/vr/ - Retro Games

>>2594401
is that a saturn?

>>2594409
Yes, but good luck getting one the guy that makes them only makes them when he can be bothered and you cant put your name down for one until he feels like opening up preorders

>>2594401
The post on the blog today says preorders will open again early next week for 20-pin Rhea and the experimental 21-pin Phoebe, and a few weeks later for GDEMU.

There is another guy called jhl who is apparently a Yabause developer that posts on Assembler who is working on a similar thing. That guy didn't do himself any favors by announcing to the world he'd dumped the ROM in the Saturn CD block then refusing to release it to anyone. A bit shady, but it might end up going somewhere.

>>2594607
He has a family and a full-time job, and he does make them all by hand in his free time, so I wouldn't really hold it against him. They are nifty little devices.

>>2594607
>but good luck getting one the guy that makes them only makes them when he can be bothered and you cant put your name down for one until he feels like opening up preorders
isn't that how all these small batch producers operate though? You seem to just being an ungrateful prick, these people do this as a side thing, they have normal jobs and lives and don't own or operate a factory. What is so hard about just checking the site once in a while to see if pre-orders are up?

>>2594626
It's a basic intelligence barrier. The people who complain about having to check the site once in a while obviously don't want it enough.

Similar to the "That's a ripoff, I'll wait until I can get the same thing from China for $5 shipped like I can for my DS" people.

>>2594626
>Implying I don't check, he could always get someone else to help out

>>2594648
I don't think any of these people that makes these things use pre-orders as a means to filter people by intelligence, that insinuation is beyond ridiculous. Also, I think it's more of an issue of maturity than intelligence.

>>2594657
GDEMU usually sells out within a day, but I've seen pre-orders for Rhea stay open much longer that.

>>2594668
>>2594401
is there a way to install these things without making it so you can't play actual physical games anymore?

>>2594672
It replaces the CD Drive, so no.

JHLs design will fit in the mpeg cart slot however, so you can keep the drive with that. In fact you won't need to disassemble anything either, if all goes according to plan.

>>2594663
Well, there was that one hilarious guy who ended nuts on AtariAge because he didn't understand how FAT32 or GD-ROMs worked and kept insisting the GDEMU guy was selling something that could not possibly work. He got filtered out of a double pre-order pretty fast.

>>2594672
It kind of defeats the need to play physical games. You could always remove the device and put the original drive back in if you really wanted to.

Rhea is solderless now, right?

>>2594683
>It kind of defeats the need to play physical games.
if you are a collector who collects to play you will still want to get out the physical games once in a while, there is really nothing that "defeats the need to play the physical games", that is pirate mentality, not retro gaming mentality.

>>2594691
That quote is totally not a pirate mentality thing. I just personally find it much more convenient to select things from a menu or something than changing carts or discs semi-frequently. Sure pirates would say the same thing using the exact same logic, but it does apply to legit users as well.

>>2594681
jesus, this reads like the type of retarded trolls you would see in one of these threads...

>>2594697
but the idea that you shouldn't want to play actual physical carts of dics because of this is completely idiotic.

>>2594683
>wanting loadings and DREs

>>2594710
Is it? I don't really feel that way. I like having legit discs and I have more than could fit onto a typical SD card, but this thing is a very convenient alternative to that.

I'm definitely not suggesting anyone buys one of these or a flash cart and then sell off their entire collection.

>>2594683
>It kind of defeats the need to play physical games.

The entire point is that you don't need physical discs anymore, because the CD drives will eventually get faulty.

If you still want to play your originals, you can always buy another Saturn. Most of the good games cost more than the console anyhow.

>>2594717
this isn't about flash carts though, this is about a device that REPLACES the original cd of gd-rom drive of a saturn or dreamcast, making it impossible to play physical copies in the system it's installed in.

>>2594731
No-one's forcing you to buy or use one, dude. If you just want to play original discs that's fine too.

>>2594746
but what if I want to do both you dumb fuck.

>120 euro
Jeeeeeeeeeeez

I hate to be one of the "I'll wait for the clones" people but I really do wish guys like this would be quicker about selling off their design to manufacturers. They'd make more money, but I guess it's more about their personal fame and they want to forever attach their identity to it before they sell it off.

