Weird (fake) Super Mario 64 Version on Proto Cart

So, I've got this N64 proto cart - it's got Super Mario 64 on it. It seems to be just an ordinary retail copy of the game as you can see in this photo:



But when you take a closer look at this sign, you start to see why they decided to not use this version of the game...



Weird...anyway just thought I'd share this - and yes, what you see on the screen really is running off the cart.

 

Alright, now that I've had my fun, here is some more information.

TL;DR - be careful when buying N64 protos! Yes, they can be flashed, and no it's not that hard.

Over the years, there have been many posts on forums asking whether it's possible to make an N64 reproduction cart. Usually the responses are "No, it's too hard", "No, it's too expensive", "No, it's impossible", and so on. I've always been disappointed by these responses since it's actually quite simple to make an N64 repro, and I'm sure people have been making them privately for years. Finally, this past year, they've publicly become available on aliexpress , so yes you really should check the board of a grey NFR Majora's Mask before buying .

It's been a very similar story with regards to flashing N64 proto carts. There have been a lot of comments, particularly by veteran members, on a couple forums that I've found disappointing. They often state that it's too difficult to flash an N64 cart, or that the equipment is too rare, or that so few people can do it that it's not worth worrying about etc. This can then be used as justification that a particular N64 proto is authenitic, which is naive.

I just wanted to bust some myths about gangwriters:
1) Gangwriters are incredibly rare.
- They're rare, but not that rare - three have popped up in just the last year or so.
2) Gangwriters need a special interface card (which is even rarer) to work.
- It's true that there was an option to buy a special "Intelligent Systems" branded SCSI interface card when buying gangwriters, but any SCSI card works just fine
3) Special and rare software is needed that requires expert knowledge to use.
- Of course, gangwriters need software, but it's available and it's not hard to use


It's also possible to flash carts without a gangwriter. Protos are not too complicated -they just contain a commonly used Altera FPGA and some flash chips that can be reprogrammed.

Anwyay, the point is that (just like with N64 repros), N64 protos can be made pretty easily, and you must exercise caution when buying, so you shouldn't justify a purchase by saying that it's too hard to fake a proto. There is absoultely no way to tell if a cart is authentic just by looking at its contents. Perhaps there is a hardware-based technique to determine whether a cart is real, but I think that when buying an N64 proto, all that you can really do to protect yourself is buy from someone you trust - e.g. someone you know was a developer on the game.

Edit: fixed mistake

 

The pictures don't load. Can you upload them somewhere else?

Edit: Thanks for fixing them.
That's indeed weird. Where does the cartridge come from?

 

My basement

 

That's hilarious, thanks for the share!

 

DUMP
THIS
MASTERPIECE

PS: I'm part Italian

 

This is racist and offensive. Mexico is a lovely country with a proud history

 

Post a video please.

 

WTF? Is this fake?

 

This is a fake. its not a prototype.its a rom hack loaded onto a flash cart hidden in the shell of a developer cartridge

 

I'm happy to see everyone appreciating the humor in this . I was worried people would take it too seriously.

Darkspire17 - technically, a proto cart is a flash cart .

 

I always appreciate a nice ruse.

 

I guess while this could maybe fit in a loose definition of the Big N's Game Development forum, Off-Topic would have been far better suited. Long story short, don't screw with the words "Super Mario 64" and "proto" in the same title around me

 

Too bad you're a whole month late.

 

You're the poopiest of party poopers.

 

I don't get invited. This has been my lifelong question and I think you finally helped me find that answer.
Thanks Doctor Phil.

 

Haha Nice done Joe ! This was a good one ! And I am also glad that nobody took it seriously.

I can confirm that this is a flashed Nintendo dev cart, not a 3rd party Flash cart in an official cart