Saturn proof-of-concept bootloader Pseudo Saturn

I ask to him the same question, he say the version 0.831 have a better compatibility vs the 0,832 .... now I'm waiting for my package ( my inglish its little bad, sorry :v)

 

I have the same one. He says 0.831 has better compatibility and is not upgrade-able.

Also it doesn't have RAM support, which is why it put that on the sticker.

 

He is right : 0.832 has improved compatibility on some games (including Panzer Dragoon Saga) ... but doesn't works at all on some Saturn models.
I was wondering why he isn't using Pseudo Saturn Kai : it has slightly improved game compatibility, and features both loaders, so if you're lucky, you can play Panzer Dragoon Saga, else, you can play nearly all other games
(No problem, my English isn't that good too ^^ )

Can't be upgraded ? Well, that's a pity it's not possible ... but you get what you pay for a $20-ish cartridge.
What are the vendor/device IDs displayed when using cartridge firmware flasher utility (here) ?
If that's IDs from flash device not supported by flasher utility, I can try to add support for it, but if writing to flash device isn't even supported on cartridge side, then I can't do anything.

I confirm this : a quick look at the PCB shows a GAL chip (or some other glue logic chip) on left side, and two flash chips on right side, so it can only boot from flash ROM, and nothing else.

 

vendor id: 0101 - AMD
device id: 2020 - AM29F010

I have not tried flashing the cart as I'm worried it will brick.

 

Oh, so the flash chips are recognized !
Hence flasher should work with "Pseudo Saturn Kai lite" on your cartridge. I can't 100% guarantee it won't brick it, hence the "should".

That's a reasonable price for a RAM-less Pseudo Saturn cartridge I just worry a little about decoupling capacitors positioning, but it should work without problems I think.

Flasher CD-ROM contains save data for various games : this can be done from "save data import feature". So please keep this CD-ROM for the next games you will play

 

Hey guys, I'm having some issues here trying to flash a "Memory Card Plus" which is supposedly supported (I have ordered an AR though). I'm getting some issues trying to flash my card at all using either Altus or PseudoKai version. If using Altus i get to flash it and it erases flash ok then fails writing flash at 6% every single time. If i use Kai my saturn display just freezes instantly and eventually the disc stops spinning.

I'm at a loss here as i've tried these on different discs and still no joy with me being left at the moment with a bircked mem card... any help would be much appreciated.

 

Have you tried on unmodified Saturn?
I've done a few on my stock standard Saturn console without any issue although always used the ARP from EMS or whatever is called in HK

 

Okay panic averted and I've managed to get an older version flashed on my card using ARP flasher. Seems strange why the other versions failed instantly but this one completed first time and now boots right into a game easily.

 

Hello all,

I registered to this site just to comment on this thread. Interesting stuff. I am getting a Japanese Saturn soon (I am in Europe, I like the gray one better ) and I want to get one of these to be able to play European games. (using pskai)

Hope it's all as easy as I think it is. The hardest part seems to be the swap trick, but I am confident I can overcome this.
Any stuff I should look out for?

I, of course, also saw the satisifer. How much better is this thing going to be than the pseudo stuff?

 

Welcome on assembler forums !


> How much better is this thing going to be than the pseudo stuff?

Satisfier isn't released yet, so if you want to play backup games right now, then the best solution is Pseudo Saturn Kai.

After Satisfier release, choice between Satisfier and cartridge with Pseudo Saturn Kai depends on your needs : if you want to play a limited count of games, or play games requiring RAM expansion cartridge, then you may prefer a cartridge with Pseudo Saturn Kai.
On the other hand, if you want to test all the games released for Saturn (good luck, because so games didn't aged well ), and don't want to burn CD-R for all of each, then Satisfier is the best solution.

Hope it helped

 

I apologize if this has already been asked but scrolling through 47 pages I couldn't find the info or lost with the vast of info provided.
If I have a modchip installed in my Saturn, do I need to do the swap trick still to flash the Action Replay 3in1 cart or do I simply put in the pseduo v.0832 CD-R in and boot up to flash the cart skipping the swap trick altogether?

Edit: I found my answer, looks like you skip the swap trick which is nice since v2 is a pain to do from what I read.