>>2594758
Then you only need to kill yourself for being so stupid and entitled.

Problem solved.

He did put a few years into it developing it without any outside assistance, so there's that.

Every single flash cart or ODE thread there are always people who come along and expect clones soon at bargain bucket prices. It would be great if someone could put together a parts list for any such device, just so we could know for sure how much of a profit these guys make off this stuff.

I honestly don't think it's as much as you'd expect, but then what do I know.

>>2594758
If you're considering spending $200 for an ODE then you should be able to afford $20-$30 for a second Saturn with a bad drive to put it in.

>>2594758
>but what if I want to do both you dumb fuck.

Put them in your other Saturn!

>>2594772
Well, gen 7 systems are more complex for sure with bluray and dvd drives but the clone ODEs for them are about $50. These guys that produce the small-batch stuff assemble them by hand so they have a much higher labor cost though.

>>2594760
>I pull out the world entitled to discredit anything I don't like

>>2594787
Smaller quantities are probably a contributing factor. I don't know how the Chinese manage it. I imagine they steal random parts from factories to cut the cost.

>Do you want to include an SD card with this order?
NO!

>>2594787
Newer consoles may be more complex, but they also tend to use commonly mass produced optical drives, plus there is also a way bigger incentive to make a hard drive loader for them. Plus a lot of them also have some form of ability to load games from the hard drive already.

The Saturn has an extremely small fan base, in comparison, and uses a specialized CD drive built specifically for the machine.

>>2594796
Yeah, like DS flash cards. Mass produced on a scale that you could find a place that sold them just about anywhere in the country.

>Why don't you just mass produce flash carts for older systems? You'd sell millions of them as well!
hehe.

>>2594809
hell, the Gameboy advance had complete emulators before the actual system even launched.

>>2594664
But im going Russian for the Dreamcast.

Id rather a sign up now waiting list, ive got the perfect drive less Saturn for it

I have a Saturn that suffered some severe water damage and as a result no longer loads games. Miraculously, it still boots up and shows the menu, although the motor doesn't spin up at all when the laser moves. I wonder if a Rhea (or actually the 21 pin version of it) would work for it? The guts of the system are pretty screwed up and rusty. I'd like to try, but I don't like the idea of risking $130 for something that might not work.

I'm guessing this guy doesn't take returns?

>>2594841
Should do,

For anyone wanting to play boots without mod chipping there always the Action replay hack

>>2594825
The USB-GDROM is the a the other option, but it does have a few problems.

The guy that makes it has a reputation for not responding to messages for weeks at a time if not longer. The guy takes longer to get back to you than it does for the GDEMU guy to open a new batch of pre-orders.
Disc swap functionality doesn't work properly yet in the USB model and has only been added as an afterthought. You still have to supply and solder in the switch yourself, whereas GDEMU has had it built in since the beginning.
It's a bit more expensive as well, especially with StoneAgeGamer who have been buying them up from the guy and charging a considerable markup for the v5, baiting people by claiming infinitely better than the v4, even though the only difference is that the USB port is facing the other way.
There's that voltage being far too high thing as well, which is rather worrying.

Other than all that it's supposed to be pretty good. HDD appeals more to some people than SD cards as well.

>>2594841
It would "work" in that you could get the system to load games. But if any other part of the system is damaged (something you may not know about due to not being able to load games on it), then you'll still have problem.

Additionally, if the laser does not see a disc, then the motor will not spin. So you might want to try replacing (or at least recalibrating) the laser first. Raise or lower the tray first, then tweak the laser pot.

>>2594841
If you buy it and don't get it working in your Saturn, there is enough demand for them that selling it on should be easy enough.

>>2594783
I like you

>>2594852
Yeah ive seen SAGs mark up of it, understand about costs and a small profit, but that price is bollocks,

>>2594873
I wanted one of the v4 models that had the rear facing USB sockets. SAG only got a small amount of them and don't seem to ever be getting any more in.

