Is it possible to cartridge-ize Saturn games?

[neorichieb1971]

Most Saturn games have quite a bit of loading. Is it feasible or even possible to make games run from the cartridge slot?

This is just a curiosity question really.

[nissling]

In theory it should be, but I'm not sure if it's ever been done.

[Fudoh]

James (Prof. Abrasive) is working on a USB or SD card loader for the extension slot on the back of the machine. Not exactly what you were asking for, but in essence the same result, isn't it ?

[Steamflogger Boss]

James (Prof. Abrasive) is working on a USB or SD card loader for the extension slot on the back of the machine. Not exactly what you were asking for, but in essence the same result, isn't it ?

Have there been any actual updates on this? I remember hearing about it sometime back, then nothing. It's awesome if it happens. I don't want to mess with rhea so I've just been using cdrs when needed in the meantime.

[Fudoh]

There are regular updates on his Patreon. It's tech-talk, so other sites don't really pick it up and I guess it's hard to make a YT video about it at this stage. But it's looking good, although I wouldn't expect it soon.

[Steamflogger Boss]

Ah okay, thanks Fudoh.

[neorichieb1971]

Ok cool. Sounds like a plan. Would rather have an everdrive cartridge system than use the port on the back though.

[Fudoh]

Why? The cartridge port on the back wasn't exactly a masterpiece of engineering. Fragile contacts and if you ever dared to use an Action Replay for some time, you had the utmost problems getting those official RAM extension carts to run properly.

[neorichieb1971]

I used the action replay sparingly. I think the problem was with the cartridge, not the cartridge slot.

[bobrocks95]

Why? The cartridge port on the back wasn't exactly a masterpiece of engineering. Fragile contacts and if you ever dared to use an Action Replay for some time, you had the utmost problems getting those official RAM extension carts to run properly.

Do I need to go pop my 4MB Action Replay out of the cartridge slot? Does it have a really thick connector like an NES Game Genie and bend the pins or something?

[neorichieb1971]

Why? The cartridge port on the back wasn't exactly a masterpiece of engineering. Fragile contacts and if you ever dared to use an Action Replay for some time, you had the utmost problems getting those official RAM extension carts to run properly.

Do I need to go pop my 4MB Action Replay out of the cartridge slot? Does it have a really thick connector like an NES Game Genie and bend the pins or something?

If you have one of those 4mb expansion plus action replay jobbies I would leave it in there. I believe the action replay cart needed a certain amount of push with a knack to hitting the spot perfectly otherwise it didn't work. Then if you switched it for the 4mb expansion it probably didn't have good contacts with the pins. I noticed this on my old saturn. I don't believe i've ever put my action replay into my new saturn. I also don't remember the 4mb not being acknowledged in my new saturn either, which would happen on my old saturn when and if used after the action replay.

[mvsfan]

compare the action replay side by side with an original sega 4MB ram cart and you will see that the AR has a thicker pcb.

my cart slot works fine but ive only used ram and save carts in it.

[bigbadboaz]

Yeah, my understanding was that the Saturn cart slot was engineered fine - but like most third-party shit, the Datel carts were not. Over-thick PCB = system damage.

Regarding the SD loader: I remember several recent comments implying one was already out in the wild and obtainable. Are there more than one of these projects going on?

[gray117]

There's the rhea(+phoebe) have to be a bit careful over disk images + sd card type, and have a model 1.
You have to keep a very careful eye out for when batches get made/go on sale. Can enable a high speed mode, though also easily disabled if any issues.

Have a rhea myself - it is pretty fantastic... + someone else made it a menu (on his links).
https://gdemu.wordpress.com/installatio ... tallation/


I was always interested to see if kind of the reverse would be done with darksoft's titan/stv sd cartridge, whereby saturn games may come to the titan, but presume there must be enough built differences between saturn disks and titan carts to make that not easily doable despite the actual hardware being nearly identical.