 

My modchips are on the way but I am using the AR Pseudo v.0832 and some games I have to patch with the cdpatcher for them to load. I have 3 questions:

1. Since I don't know which requires cdpatcher is it a good idea to just patch them all before burning?
2. If my image is bin/cue do I just patch the cue file since cdpatcher does not see the .bin file?
3. When I have my Saturn modchipped will the games that I used cdpatcher work as normal?

Thanks in advance.

 

Please refer to Pseudo Saturn Kai compatibility list in order to check if the game you're about to burn needs patching or not. If game can be played without patching, it's better to burn it as-is.

Please open the .cue file from patcher utility.
File actually modified will be the .bin file associated with the .cue file selected, and that's normal.

Yes and no : if you use a Pseudo Saturn cartridge and a modchip, they will play, but won't play without Pseudo Saturn cartridge.
(That's why it's better to patch only when necessary, as replied in question 1)

 

Bought a Japanese MK1 (Grey) Saturn along with an Action Replay cart with Pseudo Saturn (V0.832) installed on it. Currently attempting to play Policenauts but however I cannot boot the game, I keep getting Error 1 on booting CD even when I use a legitimate retail disc (PAL region)

I've attempt to upgrade to the latest version. Can't boot disc. Tried to reflash cart. Can't boot disc. Tried to downgrade firmware. Can't boot disc.

Cleaned the cart and console's contacts, Made sure it's firmly secured. Getting no improvements.

If I was to downgrade to 0.831 or Kai version, Would I need to disc swap in order to boot the flashing tool up then pop in the cart?

 

1. You cannot Boot a PAL CD on a JPN Console as there's region protection so you need a JPN CD to do the boot swap to flash your Action Replay Cart
2. Once you flash your AR cart with Kai or Pseudo then I believe you still have to patch the CD to your Console Region if the ISo is not from the same region as your Console. I might be wrong on this part
3. Once you flash your AR cart then you should not need the swap trick to downgrade or jump to another version like KAi to PSeudo and vice versa.

 

Ok, I've noticed that my copy repro copy of Policenauts has multiple regions attached to it. Wonder if this is what's preventing from the game from booting up. I'm gonna do a back up of one disc and then try to boot it up that way. I'll do a test and let you know.

EDIT: Backed-up my PAL copy of Clockwork Knight, Patched it to Japanese version. Burnt it and STILL having no luck on booting the disc. I've got a feeling that my particular Japanese Saturn doesn't like Pseudo at all. Worst thing is I don't think there is a custom firmware that fixes the issue.

 

It seems your Saturn isn't compatible with Pseudo Saturn 0.832. I own the same here (Grey Japanese model, with error 1 on all CD-Rs), so I know what you're speaking about ^^

Please upgrade your cartridge to Pseudo Saturn Kai (Installer available here). Kai allows both loaders from 0.831 and 0.832, so it will allow to boot games compatible with 0.831 (= all games, except Panzer Dragoon Saga, and few others).
If you or a friend own an other Saturn (if possible, not grey model), please try to upgrade firmware on it. Else, you will have to do the swap trick on your grey Saturn in order to boot the firmware install utility :/

Did you bought your pre-installed cartridge recently ? Because I released Pseudo Saturn Kai half a year ago, so that would be a pity if some people would still be selling carts with 0.832 pre-installed on it ...

Edit : there's no need to region patch games with Pseudo Saturn. Region patch is done on cartridge side when reading the game's first data sector.

 

Okay guys, I have the weirdest problem with my PAL V2 saturn and Pseudo saturn 0.831.
I have been using it for more than a year, I played some Castlevania yesterday.

The only image I get is the Pseudo Saturn 0.831 Menu. ??????

When I turn on my saturn, I have the sound of the bootup screen. I can load a game through PseudoSaturn, I can hear the Konami sound . But the image is still a frozen Pseudo saturn menu. Same thing when the cartridge (Action replay) is not inserted. Same thing with no disc, no cartridge, or an original PAL disc... Sound is working, but the image is always the pseudoSaturn menu.

What happened???

 

Yeah I did purchase my cartridge with 0.832 pre-installed. I do have a spare PAL MK2 laying around so I'll update the firmware on that. Do I need to select launch game or refresh AR once I put the update disc in?

 

Try upgrading to 0.832 or Kai.