I definitely don't want the marked-up to hell, HDD hostile v5 model:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XyNUZecxT0

>>2594856
>if any other part of the system is damaged
What else could be wrong with it? Are you thinking of anything in particular? The most fragile parts of a console as far as I can tell would probably be the optical drive and the power supply capacitors. Since the power supply seems to work reliably enough for the system to boot, display video, and respond to controller input, I was guessing that meant I was in the clear as far as the "computer" itself was concerned. Is it at all likely that, for example, one processor would work and another processor or graphics chip on the main board would be faulty? It seems like solid state electronics that are securely soldered to the board would be the most likely things to survive water damage. Unless the Saturn does some sort of POST or self-check at boot up (meaning that everything must be reporting in OK if I see the menu in the first place), I guess there's really no way for me to test the electronics other than replacing the CD drive, is there?

>Raise or lower the tray first, then tweak the laser pot.
I tried all this, but I think there is just too much physical damage to the drive itself. When I first cracked the console open for a peek inside, the worm gear was actually so physically corroded that the laser couldn't move. Eventually I worked it loose enough that the laser now scoots out like it's supposed to, but I suspect the disc motor has just as much damage inside. Its outsides are certainly quite rusted, at least. I'm not really sure how water can hurt a motor, which is just a collection of wire coils and magnets, but I can't really see a way to diagnose it other than the simple observation that it doesn't work.

Since the whole thing is so damaged, I wouldn't want to try replacing the laser without replacing the entire drive assembly, since I don't know exactly where the problem is. I'm not sure how much that costs, but if a Rhea is comparable, it seems like an even more useful option.

>>2594887
>What else could be wrong with it?

Anything that you see on this picture. You could have the machine working normally but have some fault in video mode x, or maybe the cd audio multiplexer has broken and you get no cd audio, and so on.

There is no POST type check, and even if there were, that wouldn't be enough to find every issue (a PC can pass the POST even if it has a graphics card with corrupt memory, for example).

I wouldn't trust a 150€ device on a machine that has crapped up. Sure, it might work, but it might be a paperweight - and you can repair that unit for far cheaper.


>but I suspect the disc motor has just as much damage inside

The drive will not even attempt to spin up the disc, unless the laser reports that it sees something.

The laser is much more fragile than the motors in there. In fact you already have proof that the motors work on your unit, since you said that when you boot the machine, the laser moves in place. That is handled by a second motor that just moves the entire laser assembly on a rail.

But that doesn't mean that the laser can actually see what it is supposed to see. And if the laser cannot see anything, the drive will never bother spinning up the disc.

I'd try getting a new laser first, before going for an entire ODE.

>>2594881
Id prefer an internal one, just cram everything inside.

Ive been tempted to do the IDE drive mod for it, but it just looks ugly

>>2594925
The IDE mod is the cheapest, but still the clear worst out of all the available options. Compatibility is mixed at best and a lot of games will probably never work with it.

>>2594681
I wonder why nobody noticed he kept quoting FILE SIZE not DRIVE SIZE.

>>2594789
No, they pulled out the WORD 'entitled' because it accurately describes how you are acting concerning the topic at hand. You feel like you deserve a device that can use SD cards AND GD-ROM discs and anything less is "stupid" and "pointless", despite the facts that:
>Collectors would actually prefer to NOT further damage their discs by excessive play
>This device is EXPLICITLY DESIGNED TO REPLACE THE DISC READING MECHANISM.

TL/DR: Feel like you can make a better one? Go do it then, fuckboi, until then shut the fuck up and appreciate what you have.

>>2595026
>FAT32 on an SDHC card only holds 4GB... where in HELL do you get that it holds up to 2TB
>FAT32 holds just less than 1GB and that dude said it held up to 2TB???
>if a game is exactly 1GB or more it will NOT fit
>Dreamcast Game ISOs exceed 4GB when ripped
>I know of many games that exceed 4GB

The guy pre-ordered two of the things without even knowing the most basic shit, then outright refused to believe it and called the guy a liar when the dude was patient enough to try explaining it to him.

I mean holy fuck, some people...

The only reason I haven't bought a Saturn yet is because I want to pirate the games and haven't figured out which way to go about it so this is relevant to my interests.

>>2595050
What really got me was that the Wiki he was quoting specifically stated FILE SIZE though. I wonder how old that guy is, because it seems like pretty common knowledge that FAT32 can hold more than 4 gis.

>>2595053
You have a load of options,
Mod chipping is easy (compared to other systems)
the action replay hack works as well

>>2595072
I thought about 30, but according to his profile there he's 46. It gets even more tragic; he runs a website store where he mods and sells original Xboxes. How the fuck does anyone manage to do anything like that and have no idea about FAT32?

