a review, so I will post a video showing the loading speed with several games. Furthermore, if you add the Neon64 emulator in the root, it will load NES emulated games too. Here you can see some screenshots: *Click to enlarge* Conclusions: This cart meets the expectations held by any video-gamer willing to play his/her backups in the N64 actual hardware! Also, it offers a lot of possibilities for developers, though I’d not be able to tell. The product finish is very aesthetic, the menu is useful, simple and nicely designed. This is the only N64 cart that allows you to update the firmware without requiring additional hardware and that eases the process and costs. It’s compatible with micro-SD and Compact Flash with no need of extra accessories or unstable PC software. The price is reasonable if you keep in mind the value of a flashcart for a retro system; nevertheless, certainly it is not the cheapest in the market. It has MP3 player which is nice but nobody would complain about not listening to MP3 in an N64. Pros: -Micro-SD and Compact Flash factory support. -High loading speed, the best in the market. -Emulator support for developers. -No need for any software to burn games in a PC. -Region Free. -Updates. -Firmware updates, no need of extra hardware. - Compatibility 99% of the games -Written instructions manual. Cons: -It is not the cheapest option. -No official forum for support. -Slot Micro-SD, difficult to take out. Where can you buy one? http://64drive.retroactive.be Demonstrative Videos: Prototype video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYnJm...oexternalembed Loading games: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdWsF...oexternalembed MP3 and customized background: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IxDK...oexternalembed ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You can find theese review also in: http://www.underground-gamer.com/forums.php?action=viewtopic&topicid=38597&page=last http://www.bitgamer.su/forums.php?action=viewtopic&topicid=25301&page=last http://www.assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35825 http://www.elotrolado.net/hilo_review-64drive_1605399 http://www.imperioanime.com/foro/index.php/topic,14598.0.html http://cosplaypartycr.com/foro/index.php?topic=5909.0 http://www.forodecostarica.com/nint...e-y-wii/74316-review-64drive.html#post1727076 http://wackoon.com/foro/index.php?showtopic=4629