I was expecting something like "I'm a cashier/janitor/basement_dweller who has an old Dreamcast lying around".

>>2595103
Not that guy but curious about the Action Replay thing. Don't you need to run a cd-r to flash the thing in the first place? Do you have to disc swap to get that running or something on an unmodded console?

Reminds of FreeMcBoot and how it's much easier if you know someone who already has it. I had to buy that James Bond game myself and everything...

>>2595112
You need to be able to read CD-Rs, disc swapping can be used or if you know somebody with a modded system they could do it for you
I have the means (UK)

>>2595112
>Don't you need to run a cd-r to flash the thing in the first place? Do you have to disc swap to get that running or something on an unmodded console?

That is all correct.

>>2595112
Action Replays and similar devices can be connected to a PC via parallel port. The swap trick doesn't need one of those, though. I did it hundreds of times before I got a mod chip.

>>2595104
He mods OG Xboxes......? I'm so freaking glad I did it myself rather than risk having someone who has no idea how filesystems work do it.

>>2595146
Not all of them have one, only downside with flashing it is it wont save, but then whats new, ive only ever gotten Sega rally and theme park to save on one

>>2595185
That sounds sketchy and he doesn't know about how filesystems work.

>>2594904
Not him but you're pretty much talking about extremely rare faults.

>>2595403
He keeps saying that FAT32 has a 4 gig cap for one....

>>2595493
I feel bad

>>2595416
Not that rare on a 20 year old machine.

You can still go and buy a SD loader, but honestly how will it feel to spend 150 euro on one and then finding out that your console doesn't even work in the first place?

>>2595493
Wasn't it 2 gigabytes? I remember old HD rips around ~2004 had to be split in 2-3 files because people were still using older file systems.

>>2595534
You're thinking of FAT16

>>2595534
You're talking about ram failing and stuff. Nowadays that's a real concern. Not so much with rdram and earlier.

>>2594691
>that is pirate mentality,

Or the mentality of still wanting to play your games without worrying about a dead laser.

>>2595039
I don't agree with the guy but don't pull the WELL LET'S SEE YOU DO BETTER! argument. Anyone should be allowed to criticize something no matter how retarded their criticisms actually are.

>>2594691
I don't understand. If you want to buy retail copies for the purpose of collecting why do you need to use those games on your system? Just put your collectible on a shelf and load the ISO from the SD card. Discs stay in better shape too. If you REALLY want to play using the discs for some reason then get another Saturn.

>>2595560
>Pic related

>>2595569
Just go back to the Youtube comment section if you're gonna keep arguing like them.

I'm thinking of buying a Saturn and using the Action Replay method. Does region matter at all? I live in Yuroland and European Saturns are the ones I usually see on sale with a Japanese one every now and then.

>>2595573
You might want to go see a doctor if the preparation H didn't help.

>>2595583
Are you just going to keep playing the butthurt card?

>>2595039
>>2595569
>>2595583
>>2594760

>fuckboi
>kill yourself for being so stupid and entitled.
Fuck off back to /v/.

>>2595546
>You're thinking of FAT16
No, he's definitely thinking of FAT32. In a FAT32 filesystem, you can't have a single file larger than 4GB. The filesystem itself can be up to 2TB.

Not sure why there's so much confusion here on this point.

>>2594607
why have the chinese not cloned this yet?

>>2595593
Because the Chinese are sub human trash?
Also I believe the guy gets his boards from Korea.

>>2595593
You really think enough people in China own a Saturn to make them wanna do this?

>>2595593
They are probably still trying.

>>2595598
There is definitely some interest, since there is some Chinese guy making his own SD Loader. Unfortunately, it runs on the cart port, so it WILL be shit.

>>2595596
I'm guessing the correct answer is because the device is not copyrighted, as we all know those chinese like counterfeiting copyrighted goods.

>>2595624
Well from what I understand the only part the guy has made is the boards. He programs the chips himself.
So they can't easily steal the design.

Do wish the guy would make more. I want the new version Rhea and a Thea.

>>2595590
You're the only one confused here. It's already been well established that we're talking about the overall volume size not the file size limitations.

>>2595627
>Thea.

That will be called Phoebe. Theia is a prototype.

>>2595664
I still want one for my model 2.

>>2595627
unless he cuts off a few pins to prevent them from being read and scratches off the chip ids, it can be read and cloned

>>2595698
I don't think you understand how programing chips work. You can't just download it.

>>2595641
I'm only tangentially aware of whatever stupid bullshit from a forum begat this discussion, but I want to be absolutely clear that I am addressing the following:
>I remember old HD rips around ~2004 had to be split in 2-3 files because people were still using older file systems.
>You're thinking of FAT16
FAT32 does indeed have both filesize and filesystem size limits, and split scene rips from the 2000s were provided specifically to work around FAT32 limits, not FAT16, which had largely fallen out of use for internal HDDs by that time.

There is an additional complicating factor that newer versions of windows impose an artificial limit on the maximum size of a new FAT32 partition they format, designed to allow people to continue to format smaller drives like flash drives and memory cards, but to prevent them from using FAT32 (relatively unsafe, compared to Microsoft's NTFS) for larger and more vulnerable drives. But as I stated, the filesystem does have a 2TB limit on the maximum formatted size of a volume.

>>2595739
Oh, cool, you picked a random quote in the middle of the overall discussion. I realize it might be hard for you to grasp this concept but conversations last longer than two posts sometimes.

So, I know nothing about this. What is it?

>>2595775
Laymen terms. Replaces CD drive in Saturn with a SD card slot. Think everdive for Saturn.

>>2595772
What is your objection? I'm posting to correct what seems to be a misunderstanding. The context is relevant, certainly, which is why I pointed out that both filesize and volume size limits exist in FAT32.

>>2595778
Sounds interesting. I suppose it's new, so I should wait to know what games will and won't work with it first. How much will it go for?

>>2595781
Been out for over a year. 100% compatibility. Faster load times.

Only issues are some formats don't work.

Think they're still $130 shipped. Same as GDEMU.

>>2595739
You know what? I'll just point you to where the conversation started: >>2595026
>I wonder why nobody noticed he kept quoting FILE SIZE not DRIVE SIZE

That post was replied to with a list of quotes where the fool from AtariAge tried spouting misinformation: >>2595050

Replied to with another clarifying that we're talking about VOLUME SIZE not FILE SIZE. >>2595072


>>2595779
Do you see where I'm going with this? In the future follow the conversation the entire way back so you don't look like a retard trying to correct people.

>>2595784
>100% compatibility.

There is at least one incompatible game, Bug!.

>>2595787
What's wrong with it?

>>2595791
It's Bug!-y

>>2595791
It doesn't work.

>>2595794
Got me.
>>2595796
Wow great explanation chuckle nuts.

>>2595801
>Wow great explanation chuckle nuts.

Well what kind of explanation do you want? Does it matter if it hangs up directly after boot, or if it plays loud scratchy noises, turn the screen upside down, ignore all controller input and then reset to the bios two seconds into the intro video? You are unable to play the game either way, ergo, it does not work.

>>2595807
You could start with the version you're using NTSC U, J or PAL? What formats you've tried , etc.

More than likely a bad rip.

>>2595809
>More than likely a bad rip.

Confirmed good rip. And as far as I know all versions are broken, they do something that Rhea is not equipped to handle.

>>2595815
Being how you wont give any information about the problem I'm gonna chalk it up as PEBKAC.

>>2595816
It was officially confirmed by the creator of Rhea that the game is broken because it does something the device does not support.

So again, what extra info do you want? How prettily it crashes, or what?

>>2595829
Link?

>>2595831
Dunno. He told me over email when the problem was reported.

Feel free to ask me if you are that adamant on requiring more information on why a game that doesn't work, doesn't work.

>>2595836
I'm just curious because I always assumed the CD drive just sent a stream of bits down the ribbon cable, and that a device like Rhea could just send the same bits in the same order with the computer never knowing the difference.

But apparently that's not always the case.

>>2595836
I've had multiple emails with the guy. Unless this is a recent thing idk.

>>2594401
>many people
Doubt it. How many has he even made so far?
Most people here already have a modded Saturn or are too poor/retarded to get/install a Rhea.

>>2595593
Balls to the Chinese, having more than one guy making them would help a great deal.